Portugal as an European destination reference in senior tourism

O presente projeto consiste na determinação estratégica relativa ao desenvolvimento de Portugal cujo objectivo central é determinar de que forma Portugal pode vir a ser um player de referencia no contexto de Turismo Sénior, um segmento de mercado que representa já, quer em volume quer em valor o mais atrativo segmento de turistas. À medida que a população mundial envelhece, o segmento sénior é considerado o segmento de consumo mais valioso, um fenómeno que se verifica não só na indústria do turismo, mas é sim comum a todas as indústrias. Este segmento possui atualmente tempo e capital disponível para a prática de turismo. Todos os dias 10,000 novos cidadãos Americanos entram na idade da reforma. Para além disso, aqueles considerados “Baby- Boomers” e que detêm hoje cerca de 60% de toda a fortuna mundial, serão os próximos “seniores” e irão dominar a indústria mundial do Turismo exigindo uma oferta cada vez mais adaptada às suas necessidades. Posto isto, é urgente o desenvolvimento de uma estratégia direcionada não só aos membros da atual população sénior mas também a outras gerações, nomeadamente os “Baby-Boomers” e a Generation X que irão representar a curto/médio prazo o segmento “sénior” da população mundial. De forma a fazê-lo de uma forma eficaz, é crucial ter em conta a necessidade de criar uma ligação emocional com estes grupos de consumidores, ao mesmo tempo que a oferta turística disponível deverá ser capaz de se desenvolver e adaptar de forma contínua à evolução das suas necessidades e comportamentos turísticos.The presented project consists in a strategic development of Portugal as a Touristic Destination witch major goal is to understand how can Portugal become a major Player in Senior Tourism, as segment of the population that already represents both in volume and value the most attractive travel segment. With the increasing ageing of the world’s population, seniors are pointed out to become the most valuable consumer segment. These have increasing available time to travel and they have the disposable income to spend in travel experiences as a primary motivation. Every day in the USA 10,000 people enter in the retirement age, a trend that is expected to prevail until 2020. Moreover, 60% of the world’s fortune lies in the hands of baby-boomers, which will soon become the next seniors, dominating the World tourism and demanding hand-crafted experiences as never before. A Destination that is able to understand their needs and develop customized experiences to fit their demand will surely hold a valuable competitive advantage. This being said, there was the needed to develop a strategy targeted not only to those who may be already considered “seniors”, but also to the other generations namely Baby- Boomers and members of Generation X that will become “seniors” in a 10 to 20 year period. In order to do it effectively, this strategy must take into account the need to create an emotional connection with those consumers, while our touristic offer must be developed and continuously adapted to their evolution in terms of needs and travel behaviours

Systems of leisure travel information provision and use: the 'Grey' market' and the internet

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

New Voices: What Works

Reviews grantees' accomplishments in building community news sites, keys to sustainability, and lessons learned about engagement, staffing, business models, social media, technology, partnerships, and limitations of university, youth, and radio projects

Culinary Tourism in Ireland - An Assessment of its evolution and current state

Culinary tourism is an area that has long been included in strategical planning by several countries or regions. Culinary heritage is highly cultural and can contribute to the promotion of tourism destinations. Experiences related to food are a strong component in the formation of a destination´s image. However, according promotion needs to be wellcoordinated. Food is naturally related to tourism but it requires the supervision of tourism authorities to create and maintain culinary tourism as a successful tourism product. This paper establishes the history of food and tourism in Ireland and shows how these two merged, resulting in the start of culinary tourism in this country. Furthermore, the development since the start of culinary tourism has been examined in the form of an extensive content analysis, leading to a SWOT analysis of the current performance of this area. To support the argumentation, expert interviews have been carried out through the use of questionnaires. The assumption was that Ireland´s offer regarding tourism experiences related to food is ideal for culinary tourism to be successful. Based on the knowledge about the history of tourism, however, it was to be expected that weaknesses would be found in the work of tourism authorities, hence the coordination and, especially, promotion. Due to the detailed analysis of promotional webpages as well as publications by Fáilte Ireland, the country´s national tourism development authority, the main hypothesis could be confirmed. Ireland´s offer regarding culinary tourism shows a great variety of food-related experiences. But these ideal conditions have not fully been recognized by the authorities. Promotion, especially online, lacks pro-activeness regarding this area. A significant weakness is the structure of the main promotional webpage Ireland.com. Information regarding food tourism is difficult to find. The issues uncovered could easily be resolved by simple changes, such as the implementation of hyperlinks on certain sites. Publications like the Food Tourism Implementation Framework 2011-2013 and Food Tourism Activity Plan 214-2016 showed great potential with regards to a successful development of culinary tourism. Follow-up work was, unfortunately, only published shortly before this dissertation was completed. Therefore, the Food and Drink Strategy 2018-2023 could not be analysed for this paper. Nevertheless, the content analysis, SWOT analysis and expert interviews have confirmed that culinary tourism could be successful in Ireland if its promotion within marketing tools was improved and more pro-active

Macao as a brand: Can city branding change Macao’s image perceptions?

Competition between tourism destinations is becoming extremely fiercely as a result of the growing international tourism supply. Destinations are under constant pressure to attract visitors and promote cultural development, along with an ongoing necessity to raise the industry's quality standards. Destination image has been recognized as a key component for the success of the tourism management industry as it can influence traveler decision. Following this line of thought, the main goal of this dissertation is to explore the role that city branding plays on building Macao’s image perception on tourists and how it could be a competitive advantage to Macao. The research was conducted with the purpose of determining whether city branding can influence pre- and post-trip impressions held by foreigners regarding the image of Macao as a tourism destination.A concorrência entre destinos tem vindo a tornar-se extremamente intensa fruto do crescimento da oferta do turismo internacional. Os destinos encontram-se sob constante pressão para atrair visitantes e promover o seu desenvolvimento cultural, paralelamente à necessidade de melhorar a qualidade da indústria do setor. A marca de um destino é considerada uma componente fulcral para o sucesso na gestão da indústria do turismo, uma vez que tem influência na escolha do local a visitar. Seguindo esta linha de raciocínio, o maior objectivo desta dissertação é explorar em que sentido a marca da cidade está relacionada com a percepção que os turistas têm da imagem de Macau, bem como perceber em que ponto pode revelar uma vantagem competitiva para a região. O estudo foi conduzido com o intuito de esclarecer de que forma o desenvolvimento da marca Macau pode influenciar as perceções anteriores e posteriores à viagem, no que concerne à imagem de Macau como um destino turístico

A Film Marketing Action Plan (FMAP) for Film Induced Tourism Destinations

This research study examines the impact of film induced tourism and destination branding on locations featured in popular films and television series. It also investigates the characteristics of film induced tourism and determines if the key film and tourism stakeholders support the integration of film into Yorkshire’s (UK) tourism product. Yorkshire was selected as the case study area, as it has been the film location for many popular television series and is the subject of much location research within the tourism discipline. The need for a thorough investigation into the film induced tourism phenomenon was particularly evident from the literature review undertaken, as it showed that there was a significant research gap in the successful integration of this phenomenon and destination marketing. In response to this gap, a two phased approach was adopted; the first involved a tourist survey regarding the film induced tourist, while the second phase consisted of strategic conversations with the key stakeholders behind the Yorkshire brand. The issues evolving from these and also the literature review, highlight a number of implications for the future development of such destinations, namely the successful use of destination branding in the promotion of a film location. These issues also facilitated the creation of the Film Marketing Action Plan (FMAP), as it has become apparent that most of the film induced tourism models investigated were inadequate in explaining the relationship between film induced tourism and destination branding. Thus, a new model that is more reflective of the process was developed, using the main concepts and themes that arose from the research findings. Overall, film induced tourism is not widely welcomed by the stakeholders and the implications for retaining a clear balance between Yorkshire’s current tourism product and making the most of the opportunities that could arise, may be the most appropriate way forward

Determinants of online leisure travel planning decision processes :a segmented approach

D.B.A. ThesisThere is an abundance of information sources on the Internet that consumers use to plan and book their travel. This information reflects the fact that travel comprises a significant part of the business conducted through the web. Consumers are sometimes faced with a complex task of making purchasing decisions in the dynamic and fast-paced medium of the Internet. In spite of the importance of travel and the intricacies of the decision process, an integrated framework that identifies the various determinants of the online leisure travel planning decision process and how they interact, is largely absent in travel literature. This study aims to make a contribution by extracting from relevant literature useful elements that could comprise such a framework. It also uses several phases of qualitative research to refine the framework, and then a quantitative assessment of data collected from an online questionnaire completed by 1,198 respondents to test specific components of the framework that deal with online travel booking intention. In the final model building stage, three logistic regression models were compared. The first is a parsimonious one containing key determinants that lead to online travel booking intention. These determinants emerged from theoretical frameworks of the theory of reasoned action and innovation adoption theory. The second Model used strictly involvement, motivation, and knowledge variables that are thought to influence online booking intention. The third Model included a combination of relevant predictor variables from the other two Models. The relationship between various demographics and online travel booking intention was investigated yielding some interesting insights. Consequently, this study recommends these demographic variables be considered in segmenting travelers to find those more likely to book online. The determinants of online leisure travel booking decision processes could be used in conjunction with demographic variables to more accurately predict leisure travel website usage

Stakeholder approach to the segmentation of the short haul business air travel market

The marketing literature deals inadequately with markets which show characteristics of both consumer and industrial markets. In this work such markets are called hybrid markets. The research attempts to find an appropriate research approach for the short haul business related air travel market, which has hybrid market characteristics. Recent studies of the business travel market (Stephenson and Fox, 1987, Toh and Hu. 1988 and 1990) have investigated corporate and traveller attitude towards frequent flier programmes (see Glossary). However, as yet the airline marketing literature has not investigated the role the purchasing organisation (the employer of the traveller) has to play in a decision to purchase business related air travel. Market segmentation is selected as a suitable tool to investigate the business travel market. However, a review of the literature on segmentation for both consumer and industrial products reveals that an approach suited to the characteristics of this market is not available. Consequently a two stage research approach for hybrid markets is developed. A case study of nine companies in the first stage of the research is used to develop an understanding of corporate involvement in the purchase of business air travel, and identifies three key stakeholder groups in the purchase. They are the traveller, the travel organiser, and the "organisation". The second stage of the research collects data on the stakeholders. Traveller data on the importance of product elements in the purchase are used in a benefit segmentation of the market. The attitude data from 827 business travellers is analysed by factor analysis to identify six principal purchase benefits. These six benefits account for 60.6% of the variance in the data. Six factor scores for each respondent are calculated and then investigated by ak means iterative partitioning cluster analysis. A robust three cluster solution is discovered; i. e. three benefit segments are present in the short haul business travel market, based on traveller attitude. Cross-validation tests are carried out to test the stability of this solution. The three segments are investigated to evaluate the influence in the purchase decision of other organisational stakeholders. Differences between segments are found in the travel policy of the employing organisation, class of travel allowed to travellers, and purchase behaviour. The research indicates that for hybrid markets such as business travel, the role of the employing organisation may be important in purchase decisions. Consequently, it is recommended that future reserach should assess corporate involvement in purchases of products that have both consumer and industrial elements. The evaluation of the influences of various stakeholder groups in purchase decisions in hybrid markets may reveal previously overlooked marketing opportunities.The Institute of Marine Studies, University of Plymouth; Air UK Ltd

An evaluation of the provision of terminal facilities for the design of low cost airport terminals

The growth of the Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) in the world will have a significant impact on future airport development. LCCs such as Ryanair, Air Asia and EasyJet prefer only basic terminal facilities (TFs) at Low Cost Terminals (LCTs) to reduce associated costs (airport charges, capital investment, operational costs). Pressure by LCCs for reduced airport charges has led to the inclusion of only basic TFs so as to reduce capital investment and operational costs. This has raised an interest in the evaluation of TFs within LCT design. A reduction of airport charges, which is possible through LCTs, is indirectly linked to the reduction in air fares. The debate concerning the development of the ‘right’ TFs has led to considerable discussion by airport operators. Airports have to retain the airlines as business partners and customers. To this end, they need to develop facilities that offer best value in order to retain their custom. In addition, airports must be flexible enough to meet the changing needs of passengers. With particular emphasis on experiences at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), this research is an evaluation the provision of TFs for a LCT model, taking into account potentially conflicting expectations of airline and airport managements, and passengers. A research framework was developed as the result of a literature review of LCT design and development. The research itself used multiple questionnaires in pre- and postdevelopment surveys involving three different parties: airline management (Air Asia Berhad), airport operator (Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad) and passengers (LCT users). The headquarters of Air Asia Berhad and Malaysia Airports Berhad were visited and surveys were undertaken to ascertain the viewpoints of LCC passengers flying with Air Asia, a low-cost airline based at KLIA, Malaysia. The main focus of this research has been to propose a possible conceptual model for LCT design with an emphasis on simplifying the provision of TFs in such a way as to reduce capital investment and operational and airport charges, while at the same time being able to generate additional airport revenues. The evidence from the surveys reveals that, in LCT design, there are conflicting expectations between airlines, airport authorities and passengers on the adequacy of TFs whose design is influenced by consideration of cost and revenue structures. The proposed conceptual model indicates the preferences for core and secondary TFs within LCT design after the cost and revenue structures, and airline management, airport operator and passenger’s expectations, are considered.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo