Nature-based tourism in the Algarve: a fact or a myth?

The Algarve is a mature destination in the south of Portugal and is mainly well-known for its offerings of sun and sea. In addition to strong seasonal changes, the region also faces strong competition from other nearby destinations, which has affected its ability to better attract tourists. Regional stakeholders have recognized the need to diversify the tourist experience, and a strong effort has been dedicated to the development of complementary tourist products, with special attention to eco-tourism. The present study uses data from a survey of tourists who visited the Algarve in December 2010 (low season) to determine the extent to which tourists visiting the region would actively search for nature-related activities, and the profile of these individuals. In particular, the study aims to understand whether these tourists share environmentally friendly values or, instead, have chosen the Algarve based on its attributes of traditional appealing climatic conditions and beaches. Depending on whether nature-based tourism in the Algarve is a fact or a myth, strategies for repositioning the destination can be adapted, new tourist products can be proposed and communication campaigns may need to be rethought.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring the quality of tourism experience

The new economic era the experience economy that we entered in the XXI century is challenging the overall tourism industry and destinations to respond to visitor expectations in a radically different way, demanding a new vision on what is truly being delivered to them. Within the current era, tourism businesses and destinations, in order to thrive and compete globally, are bound to recognize that experience, not goods or services, are what motivates visitors to travel, repeat visits to the destinations and recommend it to friends and relatives. Being so, a research agenda for tourism development and quality should place at its centre the nature of tourist experience and meanings of quality tourist experience from the stakeholders point of view, so that the industry actors can take joint action supported by in-depth knowledge of meanings attached to experience. With few exceptions, in tourism related literature, quality tourism experience has been largely overlooked. However, tourist experience and tourism experience have been discussed by Clawson [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9] among others. Clawson[1] wrote about recreation experience; Boorstin[2] discoursed on authenticity in tourist experience; Cohen[3], [4] studied the phenomenological tourist experience frames; MacCannell's[5] presented contemporaneous writings on tourist experience and authenticity. Pearce and Caltabiano[7] further extended consideration of traveller and tourist experience and authenticity with connections to motivations. Smith [6], Smith and Brent [8] addressed the interaction of host and guest in travel experience. Ryan [9] focused particularly on the `tourist experience'. Tourism and tourist experience past research have also focused on temporary and activity-based relationships [1] and some only on activity [10], [11]. Borrie and Birzell[12] presented four ways used to understand tourist and tourism experience. Those four ways include (1) meaningsbased[13], (2) benefits, (3) satisfaction[14], and (4) experience based means[4], [15]. Urry[16] introduced the notion of 'gaze' into considerations of tourist experience albeit 'his gazes' were challenged by Perkins and Thorns[17]. Although there has been considerable theoretical thinking on the subject, not much empirical research is available. One reason for this to happen is the multidimensional, complex and highly diversified nature of the tourist experience. Another reason is related to the fact that supporting constructs, namely satisfaction, quality and value, continue relatively ambiguous and are not always part of an integrated vision and consistent research. And yet, understanding of major and relevant dimensions of the tourist experience are of utmost importance to construct operationalization for effective experience management at destination level. The article proposes an integrated vision on how to monitor the quality of tourism in a mass tourism coastal destination the Algarve (Portugal). While analyzing the quality of the tourism experience from tourists' perspective represents the overall purpose of this paper, and the specific objectives are threefold. Firstly, the research intends to assess the tourists' perceptions on the four dimensions of the experience destination, attributes and compares them with satisfaction felt in terms of the same attributes. Secondly, it expects to provide an overall assessment of tourism experience. Thirdly, the study proposes to establish the relationship between tourist satisfaction and the tourist experience and destination loyalty.The questionnaires were based on the work of Oh, Fiori and Jeong [18], after having been adapted to the Algarve tourist destination context, and refer to the four areas of the Experience Economy: Education (items a, b, c, d), aesthetics (items e, f, g, h), Entertainment (i, j, k, l) and Escapism (m, n, o, p). The last three items- q, r, s are related to memory and memories. To that end, a survey was carried out sampling 405 individuals. Of the 397 valid questionnaires obtained, 90% were answered by tourists from Portugal, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The results show about 95% of the respondents are satisfied and very satisfied. Approximately 95.3% of the respondents say they are satisfied and very satisfied with their stay in the Algarve. About the quality of lived experience, 77.3% classified very good and excellent. One of the important findings of this research is that the majority of the respondents (93`)/0) intends to recommend the Algarve to friends and relatives. With this research, the team expects to contribute to a thorough understanding of tangible and intangible activities and attributes that form the underlying basis of the tourist experience in coastal tourism

Understanding tourist recommendation through destination image: A CHAID analysis

In spite of the efforts of marketers and managers to boost a favourable destination image, with a focus on encouraging tourists‟ revisit, other factors contribute to tourists‟ decision-making processes with regard to revisiting destinations. Moreover, recommendation from family and friends are considered to be the most credible source of information in the process of choosing a holiday destination, becoming relevant that studies on destination loyalty focus on this variable. Therefore, this research aims to identify the attributes which contribute to tourists‟ willingness to recommend a destination. The first stage of this study involved identifying the attributes to measure the image of Lagos in the Algarve region, an important Portuguese destination, through open-ended questions. In the second phase, the application of the Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) to survey responses from a sample of 379 tourists allowed to identify the features that explain the intention to recommend the destination. The results show that culture is the attribute with the strongest power to explain recommendation, highlighting the need for sun and sand tourism destinations to diversify their offer. Of the seven terminal nodes produced by CHAID, two segments with opposite trends were found, for which profiles were drawn

Marketing de eventos: O caso da concentração de motos de Faro, Portugal

A crescente concorrência a nível nacional e internacional leva as organizações a definirem estratégias, produtos e serviços orientados para os clientes visando a sua satisfação e fidelização. Estas são também preocupações das organizações responsáveis pela gestão de eventos. O objectivo principal deste trabalho é analisar as motivações, o grau de satisfação e o grau de fidelização dos participantes na Concentração de Motos de Faro, Portugal, um evento que todos os anos reúne mais de vinte mil motociclistas de toda a Europa nesta cidade, transformando-a num destino turístico. Os dados foram obtidos através da aplicação de 1019 questionários no Campus da 28ª Concentração de Motos de Faro. Os principais resultados sugerem que as principais motivações que trazem os motociclistas ao evento prendem-se, sobretudo, com o convívio e com a necessidade de viver novas experiências. Os participantes denotam níveis elevados de satisfação e de fidelização ao evento

Sensory marketing and tourist experiences

Marketing has been increasing its focus on the role of the five human senses in consumer behaviour, since research under the experiential paradigm has pointed to multisensory stimuli as intensifiers of consumers’ experiences, such as tourist experiences. Whereas previous studies in tourism touted vision, current research claims a holistic approach to sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch in order to develop effective communication and branding strategies, as well to boost the performance of destinations and tourist organizations by designing and creating conditions to enhance tourist experiences. This study aims to present the main contributions of the literature on a sensory marketing approach to the tourist experience, and to discuss some preliminary results of an empirical study on the role of human senses in tourist experiences in rural areas. Data analysis from a questionnaire presented to tourists supports the multisensory nature of tourist experiences and the importance of the five senses to the intensity of the experience

O impacto da liderança no bem-estar dos colaboradores – o papel dos líderes e dos gestores na construção de modelos que promovam o bem-estar psicológico no trabalho / The impact of leadership on employee well-being – the role of leaders and managers in the construction of models that promote psychological well-being in the workplace

Se a liderança é o processo de influência de grupo na realização de objectivos (Fleishmanet al, 1991; Bass, 1990) o bem-estar dos colaboradores pode ser encarado como um dos fins a alcançar pelo grupo através da ação do líder (Rost, 1991). O bem-estar é um constructo multidimensional complexo que visa o indivíduo como um todo, concebendo-o nas suas múltiplas dimensões física, social e psicológica (Biswas-Diener, 2008; Lyubomirskyet al, 2005; Diener, 2000). É frequentemente discutido na literatura face a duas grandes perspetivas (hedónica e eudaimónica) e estudado como fator, elemento ou variável que influencia o desempenho dos colaboradores e os resultados organizacionais (Danna e Griffin, 1999; Wright e Cropanzano, 2004; Harteret al, 2003). Estabelecida a relação entre bem-estar e os resultados organizacionais, é necessário compreender como os líderes influenciam o bem-estar dos seus colaboradores. If leadership is the process of group influence on the achievement of objectives (Fleishman et al, 1991; Bass, 1990), employee well-being can be considered as one of the goals to be attained by the group through the action of its leader (Rost, 1991). Well-being is a complex, multidimensional construct, which targets the individual as a whole, considering it in its multiple physical, social and psychological dimensions (Biswas-Diener, 2008; Lyubomirsky et al, 2005; Diener, 2000). It is often discussed in the literature in the light of two major perspectives (hedonic and eudaemonic) and studied as a factor, element or variable that influences staff performance and organisational effectiveness (Danna and Griffin, 1999; Wright and Cropanzano, 2004; Harter et al, 2003). Having established the relationship between well-being and organisational effectiveness, it is necessary to understand how leaders influence the well-being of their employees

The sea as a connection between residents and tourists in coastal destinations: A case in Algarve

Coastal regions involve a set of interactions between tourists and residents, which implies that management and marketing strategies should take into account both stakeholders. Indeed, one of the greatest challenges of destination management organizations is to understand that they serve not only tourists and stakeholders directly related to tourism, but also the local community. Thus, the central purpose of this study is to measure the destination image of both tourists’ and residents’ perspectives, identifying the major aspects of agreement and disagreement. The data was collected in Lagos, one of the 16 municipalities of the Algarve (South Portugal), which, due to its coastal location, offers sun-beach tourism. Furthermore, due to historical, cultural and economic reasons, the sea has been a factor of identity for the coastal communities in the region. The empirical investigation includes a mixed methodology, with the use of open-ended questions followed by the application of a structured questionnaire to both tourists and residents. The results meet the growing need to diversify the destination supply depending on “sun and beach”, aiming at local sustainable development by focusing on the cultural component and the sea as an important attribute of the destination

Revisiting the destination image construct through a conceptual model

In a highly complex and dynamic sector like tourism, the current economic crisis brings to destination managers not only challenges but also opportunities. The image destinations promote to the market is a key element in the tourist decision-making process when choosing a tourism destination. This paper’s purpose is, therefore, to review and explore the destination image construct and its implications for the destination, and also to present a model of destination image based on previous studies. Implications for creating, enhancing and implementing the correct marketing programs for tourism destinations are provided.Num sector complexo e dinâmico como o Turismo, a presente realidade económica, conduz não só a desafios como oportunidades para os gestores dos destinos. A imagem dos destinos constitui uma dessas oportunidades, visto que a promoção do destino no mercado, é um factor crítico de sucesso durante o processo de escolha por parte do turista do seu próximo destino turístico. O presente artigo visa rever e explorar o constructo da imagem dos destinos e suas implicações para o destino, bem como apresentar um modelo aglutinador da formação da imagem dos destinos com base na pesquisa bibliográfica. As implicações para o desenvolvimento, aperfeiçoamento e implementação de programas de marketing mais eficientes para os destinos serão fornecidos

The impacts of tourism experiences in the destination impact. The case of the Algarve

To succeed nowadays, tourism destinations must differentiate and create a competitive positioning, and this can only be done by addressing and adapting to the needs of their visitors. A value-attainment construct based on tourism experiences is proposed for the product development and promotion strategy of the destination Algarve

Exploring the conceptualization of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences

This paper aims to contribute to the conceptualization of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences by discussing its theoretical underpinnings. A multidisciplinary approach to the human senses shows their importance to the individual’s experience and perception of the surrounding world, recommending the appropriateness of a holistic analysis of sensescapes in tourism. A review of empirical studies conducted under the experiential paradigm of tourism on the five human senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) evinces the use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, which depends on research purposes, but also the practical implications of findings and data analysis to destination marketing and management. The paper discusses the role of the senses in designing tourist experiences, and identifies important topics regarding the study of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences, considering future research opportunities