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- Hospitality marketing strategies in urban eventsPublication . Liberato, Dália; Costa, Elga; Barradas, Isabel; Liberato, Pedro; Ribeiro, JoaquimThe global expansion of tourism has provided several benefits for local economies, since it is not only responsible for creating jobs in several areas but also plays a crucial role in the development of new infrastructures, which is reflected in an increase in the value and relevance of regions, namely by specializing in organizing events and creating attractions aimed at satisfying tourists’ needs and extending their stay. It is therefore important to understand what influence events can have on hospitality marketing. This research will focus on the cities of Lisbon and Oporto, due to the greater concentration of events there, in order to understand the influence of events on hotel marketing in the cities of Lisbon and Oporto, identifying strategies in terms of marketing, to capture and respond to the needs of participants in events; analyzing the existence of differences in the marketing strategies adopted by hotel units in the cities of Lisbon and Oporto, and ascertaining the relationship between hotel units and event organizers in event tourism. Finally, it will emphasize the adaptation of the hotel industry and the events industry to the ongoing challenges of COVID-19. The results gathered show that business events and sporting events are the most relevant for the hotel industry in these cities. In addition, in terms of strategies adopted in the case of events in the city, hoteliers attach great importance to price strategy, digital marketing strategy, and targeting segmentation to specific audiences. The relationship between hotel units and event organizers is highly valued, although it is still at an early stage, emphasizing the importance of safety communication actions.
- Events’ tourism and hospitality marketingPublication . Liberato, Dália; Costa, Elga; Barradas, Isabel; Liberato, Pedro; Ribeiro, JoaquimEvent tourism has seen significant growth in recent decades, playing a key role in the development of tourism destinations. In fact, several studies have focused on understanding this phenomenon, studying the relationship between the different types of events and their influence on the destinations that host them. However, few publications analyze the relationship between events that take place in cities and the hotel industry. The existing articles that establish this relationship are limited to pricing, so it is pertinent to analyze this relationship in a more comprehensive way, namely the strategies adopted by hotels when events take place in cities. This study aims to understand the influence of events held in the cities of Lisbon and Porto on the hotel industry, specifically from the perspective of hotel marketing. To this end, a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, and cross-sectional research methodology was adopted, carried out through semi-structured interviews with seven representatives of hotel units and four representatives of entities linked to the organization of events in the aforementioned cities. The general aim of the research is to understand how events influence hotel marketing in the cities of Lisbon and Porto. The results show that business events and sporting events are the most important for the hotel industry in these cities. About the strategies adopted when events take place in the city, hoteliers attach great importance to the price strategy and have increasingly adopted a digital marketing strategy, which facilitates segmentation and reaching specific audiences. It was also found that the relationship between hotel units and event organizers, despite being at an early stage, is highly valued and that given the current scenario, derived from COVID-19, the industry's recovery actions should focus on actions to transmit security to the customer.
- 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.
- WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal fostering tourism developmentPublication . Liberato, Dália; Costa, Elga; Ferraz, André; Liberato, Pedro; Ribeiro, JoaquimEvents influence the destinations that host them. It was therefore considered interesting to analyze the influence of the Portuguese Rally sports’ event at Porto. This research aims at evaluating the role of the Rally of Portugal in Porto as a tourism destination. It aims to identify the stakeholders’ opinion regarding the impact of the Rally of Portugal on tourism demand in the city of Porto, to evaluate the impact of the Rally of Portugal in Porto as a destination, to identify the conditioning components of the realization of the Rally of Portugal, and to perceive strategies to be applied in future editions, in less secure contexts. A qualitative methodology was used for data collection, through the convenience sampling method, according to the availability of the participants. Individual semi-structured online interviews using the Zoom platform were applied to event organizers, a former pilot, and a pilot of the event. It was verified that the Porto Street Stage, stage of the Rally of Portugal that takes place in the city of Porto, presents many positive impacts for the destination, which in the perspective of the organization include the international projection of the city of Porto (through the presence of the specialized international press), with passage of the circuit by the main urban tourism resources, increase of income, complementary social programs to the event, and pride of the resident community, regarding the reception of the event. From this perspective, the fact that the event was not held in 2020 due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly reflected in the absence of revenue at the destination, with a negative impact in organizational terms, given the advanced state of this process when the event was canceled, in particular the stages of route definition, budgeting, and communication/dissemination, with the involvement of specialized teams.
- 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.
- Gender (in)equality: The case of hospitalityPublication . Silva, Susana; Silva, Cândida; Correia, Rui; Ribeiro, JoaquimUnited Nations stated that one of the objectives of Sustainable Development by 2030 is to achieve Gender Equality. Despite the increasing of women in the labour market, and more specifically in hospitality and tourism, it is priority to have a better understanding of this reality. Therefore, this study aims to explore the gender perspective in hospitality. A quantitative study was conducted in order to answer the main objectives. The questionnaire used had 95 questions organized in 14 sections: sociodemographic characteristics; gender distribution according to the several functions of the hotels; and implementation of equality practices in the hotels. One hundred hotels participated in our study. The results showed that gender prevalence can be different according to department and seniority of the function. Women are prevalent in Administrative and Housekeeping and men in Food and Bevarage (F&B) and in Maintenance department. Men occupy more senior positions than women. The legal policies and human resources practices are gender equality-sensitive but there still exists differences related to important issues such as same salary for the same function. In conclusion, there are important aims to achieve in gender equality in hospitality related to the practices implement and the need of a deep debate in this field. The paper ends with some implications and suggestions for future research.
- The impact of cross-selling in hospitalityPublication . Costa, Elga; Ribeiro, Joaquim; Santos, AnaHospitality, like most industries today, is constantly changing. Markets keep growing, consumers are increasingly demanding, and this requires from the hotel units a continuous work to achieve success where often the key factor is differentiation. The present study intends to observe if the cross-selling techniques are important tools for the hotel industry and if they become an effective differentiation factor on what concerns customer satisfaction and loyalty. For the accomplishment of this study, the authors applied surveys to three types of public: a) consumer; b) hotel manager; and c) hotel employee. It was found that, currently, these tools are effectively used in the hotel market and that they contribute to improve the relationship between the customer and the organisation. This means that these companies, in order to survive in today's market, must create new sales strategies and therefore distinguish themselves from the competition. Furthermore, this study also demonstrates that consumers take into consideration the opinion of others who already know these services. This word-of-mouth trend, now globalized across digital platforms, influences demand, and hotels are already aware of it, leading them to base their strategy on the increase of customer satisfaction, sometimes by implementing cross-selling techniques.
- The role of events and music festivals in urban tourism: case studyPublication . Liberato, Dália; Costa, Elga; Liberato, Pedro; Ribeiro, JoaquimThe city of Oporto assumes a decisive role in the North region of Portugal, as a tourism destination. In addition to the recognized material and intangible heritage, the city has been developing strategies to create partnerships with regional and national stakeholders in order to program events of different typologies, throughout the year, with benefits for the city and the region. The music festivals are one of the activities programmed with the greatest expression in the city, nowadays. The present research, integrated in a broader project, aims to highlight the importance of the programming of events. In view of this purpose, this article will discuss the need to adapt music festivals to the target audience, in order to adjust the offer with positive results at the level of behavioural attitudes of tourists, regarding the intention to repeat and recommend the event (and destination).
- Sustainability practices in events’ organization in Lisbon. Empirical study of the Rock in Rio Music FestivalPublication . Liberato, Dália; Costa, Elga; Moreira, Cláudia; Liberato, Pedro; Ribeiro, JoaquimIn recent years, the number of music festivals held throughout the world has increased significantly. These festivals are diverse and feature a variety of musical genres, and some aim to celebrate local culture and traditions. Therefore, several reasons drive a visitor to participate in the event, and the impacts that such a large event produces on the destination where it takes place are unquestionable. This research aims to study music events, in particular the Rock in Rio festival, and to understand the motivations that lead visitors to participate in this event, as well as the impacts at the destination where it is held. From this perspective, the main objective of this study is to identify main sustainable practices in the Rock in Rio event and their impact on the destination. A qualitative methodology was used engaging members of the Turismo de Portugal (national DMO), VisitLisboa (regional DMO), and hotel units in the city of Lisbon. Considering that social sustainability is a topic still underdeveloped in scientific studies, particularly when related to music events, this study will bring new contributions. The main results suggest that the Rock in Rio event impacts Lisbon, positively and negatively, as a destination, with the most evident positive impacts related to the city destination’s promotion, supply development, and the image and reputation creation. Even though the sustainability approach is already in everyday life, sustainable practices are not as evident in events as in destinations, particularly in the hotel sector. However, they are already defined as a valued element for choosing destinations and events.
- Percepções do impacto da Covid-19 no turismo outdoor no Parque Nacional da Peneda-GerêsPublication . Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Costa, Elga; Ribeiro, Joaquim; Reis, AndréNuma altura em que o Mundo é afetado por uma pandemia e as medidas de proteção passam pelo distanciamento social, higienização e desinfeção de espaços e equipamentos, o setor do turismo está exposto a inúmeros obstáculos. A insegurança causada pela pandemia afetou os indicadores do turismo um pouco por todo o Mundo, tornando, portanto, premente a necessidade de aferir o impacto efetivo da COVID-19 no setor do turismo bem como no turismo outdoor, especificamente no Parque Nacional da Peneda Gerês (PNPG), na região da Serra do Gerês. Foi elaborado um estudo de natureza exploratória constituído por análise documental e entrevistas a agentes conhecedores das dinâmicas do PNPG, relativamente à prática de turismo outdoor. Os resultados provenientes do presente estudo apontam para um aumento do número de visitantes do Parque nos meses de verão, sobretudo portugueses, fator este justificável pelas limitações em viajar para o estrangeiro. Devido ao cancelamento de eventos de atividades outdoor, o número de visitantes diminuiu significativamente, sobretudo nos meses de época baixa, contribuindo para o aumento da sazonalidade. Por outro lado, nos meses de época alta, verificou-se que o número de participantes em atividades de turismo outdoor operadas pelas empresas de animação turística aumentou relativamente ao período homólogo do ano anterior.