Cultural tourism in Northwest Portugal – the case of the world heritage site of Guimarães

A cidade de Guimarães, no noroeste português, é um espaço imbuído de um forte significado simbólico e cultural. A acreditação pela U.N.E.S.C.O. do seu centro histórico como Património Cultural da Humanidade, em Dezembro de 2001, contribuiu significativamente para aumentar o seu potencial em termos turísticos. Na realidade, desde aquela data, tem-se assistido a um aumento sustentado do número de visitantes. O presente capítulo debruça-se sobre a análise de alguns resultados de um inquérito por questionário aplicado aos residentes do município de Guimarães com o objetivo de avaliar a sua perceção dos benefícios que a atividade turística pode trazer. O inquérito foi implementado entre Janeiro e Março de 2010. Os resultados mostram que aqueles revelam uma perceção favorável dos impactos do turismo e que esta perceção está correlacionada com a idade e o nível de instrução dos inquiridos.

Espectador Activo: Comunicação audiovisual institucional num mundo de redes participativas

Once delighted by the moving image advent as a new method of realistically presenting reality, the viewer has been reposition himself towards the audiovisual contents he consumes, as he is given the opportunity to create and share his own perspective of that reality. We are living in a new technological setting, governed mainly by factors of interactivity, digital systems and technological convergence. The research project that we will present in this paper focuses on the subject of participatory media and the way cultural institutions are increasingly facing the inevitability of a profound revision of their traditional parameters of unidirectional communication, given the increasing availability of tools for audiovisual production as well as the diversity of networked communication contexts. The Serralves Foundation with its Museum of Contemporary Art, in Porto, Portugal, was the subject of a fi rst study of an empirical nature: a series of audiovisual objects were developed, in order to generate material for analysis and proposition. In this new stage of the project, our aim is to identify new procedures and practices that may be effectively implemented within the institutional universe. We intend to propose effi cient audiovisual communication contexts, including the maximizing of the relationship between institutions and audiences regarding dimensions that are traditionally outside the institutional radar: identity, narrative and affection. The project is currently in the process of surveying and categorization, with the aim of producing a map of different vocations and positions of the various institutions in regards to the aforementioned issues, which require participatory communication.

Residents’ perception of the benefits of cultural tourism: the case of Guimarães

In many cities throughout Europe and the rest of the world, cultural tourism plays a major role in local economic development. Tourism also acts to preserve cultural heritage, as it provides a way to acquire the revenue needed to restore and preserve historical buildings, and encourages local people to value their traditions and festivals. However, tourism success can be a double-edged sword with tourist flows having a strong impact on the quality of life of residents when certain tourist thresholds are surpassed. This paper aims to address local residents’ perception of the benefits of cultural tourism. To capture their perception, a survey was implemented, addressed to both the city centre inhabitants and the non-urban residents of the Guimarães municipality.

Palco: a multisensor realtime 3D cartoon production system

This paper presents Palco, a prototype system specifically designed for the production of 3D cartoon animations. The system addresses the specific problems of producing cartoon animations, where the main obj ective is not to reproduce realistic movements, but rather animate cartoon characters with predefined and characteristic body movements and facial expressions. The techniques employed in Palco are simple and easy to use, not requiring any invasive or complicated motion capture system, as both body motion and facial expression of actors are captured simultaneously, using an infrared motion detection sensor, a regular camera and a pair of electronically instrumented gloves. The animation process is completely actor-driven, with the actor controlling the character movements, gestures, facial expression and voice, all in realtime. The actor controlled cartoonification of the captured facial and body motion is a key functionality of Palco, and one that makes it specifically suited for the production of cartoon animations.

The role of cultural mega events in the enhancement of city’s image attributes: differences between engaged and attendee participants

In a time of fierce competition between regions, an image serve as a basis to develop a strong sense of community, which fosters trust and cooperation that can be mobilized for regional growth. A positive image and reputation could be used in the promotional activities of the region benefiting all the stakeholders as a whole. Mega cultural events are frequently used to attract tourists and investments to a region, but also to enhance the city’s image. This study adopts a marketing/communication perspective of city’s image, and intends to explain how the image of the city is perceived by their residents. Specifically, we intend to compare the perceptions of residents that effectively participated in the Guimarães European Capital of Culture (ECOC) 2012 (engaged residents), and the residents that only assisted to the event (attendees). Several significant findings are reported and their implications for event managers and public policy administrators presented, along with the limitations of the study.

O reconhecimento dos bens do património histórico, artístico e cultural: esudo de caso dos municípios da sub-região Minho-Lima

Este trabalho tem por objetivos analisar o disposto no POCAL (1999), na NICSP nº 17 do IPSASB (2006c), e na opinião de diversos autores, quanto ao reconhecimento dos bens do património, histórico, artístico e cultural (BPHAC); bem como, verificar se poderão existir problemas inerentes ao reconhecimento destes bens, na sub-região Minho-Lima, ultrapassáveis com a adoção das NICSP em Portugal. Do estudo efetuado, concluímos que o POCAL (1999) não apresenta os requisitos para o reconhecimento dos ativos. A NICSP nº 17 (IPSASB, 2006c) refere que, se a entidade reconhecer esses elementos como ativos, deve observar os requisitos para o reconhecimento dos ativos fixos tangíveis mencionados nessa norma. Atendendo também a que alguns dos municípios portugueses sentem dificuldades no reconhecimento dos bens do património, histórico, artístico e cultural, concluímos que adotar um novo Sistema de Normalização Contabilística aplicável à Administração Pública (SNCAP), assente nas NICSP, poderá ser a solução para ultrapassar tais dificuldades e garantir alguma comparabilidade da informação.

Cultural mega-events and the enhancement of a city's image: differences between engaged participants and attendees

A city’s image can serve as the basis upon which to develop a strong sense of community. This, in turn, fosters trust and cooperation which may attract tourists and investment, and drive regional economic growth. One strategy to enhance a city’s image is to host cultural mega-events. This study focuses on Guimarães, one of the European Capitals of Culture of 2012, and adopts a marketing communication perspective to explore issues of city image. The objective of the study reported was to understand whether images of Guimarães improved after it hosted the cultural mega-event. To attain this goal, we compare the perceptions of residents who participated in the event (engaged participants) and attendees. Several significant findings are reported and their implications for event managers and public policy administrators are presented, along with the limitations of the study.