Tourists’ perceptions of world heritage destinations: The case of Guimarães (Portugal)

Guimara˜es is a UNESCO world heritage site, deemed as such in 2001 and hosted the 2012 European Capital of Culture. This paper examines the profile, destination image, and motivations of tourists’ visiting behaviors in Guimara˜es before the cultural event. Based on survey responses from 276 tourists, we found that tourists arriving in Guimara˜es had previously visited the two most important cities in the northern part of Portugal. These respondents were relatively young and well educated compared to the average tourists that visited Portugal. The results suggest that many tourists were aware of the city status as a world heritage site that encompasses a historic center, monuments, and architectural buildings. Furthermore, these perceptions shape the image of Guimara˜es, as the factor analysis indicates that ‘‘historical background and functionality’’ was the most reliable and valid factor behind the choice of visiting the city.

Perceptions of residents of hosting the “Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture”: an ex-ante approach

The European Capital of Culture is an annual mega-event, which can provide a good forum though which to challenge and engage local citizens, thus generating feelings of common citizenship. In addition, it presents an ideal opportunity to promote the restructuring of the hosting urban space. However, the success of both the organization and the city that hosts the cultural event depends on the residents’ commitment towards it, the consistency of the tourism attractions and activities supplied, and the capacity of anticipating and monitoring the evolution of tourists’ preferences. The present study aims to assess the intention to participate and the impacts perceived by residents of Guimarães from hosting one of the 2012 European Capitals of Culture (2012 ECOC) in the ex-ante period (2011). Through a convenience sample of 471 usable surveys applied to the local population, conducted between October and December 2011, we tried to identify some of these potential impacts. According to the results received, 40% of residents had a low or very low knowledge of the cultural program, although only 11% demonstrated no intention of attending any activity during the event. The comparison of the mean scores of the expected 2012 ECOC impacts by gender reveals that the most valued and least valued factors are common to female and male respondents. With regard to the differences between those that intended to attend the event and the ones that did not, expected participants rated positive and negative impact factors more than did the ones that did not intend to attend.

How does gender affect visiting a world heritage site?: the case study of Guimarães

To date few studies have been undertaken in Portugal dealing with the attitudes, motivations, and profile of tourists who visit World Heritage Sites. Also, few studies have dealt with destination image (e.g., Agapito, Mendes & Valle, 2010; Lopes, 2011). As far as it is known, none have approached the issue of gender differences in the choice of a Portuguese heritage destination. Since cultural tourism destinations need to differentiate themselves from each other, appropriate market segmentation must be based on a deep understanding of the customers’ motivations and preferences. Keeping in mind results from empirical literature (e.g., Silberberg, 1995; Beerli & Martin, 2004; Richards, 2004; Pérez, 2009; Sheng, Shen, & Chen, 2008), gender seems to be a possible approach to market segmentation, whether for Guimarães or for other cultural tourism destinations around the world. Located in the north-western region of Portugal, Guimarães is a city of strong symbolic and cultural significance, and the nomination of its historical centre as a World Heritage Site in 2001 enhanced its tourism potential. This study analyses the possible relation between gender and attitudes and motivations towards a World Heritage Site, such as Guimarães. Additionally, the empirical approach used in the study tries to capture differences in the perceived attributes of the city. Commonalities and distinctions within and between groups of tourists, by focusing on the specific characteristic of gender, were analysed. The study addressed two main questions: first, whether males and females have similar or different preferences in choosing the city as their destination; and, second, whether there are gender differences in the perception of the attributes of Guimarães. A better understanding of the gendered nature of the destination is a valuable cue for shaping products and services according to visitors’ preferences.

Residents’ perceptions on impacts of hosting the “Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture”: comparisons of the pre-and post-2012 ECOC

Residents tend to have high expectations about the benefits of hosting a mega‐event. So, it was not surprising that the nomination of Guimarães, Portugal, as the 2012 European Capital of Culture (2012 ECOC) had raised great expectations in the local community towards its socio‐economic and cultural benefits. The present research was designed to examine the Guimarães residents’ perceptions on the impacts of hosting the 2012 ECOC approached in two different time schedules, the pre‐ and the post‐event, trying to capture the evolution of the residents` evaluation of its impacts. For getting the data, two surveys were applied to Guimarães` residents, one in the pre‐event phase, in 2011, and another in the post‐event phase, in 2013. This approach is uncommonly applied to Portugal data and it is even the first time it was done to a Portuguese European Capital of Culture. After a factor analysis, the results of t‐tests indicate that there were significant differences (p<0.05) between the samples from the pre‐ and post‐2012 ECOC on two positive impact factors (Community’ benefits and Residents’ benefits) and one negative impact factor (Economic, social and environmental costs). Respondents also showed a negative perception of the impacts in all dimensions, except Changes in habits of Guimarães residents.

Ex-ante evaluation by the media of the Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture

The nomination of Guimarães to host the 2012 European Capital of Culture (ECC) has put on the agenda of the city the need of measuring the effects that the implementation of this mega event could have in it and in the municipality a whole. The balance of the benefits and costs and an extended community involvement tend to reduce negative impacts and enhance positive ones. This chapter analyzes the involvement of population and local associations in the planning and organization of the 2012 Guimarães European Capital of Culture, using the coverage made during 2011 by local and national press of the mega event. A content analysis of the news published covering the period between January and December 2011 and using three newspapers was conducted. From those, two were local and weekly newspapers and one was a national daily one. Looking to data results, it can be concluded that it was poor the community involvement and, also, the one of the cultural associations in the organizations of the 2012 ECC. A strong negative reaction to the model choose to plan the mega event conducted by official organizers was found, which has cast doubts on the desirable participation of the residents and, consequently, on the success of the mega event, especially in a perspective of a medium and long term effects.

Residents’ perceptions on impacts of hosting the “Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture”: comparisons of the pre-and post-2012 ECOC

The nomination of Guimarães, a small city located in the northwest of Portugal, as European capital of culture (ECOC) in 2012 raised great expectations in the local community towards its socio-economic and cultural benefits. As noted by various authors, namely Kim and Petrick (2005), Kim, Gursoy and Lee (2006) and Gursoy, Chi, Ai and Chen (2011), residents tend to have high expectations about the benefits of hosting a mega-event, although they tend to recognize that some costs will result from it. Therefore, the present research was designed to examine the Guimarães residents’ perceptions on the impacts of the 2012 European capital of culture (2012 ECOC) on the city and the municipality of Guimarães before and after the mega-event and the differences found between the two time periods.

Evaluating the Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture: National and International Tourists’ Behaviors and Perceptions

In 2012, Guimarães hosted the European Capital of Culture (ECOC). An evaluation of this event was needed because public, private, and community funds were involved. This analysis considers tourists as external and independent stakeholders who assessed the cultural activities developed during the event as well as the attributes of the city. The main objectives of the research conducted were to assess the visitors` motivations during the hosting of the Guimarães ECOC 2012, their perceptions towards the city and if national and international visitors kept different perceptions of it. For two months, in the summer of 2012, a survey was applied to 390 visitors. The results revealed that hosting the 2012 ECOC was a major contribution towards attracting new visitors to the city (though many of the visitors stayed only for a short period of time). Based on tourists’ perceptions, the tangible heritage was clearly detached from the set of attributes associated to Guimarães, whereas the intangible heritage was less noted. The Portuguese tourists seem to be more prone to value the tangible heritage than the foreign tourists. Overall, Guimarães received a very positive evaluation relating to the city’s image and, as stated by tourists, visiting it was declared to be highly recommended. Following the obtained empirical results, the need for changing the city’s promoted image emerges, which has been too centered on its tangible heritage. In doing so, it is believed that there will be longer overnight stays by visitors.

Déficit público: revisão de um debate inacabado

O texto discorre sobre diferentes abordagens para a análise do déficit público, realçan.do os problemas de conceituação e mensuração. Três conceitos são discutidos: Necessidade de Financiamento do Setor Público, Déficit Operacional do Setor Público e Déficit Real. O primeiro esteve presente nas relações com o FMI nos anos 80, tendo substituído pelo conceito operacional em razão das distorções geradas pela inflação. Já o Déficit Real representa u.ma interessante alternativa ainda não utilizada. Conclui-se que não existe uma opção definitiva, a qual depende das características institucionais da economia e do aprimoramento das contas públicas, além do tipo de análise que se pretenda desenvolver.

O aluno com deficiência motora e a acessibilidade arquitectónica no Ensino Básico : um estudo de caso : o concelho de Guimarães

RESUMO:Para que o sucesso educativo se verifique, a escola tem de ajustar a sua prática educativa a todos os alunos, incluindo os que apresentam necessidades educativas especiais (NEE). Portugal dispõe de legislação que assegura o direito à educação e à igualdade de oportunidades, consignados na Constituição da República Portuguesa (artigos 71º, 73º e 74º), em consonância com a Declaração Universal dos Direitos do Homem e na Lei de Bases do Sistema Educativo (artigos 2º, 7º, 17º e 18º). O nosso país subscreveu também a Declaração de Salamanca, a qual reuniu, em 1994, o consenso de noventa e dois governos e de vinte e cinco organizações internacionais, reafirmando o direito à educação para todos. A construção da escola inclusiva passa pela responsabilização da escola por todos os alunos, na perspectiva de educação para todos, exigindo a sua concretização novas estratégias e resposta a novos desafios. Há que alterar práticas para atender à diversidade. Assim, as escolas precisam de estar arquitectonicamente adaptadas às necessidades dos alunos que utilizam a cadeira de rodas como forma de mobilidade, respeitando o direito à diferença e possibilitando, em igualdade de oportunidades, o sucesso escolar e educativo. Levar à prática as medidas previstas na lei portuguesa e implementar, em cada escola, a inclusão do aluno com mobilidade condicionada, implica equipar as escolas com adaptações, meios e recursos educativos facilitadores do seu processo ensino/aprendizagem. A constatação do que efectivamente acontece no terreno educativo no que concerne aos alunos com deficiência motora que usam a cadeira de rodas para se movimentarem assume toda a centralidade da nossa investigação, que tem o cariz de um estudo de caso. Incide sobre a compreensão mais aprofundada de como se processa o acesso arquitectónico nas escolas do Ensino Básico da Zona Norte e mais concretamente do Concelho de Guimarães. Recolhemos dados através de questionários dirigidos aos professores de apoio educativo e coordenadores de escola; ouvimos os alunos com deficiência motora pronunciar-se sobre as dificuldades que sentiam; observámos o seu quotidiano escolar e, finalmente, escutámos as entidades locais, através de uma entrevista realizada à Vereadora da Cultura do Concelho de Guimarães. Os resultados obtidos serão, como foi acordado, divulgados aos intervenientes com responsabilidades directas no campo da educação que se prontificaram a partilhar connosco a sua informação e saber, no sentido de os sensibilizar para a necessidade de rever o aspecto das acessibilidades arquitectónicas nas instituições educativas que servem o seu concelho, pois, como verificámos, muito há ainda a fazer para que o Ensino Básico, universal e obrigatório, se traduza numa igualdade de oportunidades de acesso e sucesso educativo para os alunos que utilizam a cadeira de rodas para se movimentarem no espaço escolar. ABSTRACT: For the educational success of a school it has to adjust its educational practice so that it includes those with special needs. According to the Portuguese law, disabled people have the right to education and equal opportunities, well expressed in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic (articles 71st, 73rd, and 74th), in consonance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in the main law the educational system (articles 2nd, 7th, 17th and 18th). Our country has also subscribed the Declaration of Salamanca, which was written in 1994 with the agreement of Representatives from ninety-two governments and twenty-five International Organizations, where was reaffirmed the right of education for all. It is necessary that school increases its responsibility in what concerns the education of all its students. Educating all and every student demands new strategies to face new challenges and so some practices have to be changed to respond to diversity. Schools must be architecturally adapted to give the disabled students, who use a wheel chair, equal opportunities to achieve educational success. Taking the measures foreseen in Portuguese law into practice, and implementing in each school the inclusion of students with conditioned mobility, involves equipping schools with adaptations, equipment and educational resources that facilitate the teaching / learning process. The observation of what actually happens on educative ground, regarding to pupils with motor disabilities who use a wheelchair to move, assumes the centrality of our research, which is a case study. It focuses on the deeper understanding of the way the architectonic access in primary schools of the North, and more specifically the Municipality of Guimarães, is processed. We collected data through questionnaires addressed to educational support teachers and school coordinators; heard students with motor disabilities to comment on the difficulties they felt; observed their daily school life, and finally heard the local authorities, through an interview the Councillor of Culture of the Municipality of Guimarães. As agreed, the results will be communicated to intervenients with direct responsibilities in the field of education who were willing to share with us their information and knowledge in order to raise awareness of the need of looking over the aspect of architectural accessibility in educational institutions that serve their county, because, as noted, much remains to be done so that the basic education, universal and compulsory, will result in equality of educational opportunities in access and success for students who use a wheelchair to move in school space.

Desempenho no Judiciário: conceituação, estado da arte e agenda de pesquisa

O desempenho no Judiciário constitui um tema socialmente importante, no entanto, a pesquisa nessa área ainda carece de volume e sistematização teórica e metodológica que possibilitem a institucionalização do conhecimento. Diante disso, foi realizada uma análise da produção científica a respeito do tema. Foram revisados estudos empíricos publicados entre 1992 e 2011, que apresentavam como objetivo avaliar ou mensurar o desempenho em judiciários. Os resultados mostram que o conceito de desempenho judicial é multidimensional, multinível e tem como elemento central os juízes. Eficiência e celeridade são as dimensões de desempenho mais abordadas. Os resultados indicam que o tema é pouco explorado na área de administração pública. Com base nos resultados encontrados é oferecida uma agenda de pesquisa para estudos futuros.

Sobre um foco urbano de esquistossomose em área metropolitana da região sudeste do Brasil

Descreve-se foco de transmissão ativa de esquistossomose mansoni em Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, localizado no Parque "Julien Rien", uma área de lazer com 48.500 m², criada pela Prefeitura Municipal, em 1980, na zona sul da cidade. Em capturas feitas durante 10 anos (1983-1992) foram coletados 3.361 exemplares de Biomphalaria glabrata (diâmetro médio= 9,3 mm), dos quais 23 (0,7%) estavam infectados pelo Schistosoma mansoni. O encontro de moluscos hospedeiros intermediários do S. mansoni em áreas urbanizadas (pequenos lagos artificiais cimentados de parques, jardins, prédios públicos, e outros) pode estar relacionado com a introdução de peixes e plantas aquáticas. É sugerida, como medida profilática, a não introdução de peixes e plantas aquáticas nesses locais, a não ser após período de quarentena de, no mínimo, 30 dias.

Distribución de la caries dental en niños preescolares en una región urbana, Argentina, 1992

Se describen los resultados de una investigación desarollada sobre una muestra de 1.115 preescolares (5 años) de jardines de infantes de la Ciudad de Córdoba (Argentina), destinada a establecer la prevalencia y distribución de la caries dental conforme a su nivel económicosocial. El estudio reveló que, respecto a 1973, la prevalencia de caries disminuyó el 55,0%, en tanto que la proporción de niños con dientes sanos fue mayor en el 26,7%. La frecuencia y severidad de la caries aumentó a medida que descendía la ubicación social del niño. En el nivel económicosocial más alto (NES I = burguesías empresarial y gerencial), los índices de caries fueron significativamente menores que en el nivel económicosocial más bajo (NES III = proletariado típico, proletariado no típico y subproletariado): ceo-d de 0,8 y 2,7 y ceo-s de 0,9 y 4,9, respectivamente. En el NES III, los principales componentes del ceo-d fueron dientes cariados y con extracción indicada, mientras que en el NES I fueron los dientes obturados. La proporción de niños sin experiencia de caries fue del 63,1% en el NES I y del 11,5% en el NES III. Inversamente, el índice de salud bucal resultó más alto en el NES I (8,8) que en el NES III (5,1). El gasto demandado por niño para el tratamiento restaurativo es aproximadamente dos veces y media más alto en el NES III que en el NES I. Considerando toda la muestra, el gasto en el NES III resultaría más de diez veces superior al del NES I. Se concluye que la programación de la atención odontológica privilegiando a los niños del NES III, que son los de mayor riesgo de enfermar, puede contribuir a contrarrestar los desniveles en el estado de salud bucal.