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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
To date few studies have been undertaken in Portugal dealing with the attitudes, motivations, and profile of tourists
who visit World Heritage Sites. Also, few studies have dealt with destination image (e.g., Agapito, Mendes & Valle, 2010;
Lopes, 2011). As far as it is known, none have approached the issue of gender differences in the choice of a Portuguese
heritage destination.
Since cultural tourism destinations need to differentiate themselves from each other, appropriate market segmentation
must be based on a deep understanding of the customers’ motivations and preferences. Keeping in mind results from
empirical literature (e.g., Silberberg, 1995; Beerli & Martin, 2004; Richards, 2004; Pérez, 2009; Sheng, Shen, & Chen,
2008), gender seems to be a possible approach to market segmentation, whether for Guimarães or for other cultural
tourism destinations around the world.
Located in the north-western region of Portugal, Guimarães is a city of strong symbolic and cultural significance, and the
nomination of its historical centre as a World Heritage Site in 2001 enhanced its tourism potential. This study analyses
the possible relation between gender and attitudes and motivations towards a World Heritage Site, such as Guimarães.
Additionally, the empirical approach used in the study tries to capture differences in the perceived attributes of the city.
Commonalities and distinctions within and between groups of tourists, by focusing on the specific characteristic of gender,
were analysed.
The study addressed two main questions: first, whether males and females have similar or different preferences in choosing
the city as their destination; and, second, whether there are gender differences in the perception of the attributes of
Guimarães. A better understanding of the gendered nature of the destination is a valuable cue for shaping products and
services according to visitors’ preferences.
Description
Keywords
Tourism motivations Guimarães Gender differences Cultural tourism
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Santos, José de Freitas. How does gender affect visiting a World Heritage Site?: The case study of Guimarães, Revista Turismo e Desenvolvimento, 21, 22, 15-17, 2014.