The impacts of tourism experiences in the destination impact. The case of the Algarve

To succeed nowadays, tourism destinations must differentiate and create a competitive positioning, and this can only be done by addressing and adapting to the needs of their visitors. A value-attainment construct based on tourism experiences is proposed for the product development and promotion strategy of the destination Algarve.

Sistemas de informação para a gestão turística

Nowadays, to be competitive in society means to have a technological framework that fi ts customer responses. In tourism, the need for ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) is even more important, since to sell the tourist product it is crucial to disclose the information that characterizes it, plus, it is necessary to organize, manage and deal with it in accordance with the tourists’ expectations. After the tourist product has been consumed, it is important to share the experience with other travellers. The process of purchase and consumption of a tourist product is possible only if tourists and professionals have access to the information required, and for this it is necessary to use systems that can: manage results, flights and customer loyalty, distribute information and travel planning, among other things. All these systems have tourist information management in common, which leads to the conclusion that they are indispensable to tourism. This paper presents several information systems that coexist in the tourism sector, as well as those used in tourist distribution channels. Finally we show the trends that these systems are causing in tourism.

Avaliação da qualidade dos serviços bancários online: proposta de integração dos modelos SERVQUAL, Kano e QFD

Este artigo centra-se no desenvolvimento teórico de um modelo integrado para a avaliação e a melhoria da qualidade dos serviços de Internet Banking (IB). Após uma revisão da literatura e uma análise crítica dos estudos já elaborados sobre o uso integrado dos modelos de Kano, SERVQUAL e Quality Function Deployment (QFD), propõe-se um modelo integrado significativamente distinto daquele que tem vindo a ser utilizado na literatura. O modelo que se apresenta visa superar as desvantagens inerentes ao modelo integrador existente, contribuindo para um melhor entendimento da “voz do cliente” e para uma melhoria da qualidade dos serviços de IB. O artigo propõe também um conjunto de proposições para investigação empírica futura. Abstract This article focuses on the theoretical development of an integrated model for the assessment and improvement of the quality of Internet Banking (IB) services. Based on a literature review and critical analysis of the studies on the integrated use of the Kano model, the SERVQUAL and the Quality Function Deployment (QFD), this paper suggests an integrated model that is significantly distinct from those in the extant literature. The suggested model aims to surpass inherent disadvantages of the models in the literature, to contribute to a better understanding of the “voice of the customer” and to improve the quality of the IB services. This paper also develops several propositions for future empirical investigation.

Study of the water consuption of the international tourism sector in the costal zone of southwest Europe

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão da Água e da Costa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2009

Management options towards coastal sustainability

Dissertação de Mestrado, Gestão da Água e da Costa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, University of Plymouth, Universidad de Cadiz, 2010

Tourism planning informatization

The Tourism activity, due to its own characteristics, causes high environmental impact and its development should be influenced by the environmental characteristics of each region. The Information Systems, mainly those which represent the geographical information, will permit the development of a design, allowing the Decision-Maker the consult, the management and the presentation of decision schemes based on the defined measures of the Tourism Planning of a region. As the information associated with this design should be real and update, the Internet should be used as a means of access to the information of the region. The design presents the schemes associated to each decision, offering competitive advantages to the Decision-Makers involved in the decision process, since it is possible to evaluate, foresee and control the future environmental impacts of Tourism.

GIS on tourism planning: preventing the impacts caused by the developing tourism activity in a specific site

The environment is one of the greatest concerns of humankind. Nowadays, the activities which improve or destroy it must be assessed and controlled by efficient means which should permit the control of environmental impact caused by the development of these activities. This document presents an information system implementation, as a Decision Support system, allowing the Decision Maker to evaluate, foresee and control the future environmental impact of Tourism through consultation, the management and the presentation of decision schemes based on defined measures of a regional tourism planning.

Beach quality assessment and management in the Sotavento (Eastern) Algarve, Portugal

The purpose of this study on beach quality assessment and management was to evaluate the quality of five beaches in the Algarve Sotavento region of Portugal and to identify beach users’ preferences and priorities regarding their visit to a beach. The Algarve is one of the country’s most internationally known regions and it is generally perceived as a major tourist destination. Because of the increasing level of tourists, there is a specific need to address beach quality, as overcrowding can result in excessive litter, reduce water quality and consequently reduce the socio-economic value of the area. The main methodology for the evaluation of the beach quality in this pilot project was the Bathing Area Registration and Evaluation framework (BARE), which recognizes five beach types (rural, remote, resort, urban and village) through five main priority issues of concern to beach users (water quality, scenery, litter, safety, facilities) and evaluates the beach quality, ranging from one (low) to five (high) stars. After overall bathing area classification, Quarteira-Vilamoura, Ilha do Farol, Ilha Deserta and Ilha da Armona received three-star rating and Quinta do Lago site obtained a one-star rating. The quantitative research data on beach users’ preferences and priorities was obtained through administration of 50 questionnaires per beach and showed that beach users at all sites expressed the need for improved cleanliness, safety and facilities on the beach. The BARE framework, together with the questionnaire surveys, allowed the identification of management priorities required to improve the quality of individual beaches and therefore increase income from tourism.

Big data warehouse framework for smart revenue management

Revenue Management’s most cited definitions is probably “to sell the right accommodation to the right customer, at the right time and the right price, with optimal satisfaction for customers and hoteliers”. Smart Revenue Management (SRM) is a project, which aims the development of smart automatic techniques for an efficient optimization of occupancy and rates of hotel accommodations, commonly referred to, as revenue management. One of the objectives of this project is to demonstrate that the collection of Big Data, followed by an appropriate assembly of functionalities, will make possible to generate a Data Warehouse necessary to produce high quality business intelligence and analytics. This will be achieved through the collection of data extracted from a variety of sources, including from the web. This paper proposes a three stage framework to develop the Big Data Warehouse for the SRM. Namely, the compilation of all available information, in the present case, it was focus only the extraction of information from the web by a web crawler – raw data. The storing of that raw data in a primary NoSQL database, and from that data the conception of a set of functionalities, rules, principles and semantics to select, combine and store in a secondary relational database the meaningful information for the Revenue Management (Big Data Warehouse). The last stage will be the principal focus of the paper. In this context, clues will also be giving how to compile information for Business Intelligence. All these functionalities contribute to a holistic framework that, in the future, will make it possible to anticipate customers and competitor’s behavior, fundamental elements to fulfill the Revenue Management

Role of tourism in local communities’ attitudes toward biodiversity conservation: case study of Golestan National Park, Iran

Dissertação de Mestrado, Economia do Turismo e Desenvolvimento Regional, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Co-creation of tourism experience: attention, involvement and memorability

Tese de Doutoramento, Turismo, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016