Paisagem, um patrimônio esquecido: subsídios para a construção de uma metodologia de valoração e proteção do cenário natural litorâneo

The so-called "residential tourism" came to intensify the previous occupation of the coastal zones, characterized by traditional beach houses, and brought significant consequences for their spatial configuration, and especially for its scenic value of the landscape. Although there is the intention to regulate the activities of enterprising groups by some legal instruments to control the use and occupation of land, and to contain some negative effects, the actions of government are still inefficient in trying to follow the implications on the landscape from the accelerated growth of the real estate and touristic sectors. Supported in the speech of economic development and income generation, public managers prioritize areas to attract tourists to the detriment of preserving important physical attributes of the natural environment that contribute significantly to the quality of life. The result can be noticed in the use of natural elements as one of the major components in the land valorization, and in the immediate attraction of investors and enterprising. Therefore, the objective of this work is to contribute to the debate on the landscape preservation a little detailed thematic in view of their relevance in the current context - by indicating subsidies to the creation of a methodology for the evaluation and protection of coastal zones that may assist the government in creating new instruments, and better prepare it in control of the occupation of these areas. For such, was followed two ways to analysis: the indirect method and the direct method. The first is grounded in the evaluation of landscape attributes, which is based on the work of Raquel Tardin (2008) and Eduardo Cuesta, Encarnación Algarra and Isabel Pastor (2001). The second, based on the research of Leticia and Carlos Hardt (2010) and on the concepts of phenomenology - expressed by Antonio Christofoletti (1985) and Yi-Fu Tuan (1983) - considers the population perspective on the quality of the natural scenery. Developed through cartographic materials, photographic collections and quantitative tables, this dissertation utilized as a case study the beaches of Barra de Tabatinga and Camurupim, located in the city of Nísia Floresta/RN. Despite already being sighted spaces of advanced stage of landscape degradation in these locations, areas of remarkable scenic value can still be found, what reinforce the urgency in adopting preservationists actions. The absence of laws focused on the management and protection of the landscape singularities associated with the inefficiency of the government to invigilate the land occupation in coastal zones, encourage the excessive action of the real estate-tourism, and consequently make the government the main responsible for the environmental and landscape impacts in these areas - by its omission or by their connivance. Therefore, the legislation permeates this entire process and constitutes itself as the most effective way to guarantee the right to the landscape to present and future generations. Are also pointed some important considerations to build a methodology, especially concerning possibilities of improvements and adaptations of its applicability in each case

The use of Integral Theory to evaluate architectural sustainability - a case study

DeKay’s concept of Integral Sustainable Design (ISD) is based on Integral Theory, a framework proposed by the American philosopher, Ken Wilber. It offers four simultaneous perspectives (represented by quadrants) which each take a different view of the problem. The ‘experiences’ quadrant focuses on individual human experiences. The ‘behaviours’ quadrant looks at environmental performance. The ‘cultures’ perspective focuses on the collective interpretation of meaning, symbolism and worldviews and the ‘systems’ quadrant investigates the response and interaction with context. Integral Theory can act as a reminder for architects of the different perspectives that a sustainable building should address. In order to evaluate ISD, the Waterfront Campus Building of Deakin University has been used as a case study. The building, its performance, impact and perception, has been evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative data. Two surveys have been conducted to gather qualitative data to: (i) determine the experience of building users (staff and students) and (ii) the perception of non-users (Geelong residents and tourists). Data from building services and a site analysis has enabled quantitative assessments to be made. These inputs have been analysed, guided by ISD, to evaluate the usefulness of ISD as a sustainability assessment tool.

Sustainable tourism practices through the eyes of the tourist: a case study of a tour operator

This internship report aim was to find out the importance of sustainable tourism practices from a tourist point of view. The research study and internship took place at Back-Roads Touring - a tour operator (based in London) that specializes in small group touring for seniors travellers from Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. Google Forms online questionnaire was used in order to answer the objectives of the study. In total 1322 clients received an online questionnaire out of which 182 filled in the survey. The study had four objectives, however the main focus was to find out which tourism practices ( out of 15 choices) were the most important to the respondents during a Back-Roads Tour and which tourism options (using the same 15 choices) the respondents identify as sustainable tourism options ( objective 2 and 3). The results showed that the respondents valued the most small group touring and having an experienced tour leader, which are the core practices of the company. Furthermore, the respondents were not seeking for more sustainable tourism practices neither willing to donate money to local charities/non- profit organizations. This finding shows that the clients are content with a current model of a tour, are willing to return, however price and quality will be play a key role in the decision. The respondents´ lack of wish to support or donate money to charities /non-profit organizations, could be due to the fact that most of the clients were from middle class thus they did not have enough disposable income. Moreover, one of the objectives of this study was to find out if the clients valued sustainable tourism certification. The results showed that the respondents’ were not aware of the sustainable tourism certification that the company obtained, however slightly over half of the respondents said that the knowledge of the certification has positively influenced them to travel again with a company.

Enotourism – more than a life style

Enotourism is a relatively new form of sustainable tourism. But is more than a lifestyle. The Douro landscape reflects its ancient and deep connection with the culture of wine, creating a picture of Man and Nature working side by side in search of the perfect wine. Lifestyle typically reflects: an individual's attitude, a way of life, values, or world view. Practical implications - the results suggest that there is scope for developing wine tourism products to attract tourists and which could be used to promote the Douro Valley region as a centre for enotourism. The beautifully unique landscape of the Douro was one of the reasons that made it a World Heritage site in 2001. There isn´t in Portugal an autonomous strategy process to define enotourism. Is a legal problem when we try to analyse the process or a data base to find information about enotourism players. So, how do winery operators, particularly those running small or family businesses, cope with the new developments occurring in the world of wines? The present study examines these issues from the perspective of a group of Portuguese winery operators. Our proposal in this research, is to analyse how many wineris or enotecas are hable to develop enotourism with a legal process. The results of the study reflect the level of education of employees, the seasonal nature of tourism, the improvements in its promotion and the need for greater support from local government. A key aspect is respect for the people who call the location home, the culture and customs of the area, and the socio-economic system. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology employed for this study consisted of a combination of surveys, interviews and field observations with the suppliers in the traditional wine‐producing region, Douro Valley, or Porto wine region, in the north of Portugal. The results of this investigation are almost analisys made inside the villages and also us wineries and enotecas. From the 30 winemakers that we visited, only 2 have an enotourism service acording to legislation and have a certificate that allows to pratices. It was very hard but it is an open field to future researchs (TOMÁS López‐Guzmán,et al, 2011). From the 30 wineries we have analysed only 2 were enotourism with a legal basis. Enotourism is on the travel agencies department and most of the wineries don´t have the legal licenses. Despite of most tourism agencies see enoturism as a segment of the industry with tremendous growth potential, stating that in some regions, it's only functioning at 20% of its full potential. Enotourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all destination types, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments.

Young adults’ perceptions of and affective bonds to a rural tourism community

Many rural areas, in Sweden and worldwide, experience population decline where the young leave for education and work in urban areas. Employment has declined in several rural industries, such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing, while growing in other industries are often located in urban areas. Politicians and organizations have put much hope in tourism as a tool of rural development, but can tourism help reverse the rural out-migration trend among young adults? This paper explores how tourism affects young inhabitants’ perceptions of and affective bonds to a rural area in Sweden, the ski resort of Sälen. Students from the 1993–1995 elementary school graduating classes were interviewed about their migration history, childhood, and view of and ties to Sälen. The respondents experience that tourism contributes to a more vital community incorporating influences from elsewhere, but without eliminating the positive aspects of rural life. The regular flow of people – tourists, seasonal workers, and entrepreneurs – passing through Sälen presents opportunities to extend one’s social network that are widely appreciated by respondents. The high in and out mobility constitutes a key part of Sälen’s character. Contributions from tourism – such as employment, entertainment, leisure, and opportunities to forge new social relationships – are available during the adult transition, the life phase when rural areas are often perceived as least attractive. Even though out-migration occurs in Sälen, and some respondents still find Sälen too small, tourism has clearly increased the available opportunities and contributed significantly to making Sälen more attractive to young adults.

Supporting adaptive tour with high level petri nets

One of the issues for tour planning applications is to adaptively provide personalized advices for different types of tourists and tour activities. This paper proposes a high level Petri Nets based approach to providing some level of adaptation by implementing adaptive navigation in a tour node space. The new model supports dynamic reordering or removal of tour nodes along a tour path; it supports multiple travel modes and incorporates multimodality within its tour planning logic to derive adaptive tour. Examples are given to demonstrate how to realize adaptive interfaces and personalization. Future directions are also discussed at the end of this paper.

Alexandra Watkins interviews Michelle de Kretser on 'Springtime'

Sydney in spring is a palette of luminous intensity. Fresh green spaces meet vivid blue skies. Lilac jacarandas burst into life throughout the city and its suburbs. It is time of renewal when locals and tourists take full advantage of this most favoured of seasons. It is a curious setting for a gothic tale, albeit the location for Michelle de Kretser’s latest work, Springtime: A Ghost Story. Bringing light to darkness this ‘black-spring’ interview with Michelle de Kretser questions Australian literary and cultural customs and environmental stereotypes. It also probes literary fashions, short form fiction, the Melbourne / Sydney cultural divide, gothic tropes, and the psychology of space. Through her discussion with interviewer Alix Watkins, de Kretser reflects on her interest in haunting, the influence of her Sri Lankan background, and the attraction of brevity following her previous epic Questions of Travel (Miles Franklin Award 2012).

Reconsidering the estimation of the economic impact of cultural tourism

The assessment of the economic benefits of cultural events is necessary to inform decision-making. In many cases cultural events are designed to attract tourists and the injection of tourist spending to a local economy is one of the drivers for hosting events. From an economic perspective, the impact of staging an event can be measured using either an expenditure multiplier or a cost benefit analysis (CBA) approach. One of the difficulties with CBA is the data required to estimate the relevant benefit function. This paper addresses this limitation by illustrating how benefit functions can be parameterised with minimal data, thereby enhancing the possibility of using CBA. Our approach is illustrated with a case study of an exhibition held by a regional community in Australia. The case study compares economic impact assessments and finds using benefit estimates as we propose provides a useful method of estimating benefits with limited data.

The Hibernicon and Visions of Returning Home: Popular Entertainment in Irish America from the Civil War to World War I

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2012

Developing self-guided scuba dive routes in the Algarve (Portugal) and analysing visitors' perceptions

Scuba diving allows for underwater visitation of cultural and natural resources. Underwater routes can be used as a tool for guided and supervised underwater visits. Two scuba diving routes were implemented in the Algarve (South of Portugal), the "B24" and "Poco" diving sites. The perceptions of scuba divers regarding several aspects of the routes and the existing support infrastructures were studied following a survey carried out through face-to-face interviews from 2008 to 2012. Divers profile and their perceptions were analysed using 246 valid questionnaires. Divers were mainly Portuguese, over 30 years old and with more than 12 years of formal education. Some of the support infrastructures did not achieve a "good" or "acceptable" grade. This should be carefully considered by diving operators and managers, because perceptions tend to circulate throughout the diving tourists. All features of interpretative slates were graded as highly satisfactory. Overall, diver satisfaction increased slightly after route implementation, with an average ranking of "good". These findings support the implementation of underwater routes as a way to promote diving activity, and to increase divers' environmental education and awareness. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecotourism snorkelling routes at Marinha Beach (Algarve)

Coastal ecotourism is one of the fastest growing leisure industries in the world and snorkelling is emerging as an important beach-based activity. Snorkelling has the potential to enhance biodiversity conservation when developed within environmental education framework. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate snorkelling routes, in the Algarve (South Portugal), as a sustainable ecotourism offer. To achieve these objectives, three snorkelling routes were established at the pristine Marinha beach. After the diving experience, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information about individuals' opinions regarding the underwater routes, their social demographic characteristics, ecological appreciation, opinions about beach facilities and trip expenditures. The survey was undertaken during the summer months of 2008 and 2009, and 202 people were interviewed. Data was analysed using univariate and multivariate statistic methods. Most respondents perceived the existence of routes to be good for the preservation of the local biodiversity and reported this experience as "good" or "excellent". The only difference in perceptions was observed by visitor snorkelling in groups of more than two people. Interviewers consider that emergency support and sanitary facilities are the most important beach support infrastructures. Overall, these routes seem to be an effective tool for developing ecological awareness in tourists, as they enhance the preservation and the understanding of the marine coastal environment.

Maleta pequeña y relatos cortos: Crónicas de un viajero

Este trabajo de grado es un conjunto de crónicas que carácter experiencial, desde las cuales se narran las historias que viven los turistas en sitios inhóspitos como el desierto de la Tatacoa y la selva del Amazonas. Estos textos están orientados a mostrar el desarrollo del periodismo de turismo en Colombia.

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.