A satisfação dos turistas escandinavos relativamente ao destino Açores

A secção UAciência é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.[…]. No caso concreto dos Açores, os quais podem beneficiar deste crescimento da procura mundial, o turismo surge como um setor estratégico por, pelo menos, três tipos de razões. Em primeiro lugar, a aposta no desenvolvimento de um setor em expansão a nível mundial constitui um fator importante para o sucesso da estratégia de crescimento e desenvolvimento da região. Em segundo lugar, a exportação constitui um veículo determinante para o desenvolvimento de pequenas regiões insulares com base no aproveitamento das potencialidades endógenas, como é o caso dos Açores, constituindo o turismo uma das poucas atividades que podem ser promovidas com vista ao alargamento da respetiva base económica de exportação. Finalmente, o turismo, até pelos efeitos multiplicadores e de arrasto sobre os diversos setores económicos, contribui para a criação de emprego e a entrada de novos ativos no mercado de trabalho, sendo este um elemento a ter cada vez mais em consideração, dadas as elevadas taxas de desemprego e o aumento da taxa de atividade feminina. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quality of the Azores destination in the perspective of tourists

Tourism is a growing industry in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. However, little is known about how tourists evaluate this destination, something which certainly constitutes a shortcoming if one takes into consideration that this is a very competitive industry, with new destinations appearing every year and others increasing their market share. This paper focuses on the quality of the Azores destination in the perspective of tourists and, to an extent, has the goal of contributing to reduce this shortcoming. According to our findings, 74% of the tourists interviewed consider the global quality of the Azores destination to be very good or excellent, with the landscape, the climate/weather, the hospitality, the cleanliness and the security being the most highly-rated partial indicators. Additionally, a regression analysis indicates that the evaluation of the global quality of this destination varies according to the individual characteristics of tourists.N/

The determinants of length of stay in the Azores : a count model approach

This paper employs count data models to estimate the determinants of length of stay, as count data models naturally lend themselves to overcome the censoring and truncation data issues associated with the non-negative, integer nature of length of stay. This paper employs a rich micro data set gathered through questionnaires ministered to a representative sample of tourists departing from the Azores: the fastest growing touristic region in Portugal. It is found that sociodemographic profiles, such as nationality and Azorean ascendancy, and trip attributes, such as repeat visitation rates and type of flight, are important determinants of length of stay. In addition, it is found that destination image and attitudes regarding environmental initiatives, constructed from a factor analysis exercise, also influence length of stay. In particular, the results suggest that marketing strategies that promote the Azores for its nature, landscape, remoteness, weather and safety may increase length of stay, whereas cultural heritage has the opposite effect.N/

Medidas de disponibilidade a pagar por atributos de voos comerciais : uma aplicação do modelo de McFadden ao corredor aéreo Ponta Delgada – Terceira

Este trabalho analisa as preferências dos consumidores do serviço de transporte aéreo entre São Miguel e Terceira: o mais importante corredor aéreo nos Açores. Dada a forte regulação histórica e actual que caracteriza este serviço, não há dados do tipo preferências reveladas. Contudo, o conhecimento das preferências dos consumidores é incontornável na implementação de políticas que promovam o bem-estar social. Assim, realizou-se um stated preferences choice game conducente à estimação dum modelo microeconométrico do tipo McFadden (1974): logit condicional. Os resultados estimados são estatisticamente significativos e revelam medidas de disponibilidade a pagar economicamente elevadas por atributos como garantia de pontualidade e penalidades por alterações nas passagens. A disponibilidade a pagar por mais um voo diário é deveras baixa. Este último resultado é importante no debate se este mercado é um monopólio natural.ABSTRACT: We analyze consumer preferences for airline services between S. Miguel and Terceira: the most important air corridor in the Azores. Due to heavy regulation, there are no revealed preferences data. However, we do need to know consumer preferences if our goal is to implement social surplus maximizing policies. Hence, we conduct a stated preferences choice game in order to estimate a microeconometric model a la McFadden (1974): conditional logit. The results are statistically significant and imply willingness to pay measures economically high for attributes such as reliability warranties and penalties for changing tickets. Willingness to pay for an additional daily flight is quite low. This result is important to establish if we are indeed in the presence of a natural monopoly

Equalization effects of local financing models in Portugal

One objective frequently found in models of decentralized financing is that of equalization. The concern is that poorer jurisdictions receive enough resources for basic services and for development promotion, thus eliminating horizontal and vertical imbalances. In Portugal, decentralization has occurred at two levels: the local, for the whole country and the regional for the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira. Decentralization to local governments has undergone several changes in recent decades. The current paper focuses on testing for the presence of an equalization effect in the models adopted to finance municipalities in Portugal, since the nineteen nineties. Using the theoretical background that maintains that for the presence of an equalizing effect it is necessary that, on a per capita basis, poorer regions or localities receive relatively more transfers than the richer jurisdictions, a test is made using a data set that includes all municipalities of Portugal. The situation of the two autonomous regions is controlled with dummy variables. The hypothesis that the models used have an equalizing effect is tested through the sign of the coefficient of the regression of per capita transfers on per capita own resources. In the presence of an equalizing effect the sign will be significant and negative. It is confirmed that, for the period under analysis, the municipalities with lower per capita own revenues are those that receive more transfers per capita. There is, therefore, an equalizing effect in the current transfer system to municipalities. Using pooled data, one can also conclude that the equalization effect has become stronger with the 1998 and 2002 reviews of the system, when compared to the system in effect in 1991

Willingness to pay for airline services attributes : microeconometric evidence from a stated preference discrete choice model

We analyze consumer preferences for airline services attributes between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon. For this purpose, we conduct a stated preferences choice game and estimate a microeconometric model à la McFadden (1974). Our results are statistically significant and imply willingness to pay measures economically high for attributes such as punctuality warranties and comfort. We interpret these results at the light of the theories found in Kahneman (2003). Willingness to pay for additional daily flights is quite low. This result is important to how should the policy maker liberalize this sector

A Touristic big-game fishing in San Michael Island (Azores) : evaluating anglers’ profiles, perceptions about the destination and business revenues

Tourism is growing at a fast pace in the Azores’ archipelago. The landscape and marine wildlife have been viewed as relevant attractions of this destination. The ocean which surrounds the islands encompasses many market opportunities and niches such a surfing, fishing, scuba diving, shark diving and dolphin and whale watching, among others. This paper examines angler opinions about the destination, angler profiles and business revenues of touristic big-game fishing in the island of San Michael, Azores (Portugal). For this purpose, a survey was carried out to visitors who engaged in that activity and to vessels’ owners. In addition, some information was gathered from official data sources. The results reveal that this activity already generates a reasonable contribution to the touristic revenue of the island. There is also evidence based on respondents’ opinion that such an emerging market niche has a potential to expand and compete with other touristic regions in the practice of this recreational activity.N/

Internet sales as a new mode of internationalization

The way that organizations explore the Internet has been the focus of a substantial body of scientific studies and non-academic reflection. The main goal of this study is to analyze the potential of the internet as a mode of internationalization and the factors that influence the results of the adoption of this mean to access foreign markets. For this purpose, we examine the determinants of the level of international sales made via internet estimating an ordered probit model. The results show that the importance of previous experience in using the internet and developing international activity, together with the level of internet marketing budget , the level of investment on internet sophistication, the firm dimension, the business age and the type pf activity are variables that determine the results obtain in the international sales trough the internet.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Duration of Low Wage Employment: A Study Based on a Survival Model

This paper includes a survival analysis which attempts to explain the duration, as in the number of years a worker remains in a low wage situation. Explanatory variables take into account the characteristics of the employee, such as education, age, tenure with the company, gender and nationality, and the characteristics of the job and the company such as industry affiliation, number of employees, age of the company and location.low wage, survival, Portugal

Evaluation of the European Policies in Support of Ultraperipheric Regions, Azores, Madeira, Canarias, Guadalupe, Martinique, Guyane and Reunion

The paper looks at the development of the EU's outermost regions. We develop a model not only to explain the effects caused by peripherality but also to evaluate the European policies towards ultra peripheral regions. Ultra-peripherality is an economic and social phenomenon associated to a geographical structure characterised by two attributes: size and access. The structure of the model to analyse size, or supply performance, can be represented in three interrelated blocks: i) the first block explains the effect on the population of driving activities in island economies: exports, external aid for employment and external subsidies; ii) the second block establishes the relationships between population and activities associated to the provision of goods and services not receiving external aid; iii) the third block estimates the product and the income of the region by multiplying the quantity of each type of activity, measured in terms of the number of jobs involved. The structure of the model for access, or demand performance, is in a way implicit in the model of size through the population indicator; however, the population indicator does not clearly translate variations of accessibility to the region being. The present study uses the demographic potential to arrive at an accessibility indicator that uses easily accessible statistical data: the population and the traffic of passengers. We conclude that the impact of ultra-peripheral policies are weaker in the regions more dependent on external public transferences, the connection with neighbour countries can produce important effects in the economy, the elimination of the "sea rights" in most of the regions could generate important impacts in the respective development process, the effective liberalisation of air transportation will lead to a strong increase in the accessibility and the development process based on import substitution and external public transferences can led to a big increase in the population and created a great dependence on the "sea rights".