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- The evolution of thermalism in Portugal - the current state of health and wellness tourismPublication . Lopes, Maria Carlos; Liberato, Dália; Alén, ElisaIn Portugal, as in other European countries, thermal activity was developed under the influence of the Roman people. In the fifteenth century, the first thermal hospital in the world was established in Portugal. In the centuries that followed, the practice of going to the baths to cure illness developed across the continent. In 1928, the first legislation was passed that gave thermal activity the same importance as other economic activities. However, the Second World War dictated the closure of many spas. Other factors, such as drug development and the tendency to go to beaches, led to a decrease in thermal frequency. Several strategic plans to boost tourism in Portugal followed and legislation was created (DL n. º 142/2004, of 11 June) aimed at the development of thermal tourism. In turn, the National Strategic Plan for Tourism-2007 [1] advocated the consolidation and development of health and well-being tourism, which naturally includes spas. From that moment on, the conditions were in place to increase investments in the spa sector, aiming at the modernization and offer of new products and services, in the scope of relaxation, beauty, and anti-stress treatments, among many others, with which intended to attract new audiences and markets. This work intends to elucidate the evolution of thermal frequency and demand in general, verified over the years. It is also intended to understand the current state of classic thermalism and wellness thermalism in Portugal and to assess the profile of tourists who seek this type of tourism. In this sense, we resorted to the compilation and analysis of statistical data existing in the General Directorate of Energy and Geology (DGEG), the General Directorate of Mines and Geological Services (DGMSG), and the Geological and Mining Institute (IGM), from 1979 to the year 2021. As conclusions of this study, we emphasize that there is a growing propensity to frequent thermal springs, caused, mostly, by users seeking wellness treatments and services. This finding has an effect on the annual seasonality of the demand for thermal springs, which now reaches lower levels, since the frequency of wellness users has become constant throughout the year, giving rise, this time, to a weekend seasonality that is the period in which wellness users can enjoy leisure time.
- 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.
- Food tourism, an exploratory study in the portuguese contextPublication . Mendes, Teresa; Liberato, Pedro; Liberato, Dália; Barreira, HugoGastronomy and Wines has been a premium food tourism product of the national destination management organization (Tourism of Portugal) since its rst National Strategic Plan for Tourism approved by the Portuguese Government through the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 53/2007, of 4th of April, to the present one with growing visibility and food awards. However, international research points out the emergent need to have in-depth knowledge of this industry, namely on the numerous given denominations and its potential segmentations on the food tourist demand. The main objective of this study is to clarify the nomination for this tourism sector in Portugal and to identify potential food tourism demand segmentations, paired up with the restaurant industry. To this, and due to the present pandemics, an innovative exploratory methodology was created for a food expert focus group, adapted to an online format, using visual stimuli and a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. The ndings show that, although there was not a general agreeance in the renaming of the tourist food related activities, there was a consensus in the proposed four restaurant typologies and its hypothetical tourist demand segmentation, as presented on intermediate results section. Also, emerged the need for future research on the main food tourism demand markets in Portugal, thus being presented in the last section of this study a structured proposal for the coming research.
- Evaluating authenticity in cultural tourismPublication . Liberato, Dália; Ferreira, Daniela; Liberato, PedroThe main objective is to perceive the role of local traditions and authenticity in attracting tourists to a middle size city, Viana do Castelo (North of Portugal) as a tourism destination. The globalization and all the changes observed worldwide, at the political, economic or social level, induces tourism as an opportunity for interaction between different peoples and cultural exchange, between different values, beliefs and lifestyles. It’s pertinent to approach the creative tourism in this study, regarding its relationship with the authenticity of the destinations, since the creative experiences are characterized by the search for authentic experiences. One objective and three hypothesis have been defined: H1-Trip characteristics influence the evaluation of objective, constructive, existentialist and post-modern authenticity regarding “Sra. da Agonia” festivities; H2- A greater appreciation of authenticity corresponds to a positive assessment of the tourist experience in the 4 domains: Educational, Evasion, Aesthetic, Entertainment; H3- A better assessment of the tourist experience corresponds to a higher level of satisfaction concerning the destination. A questionnaire was applied to 299 tourists/visitors in the city of Viana do Castelo. This research concluded that: The characteristics of the trip influence the evaluation of objective, constructive, existential and post-modern authenticity, for several trip characteristics; a greater appreciation of authenticity, corresponds to a positive evaluation of the tourist experience in the 4 domains presenting the relationship between "objective authenticity and existential authenticity" and the "tourist experience" a standardized positive coefficient and statistically significant; A better tourist experience assessment corresponds to a higher level of satisfaction concerning the destination, presenting the relationship between "tourist experience" and "satisfaction" a positive and statistically significant standard coefficient.
- Fashion weeks as a driver of sustainable development in tourism destinations: the case of Portugal FashionPublication . Liberato, Pedro; Mendes, Benedita; Liberato, Dália; Alén, ElisaOver the last years, fashion events tourism has been increasing, namely through promotional events, in which designers and fashion companies present their new collections, attracting visitors that meet their needs of shopping experiences and attending fashion events. The objective of this research work is to identify the effects of the realization of a fashion week in the sustainable development of a city, as a tourism destination. On the empirical side, using a qualitative methodology, the research presents a case study that relates the Portugal Fashion event with the sustainable development of the city of Porto as a tourism destination. The main conclusions show that the Portugal Fashion adds value to Porto and contributes to the sustainable development of both the economic and socio-cultural perspectives. However, it is crucial that the several stakeholders of the city cooperate so that the benefits from this event are maximized.
- 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.
- Exploring the research agenda in literary tourismPublication . Liberato, Pedro; Liberato, Dália; Sousa, Bruno; Costa, Adriano; Pereira, Carina; Rodrigues, Cristina; Malheiro, Alexandra; Esteves, Elsa; Carvalho, Pedro
- An approach to revenue management strategies in the hospitality industryPublication . Liberato, Dália; Oliveira, Mónica; Cardoso, Rui; Liberato, PedroYM is characterized as integrating the techniques, formulas, and strategies used to manage inventory, pricing, and sales policies. When linked to the hotel and tourism sector, YM manages availability, accommodation control, and discounts applied to overnight stays. RM is the evolution of YM, where using the full potentiality of the elements allows for maximizing revenue in periods of high demand and maximizing demand in periods of low revenue. RM is based on demand forecasting, price and inventory management, distribution channels, and revenue management performance. The world of hotel distribution is very complex and there is no way to control it. The Revenue Manager must be vigilant for the large price disparities in the various distribution channels. The distribution channels allow the hotel to reach a wider market share and an increase its competitive range. The Crowne Plaza Porto has a wide network of distribution channels represented by direct bookings and contracted distributors: Direct reservations come from four sources: Central Reservations Office (CRO), direct contact with the reservations department, the IHG brand website, and the mobile app. This research presents a qualitative methodology, applied to the Hotel Crowne Plaza Porto, whose purpose is to identify the segmentation introduced by two main segments: Individuals and Groups. The results of this research suggest that each of these segments is divided into several subgroups according to the specificity of their characteristics, and adequately identified, allowing the hotel's Revenue Manager to apply different strategies to the different customer groups, equally justified.
- The importance of fashion events in the city of Oporto: the fashion industry perspectivePublication . Liberato, Dália; Mendes, Benedita; Liberato, PedroThe aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between fashion events and the tourism sector, focusing on how this relationship can also affect the development of the fashion industry. On the empirical side, using a qualitative methodology, the research presents a case study, investigating the relationship between the fashion events in the city of Oporto and the development of the Portuguese fashion industry. The main findings show how fashion events contribute to the evolution of exportation of Portuguese fashion products, as well as the positive development of the valorisation of Portuguese fashion by foreign buyers, highlighting the strong synergy and the mutual influence between fashion events and the positive development of Portuguese fashion industry. In terms of managerial implications, the authors suggest the existence of a mutual effect between the fashion events in the city of Oporto and the success of Portuguese fashion industry, in terms of influence on consumer’s behaviour concerning the Portuguese fashion products.
- Smuggling routes as a valuable asset for tourism development in cross-border regionsPublication . Liberato, Pedro; Torres, Mariana; Liberato, DáliaSmuggling is defined as a set of clandestine exchanges of goods/products, between the population on both sides of the Portuguese and Spanish border, regardless of whether the products were legal or not, and taking advantage of the virtues of the border. It was considered a profession of risk, effort, and sacrifice, constituting an illicit import and export business between two countries, which included coffee, basic essential goods, and minerals. In these organizations, coexistence with the guards was compulsory so that the smuggled material could pass easily, and the set of daily activities generated group solidarity and collective complicity. The overall objective of this study is to understand whether smuggling tourism is a strategic tourism product in the border regions of Portugal/Galicia as tourism destinations; to evaluate its real potential and understand which routes have been carried out to promote smuggling tourism, as well as the role of population in its valuation. In the present research, it was applied a qualitative methodology, and the main data collection instrument selected was a semi-structured interview. The results show that smuggling tourism, if strategically designed, can be one of the main tourism products of the Portuguese/Spanish border. The tourist seeks to feel something similar to other people's sensations, and smuggling tourism provides these feelings, the pain, the fear, the honor, and the pride of being a smuggler. The routes recreation leads to the development of an integrated offer, and some of the companies dedicated to the subject are sponsored by municipal entities among other DMOs.