Steady tourists’ relationship with a mature destination. The case of Portugal

This article assesses how the last-visit features and the socio-demographic profile of tourists moderate repeat-visit patterns to Portugal, a mature destination where the persistence of loyal visitors has made its mark on tourism development. The methodology used is a survival analysis to assess the tourists’ repeat patterns. To test the model, a database of 4612 observations was employed, which was obtained from a survey of international tourists. Only repeat visitors with more than two visits over the years were considered for the purpose of the research. The study finds that a combination of socio-demographic characteristics, expectation/satisfaction, trip purpose, pull motivations and regional destination has a positive effect on repeat patterns, confirming that tourists’ willingness to repeat visits to Portugal is far from ceasing. Based on those tourists to Portugal who declared when they started to visit the country, and the number of years of their repeat visits, the article contributes to the literature by introducing new methods of assessing tourists’ repeat patterns for destinations.

Expenditure pattern analysis of cultural tourists at World Heritage Sites: an empirical evidence based on CHAID analysis

Nowadays, World Heritage Sites (WHS) have been facing new challenges, partially due to a different tourism consumption patterns. As it is highlighted in a considerable amount of studies, visits to these sites are almost justified by this prestigious classification and motivations are closely associated with their cultural aspects and quality of the overall environment (among others, Marujo et al, 2012). However, a diversity of tourists’ profiles have been underlined in the literature. Starting from the results obtained in a previous study about cultural tourists’ profile, conducted during the year 2009 in the city of Évora, Portugal, it is our intend to compare the results with a recent survey applied to the visitors of the same city. Recognition of Évora by UNESCO in 1986 as “World Heritage” has fostered not only the preservation of heritage but also the tourist promotion of the town. This study compares and examined tourists’ profile, regarding from the tourists’ expenditure patterns in Évora. A total of 450 surveys were distributed in 2009, and recently, in 2015, the same numbers of surveys were collected. Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) was applied to model consumer patterns of domestic and international visitors, based on socio demographic, trip characteristics, length of stay and the degree of satisfaction of pull factors. CHAID allowed find a population classification in groups that able to describe the dependent variable, average daily tourist expenditure. Results revealed different patterns of daily average expenditure amongst the years, 2009 and 2015, even if primarily results not revealed significant variations in socio-demographic and trip characteristics among the visitors’ core profile. Local authorities should be aware of this changing expensive behavior of cultural visitors and should formulate strategies accordingly. Policy and managerial recommendations are discussed.

Expenditure pattern analysis of cultural tourists at World Heritage Sites: empirical evidence based on CHAID analysis

This study investigates tourists’ expenditure patterns in the city of Évora, a world heritage site (WHS) classified by UNESCO. The use of chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) was chosen, allowing the identification of distinct segments based on expenditure patterns. Visitors’ expenditure patterns have proven to be a pertinent element for a broader understanding of visitors’ behaviour at cultural destinations. Visitors’ expenditure patterns were revealed to be increasing within years studied.

Turismo, turistas e eventos: o caso da Ilha da Madeira

A presente investigação, conducente à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Turismo na Universidade de Évora, aborda a temática dos eventos culturais no âmbito da actividade turística na Ilha da Madeira. Nesse sentido, e definido o objecto, o objectivo geral da pesquisa consistiu em analisar o contributo dos principais eventos turísticos - Festa da Flor, Festa do Vinho e Festa do Fim-de-Ano - na valorização das tradições culturais da Ilha e na promoção do destino Madeira. Para atingir os objectivos definidos, foi utilizada uma metodologia dual que consistiu num abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, através da administração de um inquérito por questionário, um inquérito por entrevista e da utilização da observação directa e/ou participante, em triangulação que considerou o lado da procura e o lado da oferta. Foi possível concluir que os eventos analisados dão um contributo importante para a valorização das tradições, para a pertença e coesão social, e que enfatizam a interacção social entre turistas e anfitriões, ao mesmo tempo que consistem numa oferta singular e única; ABSTRACT: This dissertation was conceived to obtain the doctor degree in Tourism at the University of Évora. It approaches the theme of cultural events in the frame work of tourism activity in the island of Madeira. The main objective of the study was to analyze the contribution of the major tourist events (Flower Festival, Wine Festival and the Feast of the End-of-Year) on the value of cultural traditions of the island and the promotion of Madeira. The defined objectives were accomplished by the use of a dual methodology, through an approach of quantitative and qualitative orientation – by means of questionnaire to the tourists, interviews to the organisers and direct and participant observation by the researcher. We can conclude about the cultural importance of the three selected feasts (Flower Festival, Wine Festival and the Feast of the End-of-Year) as a major contribute to value the tradition, to emphasize the social cohesion, to identify the tourist experience and to evaluate social interaction between hosts and guests as an unique and singular offer.

Turismo : meios de comunicação e promoção : o caso da Madeira

O turismo é uma importante ferramenta para desenvolver a economia da Ilha da Madeira. Neste ãmbito é necessário influenciar os turistas potenciais. Os municípios e as instâncias regionais devem ter um papel determinante na promoção da sua localidade como um destino turístico. Os meios de comunicação são essenciais para a promoção de um destino turístico. Entre os diferentes instrumentos de promoção, a Internet é um novo meio para disseminar as vantagens de certos lugares e regiões. Neste estudo, procura-se verificar e analisar o papel dos municípios da Madeira e da DRT na promoção da sua localidade como um destino turístico, via Internet. /*** Abstract - Tourism is an important tool to develop the economy of Madeira island. On that respect it is necessary to influence potential tourists. Municipalities and regional bodies must have an important role to promote the various tourism destinations. Media tools are essential for the promotion of the communities as tourism destinations. Among the different instruments of promotion Internet is a new way to promote, compete and disseminate the advantages of certain places and regions. In this study the approach is oriented to identify and analyse the role of Madeira municipalities in the promotion of their tourism locals, via Internet.

EVENTOS TURÍSTICOS E SATISFAÇÃO DO TURISTA: O CASO DA FESTA DO FIM-DO-ANO NA ILHA DA MADEIRA

The identification and analysis of the tourist satisfaction in tourism events is fundamental to maintain or improve the image of an event. The knowledge concerning the tourist level of satisfaction at an event can help the organisers to better understand tourist behaviour and intention. Tourism events, particularly those which encompass the cultural identity of a region, allow a community to celebrate its cultural singularities. Such singularities wake the tourist’s desire to experience a culture different from his/hers. The present article aims at identifying and analysing the tourist level of satisfaction at the New Year’s Eve Festivity in Madeira Island.

Turismo desportivo no concelho de Évora

Na divulgação de qualquer destino turístico é necessário ter em conta diversos fatores. Esta dissertação teve como principal objetivo analisar a procura e a oferta ao nível do turismo desportivo no concelho de Évora. Foi estudado o turismo desportivo no município de Évora, que é um dos maiores destinos turísticos da região Alentejo. Aplicando questionários de maneira a saber qual a opinião dos turistas relativamente a atividades desportivas praticadas neste destino. Foram ainda realizadas duas entrevistas a responsáveis da Câmara Municipal de Évora e ao Diretor de uma empresa de Animação Turística. A falta de estratégia no sector é evidenciada pelo facto dos visitantes não apresentarem como motivação primária a prática de atividades desportivas. Sendo o Turismo e o Desporto sectores económicos de grande importância em termos globais e locais, verificou-se que no concelho de Évora o Turismo Desportivo pode ser um grande agente de desenvolvimento em diversas áreas; Abstract: Sports Tourism in Évora Municipality The disclosure of any tourist destination should be taken into account several factors. This work aimed to analise the demand and supply in terms of sports tourism in Évora municipality. An investigation was made to the city of Évora, which is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Alentejo region, applying questionnaire in order to know the opinion of tourists with regard to sports activities practiced in this destination. They were also carried out two interviews with officials of the Municipality of Évora, and the Director of a Tourism Entertainment company. The lack of strategy in the sector is demonstrated by the fact that visitors do not present as the primary motivation to practice sports activities. Tourism and Sports are sectors of great importance in global and local economy, it was found that in Évora county, Sports Tourism can be a major agent of development in several areas.

Qualidade nos serviços turísticos náuticos no Alto Douro Vinhateiro: perspetiva dos clientes internos (colaboradores)

No contexto atual, marcado pela crise económica e financeira, as organizações dos serviços turísticos procuram aliar o conceito de qualidade com os seus serviços, de modo a satisfazer os clientes internos (colaboradores) e os clientes externos (turistas) e a garantir a prestação de um serviço personalizado e de excelência. O objetivo da presente dissertação consiste em proporcionar uma visão geral da qualidade dos serviços turísticos náuticos efetuados na região do Alto Douro Vinhateiro (ADV), junto dos clientes internos (colaboradores). Para o efeito, foi aplicado um inquérito a 117 colaboradores de diversas organizações dos serviços turísticos náuticos da região do ADV e realizada uma pesquisa exploratória e descritiva. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que existem aspetos a serem melhorados nas organizações (preocupação com os colaboradores; formação especifica; condições de trabalho; maior dialogo entre chefias e colaboradores; atribuição de carga horária e de folgas) para que os colaboradores se sintam satisfeitos. Por outro lado, verificou-se que as perceções sobre a qualidade nos serviços turísticos náuticos são iguais em ambos os géneros; Abstract: Quality in Nautical Touristic Services in Alto Douro Vinhateiro – The Internal Clients (Collaborators) Perspective In the actual context marked by the economic and financial crisis, the organizations of touristic services are looking to ally the concept of services with their services, in order to satisfy internal customers (collaborators) and external costumers (tourists) and to guarantee the installment of an excellent and personalized service. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of the quality of nautical tourism services made in the region of Alto Douro Vinhateiro, with internal clients (employees). For this purpose it applied a survey of 117 employees from various organizations of nautical tourism services of the ADV region and conducted an exploratory and descriptive research. The results show that there are areas to be improved in organizations (preoccupation with employees; specific training,; working conditions; greater dialogue between managers and employees; allocation of hours and days off) so that employees can feel satisfied- Moreover it was found that the perceptions of the quality of nautical tourism services are equal in both sexes.

Crossing frontiers between tourism and demography. An empirical analysis based on European travellers’ behaviour

This paper aims to establish possible tourism demand scenarios of European travellers to Portugal based on the relationship with changing population structures. A combination of the EuROBAROMETER report 370 (“Attitudes of Europeans towards Tourism in 2013”) and the cohort-component method for population projections will allow the development of different possible tourism demand scenarios. Following the European report, individuals who travelled in 2013 were most likely to live in a household with two or more individuals. Thus, if elderly couples are together till later in their life and in better physiological shape, it is possible that the number of elderly individuals travelling for tourism purposes will increase in the near future. If we can expect tourists from developing countries to be younger due to their demographic dynamics than those from developed countries, where the ageing population is growing fast, we can expect that the percentage of the elderly among tourists will increase. Furthermore, the 2013 European report found that the combination of socio-demographic variables, such as, age, population, gender, household dimension, country of residence and trip purpose explained tourism demand scenarios for Portugal, confirming that seniors and families evidence a paramount sense of importance for the destination. In the literature there is a lack of discussion about the effects of demography in the future and the role of an ageing population in tourism demand choice patterns. We aim to contribute to filling this gap. Consequently, we strongly believe that this paper contributes to the literature by introducing a new field of discussion about the importance of demographic changes in shaping travel trends.

Turismo, turistas e experiências: Abordagens teóricas

A natureza da experiência turística é multidimensional e abarca todos os sentidos. Cada experiência turística assume um significado diferente para cada turista. Ela tem o seu próprio momento e ocorre em função do estado de espírito de um indivíduo e da forma como ele interage com o lugar que visita. Tudo o que um turista observa ou experimenta num destino é uma experiência seja ela negativa ou positiva. A complexidade da experiência em turismo faz com que ela seja abordada em diferentes perspetivas. O presente artigo apresenta uma reflexão teórica sobre a conceptualização da experiência turística e as diferentes abordagens que estudam a experiência em turismo.

TURISMO E AUTENTICIDADE EM CIDADES PATRIMÓNIO MUNDIAL: O GRAU DE SATISFAÇÃO DO TURISTA CULTURAL NA CIDADE DE ÉVORA (PORTUGAL)

As Cidades Património Mundial são um elemento fundamental para a captação de turistas e visitantes. O estatuto de ‘Património Mundial’ faz com que estas cidades, com a chancela da UNESCO, funcionem como uma distinção simbólica para atraírem turistas que procuram conhecer e experienciar uma cultura com autenticidade e a história de um outro povo. A cidade de Évora foi classificada, em 1986, pela UNESCO como Património Mundial devido, especialmente, ao seu centro histórico que contempla características arquitetónicas singulares. O turista cultural apresenta diferentes motivações que podem estar associadas a questões sociais, pessoais e educativas. São as motivações do turista cultural ligadas aos atributos culturais do destino que contribuem para o seu grau de satisfação. Compreender o processo da satisfação do turista cultural em cidades património mundial é fundamental para o futuro de um destino turístico. O presente artigo pretende identificar o grau de satisfação global do turista e/ou visitante na cidade de Évora.

Determinants of European tourism demand in a demographic ageing society

This study identifies the senior European tourists determinants that explained their decisions to go on holidays. The empirical study was conducted among European tourists by applying a logit model. The model intends to explain the determinants related to the decision to go on holidays since the probability of a senior European tourist taking holidays in a country depends on a mix of motives as previous travel experience and demographic characteristics. Policy and theoretical implications are derived for contributing to the discussion between demographic variables and tourism demand choice patterns.

Urban Identity and tourism:different looks, one single place

‘Urban identity’ is high on the policy agenda and pervades the discourse of the planning community on the value of historical city centres. Unfortunately, there seems to be, until today, no proposal in scholarly literature of any unified conceptual framework or any tools to make identity operational. ‘Tourism’ takes advantage of this process, by seeking the qualities of the place, its authenticity and its perceived uniqueness that is grounded on the physical features as well as on the presence of local communities – their way of living and investing in the place. The interdependence between identity as perceived by tourists (external observer) and the identity of the residents rooted in the relationship with the place (in-group) are key to addressing the identity of historic urban areas. These issues are addressed in the context of the growing attractiveness of Lisbon, Portugal, using a historic neighbourhood as a case study. The findings, which are on a set of interviews with different groups of users, showed the points of convergence and divergence between the different groups’ views of the neighbourhood’s identity. This actor-oriented approach is pivotal to understanding the process and to produce knowledge for informed action.

Determinants of European tourism demand in a demographic ageing society

This study identifies the senior European tourists determinants that explained their decisions to go on holidays. The empirical study was conducted among European tourists by applying a logit model. The model intends to explain the determinants related to the decision to go on holidays since the probability of a senior European tourist taking holidays in a country depends on a mix of motives as previous travel experience and demographic characteristics. Policy and theoretical implications are derived for contributing to the discussion between demographic variables and tourism demand choice patterns.

Crossing frontiers between tourism and demography. An empirical analysis based on European travellers’ behaviour

This paper aims to establish possible tourism demand scenarios of European travellers to Portugal based on the relationship with changing population structures. A combination of the EUROBAROMETER report 370 (“Attitudes of Europeans towards Tourism in 2013”) and the cohort-component method for population projections will allow the development of different possible tourism demand scenarios. Following the European report, individuals who travelled in 2013 were most likely to live in a household with two or more individuals. Thus, if elderly couples are together till later in their life and in better physiological shape, it is possible that the number of elderly individuals travelling for tourism purposes will increase in the near future. If we can expect tourists from developing countries to be younger due to their demographic dynamics than those from developed countries, where the ageing population is growing fast, we can expect that the percentage of the elderly among tourists will increase. Furthermore, the 2013 European report found that the combination of socio-demographic variables, such as, age, population, gender, household dimension, country of residence and trip purpose explained tourism demand scenarios for Portugal, confirming that seniors and families evidence a paramount sense of importance for the destination. In the literature there is a lack of discussion about the effects of demography in the future and the role of an ageing population in tourism demand choice patterns. We aim to contribute to filling this gap. Consequently, we strongly believe that this paper contributes to the literature by introducing a new field of discussion about the importance of demographic changes in shaping travel trends.