Resumo: For decades now, the inclusion of heritage cities in tourist itineraries has grown. In this study, special attention is paid to the profile, motivation and behaviour of tourists who visit these cities. The central ideas are the following: First, that in mature sun and sand destinations, these cultural places are visited by people with a medium to high educational level. Second, a substantial number of these tourists have previously planned their cultural visit. Third, this planning subsequently leads to different kinds of behaviour. Fourth, in the context of a mature tourist destination, tourists that demonstrate some kind of cultural behaviour are differentiated more by having planned their visit than by their socio-demographic profile. These last two points are the novel aspects of this work. These results stem from a study carried out in 2010 in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, World Heritage City since 1999, located in Tenerife (Canary Islands’ Archipelago, Spain)
