Joining geotourism with cultural tourism: a good blend

The Algarvian coast (Southern Portugal) is known for its beaches. However, many tourists don’t want to spend their whole holidays only at the beach, so cultural tourism can fill a gap together with natural tourism. Important branches of natural tourism of Algarve are birdwatching and guided tours, which may include visits to geologically interesting sites (Geotourism). These activities are aimed to people with sporting and scientific interests. Algarve has a big potential for Geotourism due to the large number of geologically interesting places and areas. Geotouristic activities joined with the observation or visit of cultural, mainly vernacular subjects (for instance: terraces and cultural landscapes, agricultural and ethnological traditions, villages) result in a more complete touristic offer than each part isolated and can be done all over the year. The creation of a Geopark by UNESCO, for instance, includes both natural and cultural heritage. Like the cultural heritage, the geological heritage should be valorized by tracking paths for hiking with information tables, guided visits, folders and so on, to be disseminated by the tourist information offices, apps, new technologies, hotels and other touristic installations. When touristic activities lead to a better knowledge of the natural and cultural sites, their conservation may be easier, because the local residents are getting conscious about their value. Regular visits of the sites are used to control their condition. Thus, Geotourism and cultural tourism contribute to the preservation of the geological heritage and the landscape, which is also an environmental and cultural heritage.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Crossing heritages: drystone walls in cultural tourism and geo-tourism

The aim of cultural tourism is the cultural heritage. This heritage can consist of monuments in cities, for instance, and also of vernacular heritage which is found in rural areas. The drystone walls, often existing in regions where slopes prevail, are splendid examples of this group of heritage. Their role in cultural vernacular heritage is that they are made by man to make agriculture possible in difficult terrain creating plane areas in slopes, to retain surface and subsurface water as a reserve e.g. for the plantation and protection against wildfires, to protect agricultural areas in lower places against falling rocks and erosion by torrents, and so on. On the other hand, they also belong to the natural geological heritage because they are made of local stones, the geological setting of an area determines if such a wall is necessary or not, they interfere with the surface and subsurface water flows, they slow down erosional processes, they mould typical landscapes, and they create a lot of ecological niches and habitats for animals and plants. Therefore, drystone walls represent a link between cultural-vernacular and natural-geological heritage. Stone wall terraces are an expression of the history and the culture of the local people and present environmental, social and economic benefits. They may offer touristic opportunities, contributing to their renewal and survival. Their cultural value was recognized by the UNESCO in 2018 by the declaration of the “art of drystone walling, knowledge and techniques” as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainability through digital transformation: a systematic literature review for research guidance

Motivated by the rising attention of businesses and regulators towards how digital transformation can assist sustainability improvement, this paper sheds light on the relationships between these two phenomena. Specifically, this research pioneers the study of ‘digital sustainability’ through a systematic review of 153 academic articles aimed to 1) consolidate the existing research, 2) understand the thematic connections amongst the different studies, and 3) identify research gaps to move forward in the development of the topic. The suggested research agenda has important theoretical and practical implications. Through the identified gaps, this study acknowledges the management scholarship of pitfalls and delays on the research topic, providing detailed guidance to develop this new stream of subject area. The opportunistic approach of this paper responds to the practical call for support in understanding the use of digitalization for sustainability-related goals. This research directly impacts a wide range of practitioners, including managers, consultants, and policymakers. Received 10 May 2021, Revised 26 April 2022, Accepted 5 May 2022, Available online 18 May 2022, Version of Record 18 May 2022

Sustainable geotourism using digital technologies along a rural georoute in Monsagro (Salamanca, Spain)

Rural geotourism looks at the natural resources of the territory as a means of promoting a specialized, educational, sustainable tourism. This is an increasingly sought-after activity. This paper presents a rural georoute across a high mountain village, highlighting the remarkable value of the geological heritage of biological trace fossils and physical sedimentary structures exposed on street pavements and façades of houses. A series of tourist georesources were created and implemented: educational and interpretive panels, videos, QR codes, geoapps and games, all of which promote and disseminate the exceptional geological content and the history of the earth through the use of new technologies (smartphones ipod, etc.).All this is intended as a means to make geotourism a natural tourism, favoring experiences, whilst explaining the natural environment and its temporal and spatial dimensions, offering opportunities for socio-economic development and job creation in rural areas with problems of depopulation

Visitantes internacionais dos Passadiços do Paiva: motivação, experiência, satisfação e canais de distribuição

Objetivo – Inaugurados em 2015, os Passadiços do Paiva deram um forte impulso à dinâmica turística de Arouca. No entanto, esta atração turística carece de estudos científicos, no âmbito do turismo. Assim, desenvolveu-se um estudo acerca da motivação turística, experiência turística, satisfação e canais de distribuição utilizados pelos visitantes internacionais desta infraestrutura, no ano de 2017. O objetivo principal desta investigação é compreender a relação entre as motivações, a avaliação da experiência e o grau de satisfação, na visita dos turistas internacionais aos Passadiços do Paiva e os objetivos específicos são compreender os fatores que influenciam as motivações da visita aos Passadiços do Paiva (fatores Push & Pull); compreender se as motivações influenciam a avaliação da experiência turística e compreender os fatores que influenciam a satisfação. Metodologia - Recorreu-se a uma metodologia quantitativa através do inquérito por questionário, enviado via email aos 3639 contactos constantes na base de dados referente às reservas efetuadas online. Este inquérito englobou 16 questões, 12 questões de resposta única, com lista de hipóteses e 4 questões de escala de Likert de cinco pontos, tendo sido obtidas 204 respostas. Resultados – Os resultados das hipóteses demonstram as seguintes relações: motivação e características da viagem (fatores pull); motivação e canais de distribuição; motivação e experiência, e satisfação e experiência (domínios Estético e Entretenimento). Não se verificou relação entre a motivação e o perfil individual do visitante assim como, contrariamente à revisão da literatura, não se verificou relação com a satisfação. Uma vez que a motivação push não se relaciona com os Passadiços do Paiva, apenas após a utilização canais de distribuição e melhor conhecimento do destino é que o indivíduo decide visitar esta infraestrutura. Conclui-se, então, que os atributos dos Passadiços do Paiva (fatores pull) estão relacionados com a motivação. Este estudo também permite verificar quais os principais canais de distribuição utilizados para dar a conhecer esses atributos ao visitante. De entre estes canais destacam-se os canais digitais, nomeadamente o site oficial dos Passadiços do Paiva e outros sites com informação acerca desta atração. Conforme revisão da literatura, há uma relação entre a motivação e a experiência, no entanto, a satisfação apenas se relaciona com os domínios Estético e Entretenimento. Isto confirma a dimensão estética desta infraestrutura assim como o seu enquadramento na paisagem, bem conseguido. No que concerne à dimensão Entretenimento, ressalva-se o ano atipicamente quente que se fez sentir, em 2017, o que aumentou a época balnear e o usufruto das praias fluviais próximas ao percurso. De salientar a ausência da relação entre a satisfação e o domínio Entretenimento uma vez que este território está classificado na Rede Natura 2000 e Geopark. Limitações e implicações – Tendo em conta o número de visitantes dos Passadiços do Paiva, em 2017, o número de respostas obtidas é relativamente reduzido e os resultados não devem ser generalizados. Implicações práticas – Os resultados apresentados permitirão os gestores do destino terem perceção das variáveis aqui estudadas e criarem estratégias de marketing adequadas. Originalidade/valor – A diferenciação deste estudo prende-se com a área geográfica e a atração turística em questão por não existirem, à data, estudos na área de turismo neste contexto.Abstract propose – Opened in 2015, the Paiva Walkways gave a strong impulse to the tourism dynamic of Arouca. However, this tourist attraction lacks scientific studies, in the context of tourism. Thus, it was developed a study about the tourist motivation, tourist experience, satisfaction and distribution channels used by international visitors of this infrastructure, in the year 2017. The main goal of this research is to understand the relationship between the motivations, the assessment of the experience and the degree of satisfaction of international tourists on the visit to the Paiva Walkways. The specific objectives are to understand the factors that influence the motivations of the visit to the Paiva Walkways (Push & Pull factors); to understand if the motivations influence the evaluation of the tourist experience and to understand the factors that influence the satisfaction. Methodology - It was used a quantitative methodology through survey by questionnaire, sent via e-mail to 3639 contacts contained in the database relating to the reservations that were made online. This survey included 16 questions, 12 questions to single response, with a list of hypotheses and 4 questions of five points Likert scale and the number of responses obtained was 204. Results – The results of the hypotheses show the following relation: motivation and trip characteristics (pull factors); motivation and distribution channels; motivation and experience, and satisfaction and experience (Aesthetic and Entertainment areas). It didn't occur a relation between motivation and the visitor individual profile as well as, in opposition to the literature review, there was no relation with satisfaction. Since the push motivation does not relate to the Walkways of Paiva, only after the use of distribution channels and a better knowledge of the destination is when the subject decides to visit this infrastructure. It can be concluded, then, that the attributes of the Walkways of the Paiva (pull factors) are related with the motivation. This study also allows verifying which is the main distribution channels used to publicize these attributes to the visitor. Among these channels the digital channels are the ones that stand out the most, particularly the official website of the Walkways of the Paiva and other websites with information about this attraction. According to literature review, there is a relation between the motivation and the experience, however, the satisfaction only relates to aesthetics and entertainment domains. This confirms the aesthetic dimension of this infrastructure as well as its framing in the landscape, well achieved. Regarding the Entertainment dimension, caveat-if the atypically warm year that made itself feels, in 2017, which increased the summer season and the enjoyment of the river beaches close to the route. To point out the absence of a relation between the satisfaction and the Entertainment domain since this area is classified as Rede Natura 2000 and Geopark. Limitations and implications – Considering the number of visitors to the Walkways of Paiva, in 2017, the number of answers obtained is relatively small and the results should not be generalized. Practical implications – The results presented will enable the managers of the destination to have a perception of the variables studied here and create appropriate marketing strategies. Originality/value – The differentiation of this study relates to the geographical area and the tourist attraction in question since, to date, there are no studies in tourism, in this context.N/