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- Hotel distribution: the influence of online travel agencies on Porto and Northern Portugal hotelsPublication . Costa, Elga; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Ribeiro, Joaquim; Meneses, DanielaThis research aims to understand the influence factors of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) to book accommodation in four- and five-star hotels in Porto and Northern Portugal, as well as to understand their role in the profitability of each hotel. Online distribution is a necessity for hotels, either to reach higher clients’ numbers or to give visibility to the brand. The presence of OTAs can cause a dependency of the hotels on these intermediaries, so it is necessary to understand the influence that OTAs have on hoteliers, as well as to understand if they have strategies to capture direct reservations. In this present research, the quantitative methodology was chosen, and the data collection instrument was the questionnaire survey. In a universe of 150 hotel units, 55 valid questionnaires were obtained. Exploratory factor analysis was used to define the weights and to construct the index of the influence of OTAs on hotel units. Data collection confirms the influence of OTAs on hotels and the hotels consider OTAs to be essential for maximising occupancy and revenue and as a way of reaching more customers.
- A bibliometric overview of economic sustainability in tourismPublication . Meneses, Daniela; Costa, Carlos; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Eusébio, CelesteMultiple research areas have addressed tourism studies, with a recent emphasis on sustainable tourism and the balance between its three dimensions: economic, social, and environmental. We propose an understanding of the significance of economic sustainability in tourism analysis while conducting an extensive bibliometric analysis and critical evaluation of the current literature. Data for this study were extracted from Scopus, a widely recognised database for scholarly research. Specific search terms, including “economic sustainability,” “tourism,” “sustainable tourism,” “economy,” “economic indicators,” and “tourism policy,” were used to gather relevant publications. A total of 1716 documents were initially retrieved. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to ensure the selection of pertinent literature, resulting in 491 publications being retained for further analysis. These publications originated from 234 different sources and involved 1173 authors. The results of the bibliometric analysis reveal promising future research themes, such as sustainable tourism, tourism policy, economic indicators, tourism sustainability, and entrepreneurship. Moreover, identifying the most influential authors and publications offers valuable guidance for future research endeavours.
- From volunteering to experiential learning: a service-learning project in tourism higher educationPublication . Melo, Carla; Meneses, Daniela; Vasconcelos, SandraIn recent years, there has been a growing adoption of more active, student-centered pedagogical strategies, which aim to develop skills beyond theoretical knowledge and better prepare future professionals. Motivated by a diverse range of factors, such as the need to bridge/fill in training gaps identified by the job market, or the difficulty to engage 21st century students, this adoption of innovative methodologies can also be framed by the lack of systematized data, which allows effective reflection and sharing of good practices in tourism higher education (THE). Innovative pedagogical methodologies are diverse and include service learning, which is understood as an approach that “combines the learning goals and the community service in such a way that it can simultaneously benefit both the students and the community” (Chau et al., 2023, p. 5). This approach is at the root of the Events Team project, a volunteer group that includes students from different courses and levels of higher education (vocational courses, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees) of the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ESHT-IPP), in Portugal. The project – Events Team – aims to support the organization of events promoted by and/or requested to the School, while providing students with the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning experiences. The research hereby presented aims to further contribute to the ongoing reflection on the affordances of service and experiential learning by sharing the insights and key results of the project, namely by exploring the students’ motivations join and take part in the group’s activities, as well as their perceptions on the contribution of the experience to the enrichment of their learning and their future employability.
- Shaping the new normal: Portuguese hotel and event managers’ reactions to COVID-19Publication . Melo, Carla; Melo, António; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 pandemic has created a worldwide crisis, which has had an impact on all economic sectors, having transformed social and consumption patterns. This crisis has been particularly difficult for the tourism industry, with uncertainty and the emergence of new consumer profiles and demands prompting swift reactions from policymakers and stakeholders. Focussing on two sub-sectors of the Portuguese tourism industry – hospitality and events – this paper aims to identify the most relevant concerns and Crisis Management Strategies adopted in each of these sectors in the early stages of the pandemic, putting forward a multi-layered analysis, juxtaposing the different challenges faced by managers and how they were approached. Based on previous studies and on 14 semi-structured interviews with hotel and event managers, the authors adopted an exploratory qualitative approach as to record and categorize the interviewees’ perceptions, having established the transversal importance of resilience, flexibility, and technology for each sector’s recovery. Moreover, taking into account the singularity of each setting, the authors were also able to identify more specific sectorial categories, which have had an effect on both the decision-making and future outlooks for both the hospitality and events industries. Overall, despite being hopeful, hotel and event managers anticipate different recovery challenges, with the first highlighting the importance of soft skills, and the latter emphasizing the need to regain the public’s confidence, at the same time they will have to rethink their offer as to better address current needs and concerns.
- The changing face of events after COVID-19: initial reactions and future perspectivesPublication . Melo, Carla; Vasconcelos, Sandra; Melo, António; Meneses, DanielaThe COVID-19 health crisis has significantly impacted the tourism and events industries, having prompted different responses from stakeholders and decision-makers. Focusing on the initial response from event managers and drawing from their perceptions, this paper outlines the dimensions considered to have been more directly affected by the crisis, analyzing how they shaped event managers’ outlook on the future. In order to provide a comprehensive view, researchers carried out six interviews, having resorted to purposive sampling, as to collect data from managers working with social, corporate, and cultural events. Overall, Operations, Human Resources, and Decision-making stood out as the most relevant dimensions, mostly stemming from the need to act quickly when faced with this unforeseen situation, having had a short- and medium-term impact on recovery prospects. Together with Health and Safety and Customer Relationship Management, these dimensions are expected to play an important role in shaping the future of events, as, in addition to changes regarding the dimension, format, and sustainability, managers anticipate a shift in peoples’ behavior and expectations, which will ultimately affect their experience, calling for different approaches and strategies.
- Network as a facilitator of sustainable tourism in territoriesPublication . Meneses, Daniela; Costa, Carlos; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Eusébio, CelesteThe prospective sustainability of regions often hinges upon the interconnected networks comprising the tourism sector in numerous destinations. The presented research seeks to enhance our comprehension of how networks are applied within the realm of tourism, providing a roadmap for future investigations, and thereby advancing the implementation of tourism networks in different regions. By considering the Scopus database, which encompasses the largest repository of articles related to this subject matter, and adopting the PRISMA methodology, we identified and examined eighteen case studies for our study. The results of our analysis highlight the significant role that networks play in facilitating the adoption of sustainable practices, ultimately contributing to the potential of long-term sustainability for tourism destinations. However, our findings also underscore the existing gap in achieving comprehensive sustainability, indicating that there is still a considerable journey ahead for both private companies and public entities. Encouragement and support for practices that promote sustainable destinations remain essential components of this ongoing endeavour.
- Actions and strategies on hotel websites: case study of 4- and 5-star hotels in Porto and Northern PortugalPublication . Costa, Elga; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Ribeiro, Joaquim; Meneses, DanielaThe investigation focuses on the identification of actions and strategies that hoteliers apply on their websites, to capture direct bookings versus their dependence on the OTA, to evaluate the importance and function of the websites of the 4- and 5-star hotels in Porto and Northern Portugal. Online distribution is a necessity for a hotel, either to reach the largest number of customers or to give visibility to the brand. Hotel websites, however, allow greater proximity and communication with the customer, potentiating hotels’ possibility to increase direct bookings. It is therefore necessary to understand which actions and strategies hoteliers must consider for capturing direct bookings. Thus, the main objective of the study is to identify the hoteliers’ dependence on the OTA and the consequent actions and strategies they apply on their websites to capture direct bookings. In the present investigation, the quantitative methodology was chosen, and the data collection instrument was a questionnaire survey, applied in a total universe of 150 hotels, 4- and 5-star hotels in the Region of Porto and Northern Portugal, where 55 responses were obtained. The data obtained were treated and analysed using the SPSS software. The results obtained confirm the existence of actions and strategies in hotels to capture direct reservations; hotels consider these strategies as an essential condition for increasing direct bookings. Limitations have arisen in the collection of questionnaires due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Most hotels closed due to lack of customers and consequently, the sample for the present study is limited in the diversity of the typology of respondents. It is intended with this work to understand what actions and strategies hotels apply on the website, as well as to understand if hotels follow the new technological trends, in what the contact and communication with the client concerns.
- Sustainability innovation in tourism: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Meneses, Daniela; Costa, Carlos; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Eusébio, CelesteSustainability innovation has been discussed as an approach to tourism. The concept of innovation is still regarded as abstract or with little application, and the same is true of the concept of sustainable tourism. This systematic literature review intends to investigate the state of sustainability innovation in tourism addressing the question: “What are the potential ways to implement sustainable innovation within the tourism sector?” The article is a systematic literature review (SLR) on sustainable innovation in tourism, in the databases Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct, which resulted in 492 papers. By applying the PRISMA model and VOSviewer software, the study sample is narrowed to 50 papers collected from 25 journals, published between 2000 and 2022. The articles that make up the SLR comprise qualitative, quantitative and mixed studies, with the research aiming to summarise theories, ideologies, methods and practices at different levels and stages applied in different tourism contexts. This study categorises the main topics: business model, sustainable innovative strategies, innovative leadership and stakeholders’ relationship. The outcomes demonstrate diverse strategies for implementing sustainable innovation in the field of tourism, along with recommendations for future implementation across various tourism sub-sectors. These findings underline the importance of introducing sustainable innovations that foster sustainable development through collaborative efforts among all stakeholders. By creating added value to products and services, sustainable innovation enables companies within each tourism sector and the destination as a whole to differentiate themselves. The results also highlight that perceptions of sustainable innovation differ based on the level of knowledge, acceptance and understanding of individuals involved. Furthermore, the implementation of sustainable innovation can be customised to suit different objectives and applied at various levels within different tourism sub-sectors over an extended period of time.
- The Douro Wine Villages Project, 20 years on: the perceptions of entrepreneursPublication . Meneses, Daniela; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Koerich, Guilherme HenriqueThe Douro Wine Villages (Aldeias Vinhateiras do Douro) project was an urban requalification project that covered five municipalities of the Douro region: Tabuaço, Alijó, Sabrosa, Tarouca and S. João da Pesqueira, based on Douro Integrated Territorial Action with objective to fortify the territorial and institutional cohesion of the Douro region, and promote and harness its internal resources while effectively structuring the regional economic system. The case study applied to Favaios Wine Village in Alijó municipality is innovative and aims to understand the effective impact of development and territorial cohesion plans from a tourism perspective and how they can positively affect the community. Based on the study’s objective, a qualitative methodology was applied and divided into two phases. In the first phase, the plans and programmes developed between the years 2000 and 2022 were observed. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with economic agents and the local community. The results indicate that despite multiple concerted efforts, there continues to be an exodus of young people, resulting in an increasingly ageing population, and a lack of skilled labour for the tourism sector was mentioned. On the other hand, new tourism-related projects are being implemented.
- Therapeutic tourism - health and well-being: potential, interfaces, and singularities of thermal springs in Brazil and PortugalPublication . Fonsêca, Flaviano Oliveira; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Meneses, DanielaTourism is a significant economic and social activity with the potential to increase GDP, improve living conditions for individuals and communities, and promote socially just, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable development globally. This is particularly true for segments related to natural environments. The aim of the study was to find out about the characteristics of therapeutic tourism in thermal spas in Brazil and Portugal. We want to identify the practice of therapeutic tourism from a health perspective (classical aspect) and well-being (wellness aspect), which includes health, healthy living, entertainment, leisure, aesthetics, among others. To answer the research question, a qualitative methodology was applied, through a literature review and documentary analysis. The study establishes a fruitful dialogue between healing and recreation as constituent dimensions of thermal resorts and thermalism around water as the structuring axis of thermal practices. Globally recognised for its health benefits, spa therapy goes far beyond primary care, such as treatments recommended by qualified professionals, and is beginning to be associated with a lifestyle of health and well-being. It was concluded that both Brazil and Portugal already play an important role as promoters of comprehensive health, with thermal baths as a key vector.