Browsing by Author "Teixeira, Ana Sofia"
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- Motives for thermal tourism: an application to North and Central PortugalPublication . Brandão, Filipa; Liberato, Dália; Teixeira, Ana Sofia; Liberato, PedroHealth and wellness tourism should be particularly valued in the post-pandemic phase. It has the potential to be a strategic product that enhances the population’s well-being and quality of life, on social, physical, and environmental levels. Different proposals for specialized experiences that complement what the destination offers allow to position regions as health and wellness destinations. Thermal tourism should thus be encouraged as a specific product designed on the innovation and diversification observed in the related services and the benefits recognized for all ages. Considering the relevance of thermal springs and thermal tourists for the image, positioning, and development of touristic destinations, this research aims to identify the specific motivations of tourists that attract them to the practice of thermal tourism, to understand how the benefits for which thermal tourists search and their sociodemographic profile influence the motivations of tourists, and how those motivations determine the characteristics of travel. This research was developed on the North and Centre of Portugal for their relevance in the context of thermal springs and related touristic activities. To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire survey was conducted among thermal tourists, through a non-probability by convenience sampling, using bivariate tests, such as Pearson’s chi-squared test, one-way ANOVA, and t-Student test. The results highlight that most respondents practiced thermal tourism due to leisure and relaxation benefits, such as the escape from daily stress, spend time with family, and being “pampered”; relaxation is the most valued motivation, followed by the search for psychological and physical well-being. The research found relations between the benefits expected by thermal tourists and their travel characteristics, such as the composition of the group, the general travel motivation, the chosen thermal destination, and the number of nights spent at the location. In thermal tourism, new challenges emerge, demanding the development of strategies, products, and services that respond to the needs of specific market sections.
- Nature tourism in Peneda-Gerês National Park (Portugal): tourism motivation and strategic planningPublication . Fernandes, Bruno Miguel; Liberato, Dália; Teixeira, Ana Sofia; Oliveira, Cláudia Aragão; Silva, Inês; Cerqueira, Isabel Janeiro; Fernandes, Jessica; Barbosa, Marli Isabel; Mendes, TâniaThe increase in demand at the Peneda-Gerês National Park (PNPG), the first protected area created and the only national park in Portugal, demonstrates the growing interest in nature and adventure tourism, both national and international, also confirming current trends in today´s society. However, this research implies the definition of strategies that aim at the protection, conservation and sustainability of the territory, within the scope of tourism development. In this article, a qualitative analysis was carried out based on semi-structured interviews with two managers from two key entities of the territory, focusing on tourism supply and demand in the region, in order to understand what has already been implemented, what is in development and which are aimed at addressing the urgencies observed in the territory. According to the interviewees, there are problems related to the massification of tourism in the region and the seasonality of tourism demand, caused in a way by the lack of information about the park, both from an internal point of view (human resources training) as external (provision of necessary information for tourists). Also highlighted were the weak infrastructures and the difficult accesses, as well as the lack of investment and entrepreneurship in the PNPG. For those reasons, strategic actions must continue to be implemented, and new strategies must be developed in order to boost economic development of the territory and to offer quality, safe, diversified and sustainable tourism.
- Satisfaction and loyalty evaluation towards health and wellness destinationPublication . Liberato, Dália; Brandão, Filipa; Teixeira, Ana Sofia; Liberato, PedroNowadays, successful tourism destinations must offer diversity and new tourism products, addressing special interest niches, where it is possible to frame health and wellness tourism, with special emphasis on thermal tourism. It has been observed some changes regarding the customer characteristics, treatments, products, and services made available, as a strategy to overcome imbalances in physical and psychological well-being, diagnosed in the consumer. It is in the spas, with body and mind recovery treatments offer, complementary to the classic treatments, that individuals recover their well-being and, consequently, improve their quality of life. The quantitative research was based on a sample of 201 participants in the North and Centre of Portugal, in a pandemic context(COVID'19). The results confirmed that the socio-demographic profile of the participants influences the choice of the available services; the most valued aspects in the selection of the thermal establishment influence the degree of satisfaction regarding the trip and the thermal experience, and the intention to recommend and revisit the destination; and, Finally, overall satisfaction with the thermal destination significantly influences the loyalty to the health and wellness destination. Main contributions were identified, concerning the quality and variety of treatments, infrastructure, price, location, access and service, and the need for product design and proposals directed at identified target markets.