Carla Silva

The influence of motivations in tourists’ involvement

Abstract One of the main aspects in the consumer behaviour is the concept of involvement because it influences the decision rules used by tourists to reach the final decision. An empirical study of 600 international tourists reveals that motivation to relax, influences tourists’ involvement with the trip. A structural model shows that when tourists are motivated to relax they get directly more involved with their trip (pleasure and information seeking). The motivation to relax also influences indirectly the tourist involvement with the evaluation and quality perception of the trip through its influence on involvement with the trip planning. Discussion centres on the implications of this model to theory and management specifically to the development of tourism and services strategies.

Stories of culture: the power of Storytelling in Cultural Tourism Destinations

Cultural tourism in which Storytelling is an important part of is increasingly relevant these days. Not only because it´s an unique product, but also because it fills the gap between residents and tourists, bringing them closer together in a way that traditional tourism would never be able to do. However the existing information about this subject is still scarce, particularly in the tourist industry. This paper aims to present a conceptual review on Storytelling, as well as to show its importance to tourism.

Holistic Tourism: Motivations, Self-Image and Satisfaction

Holistic Tourism: Motivations, Self-Image and Satisfaction Holistic tourism has become a new and alternative form of tourism and an important trend among tourists who seek programs and experiences that would allow them to achieve balance between mind, body and soul. Choosing holistic tourism means that a tourist can enjoy a different and full experience which goes beyond the simple contact with cultures, people, places or landscapes. It focuses on self-transformation and on an attempt of people understanding more about themselves. It is crucial we understand each person´s view about this new type of tourism since this perspective will surely bring potential new investors to this product. Knowing what every tourist values, feels and needs- in terms of personal fulfillment- can turn this new type of tourism into a competitive one. This study includes an empirical research conducted through questionnaires to 300 holistic tourists in four different Portuguese destinations: Azores, Geres, Lisbon and Algarve. The results allowed a better understanding of the holistic tourists’ characteristics, their main motivations, self-image perception and satisfaction levels while taking part in holistic tourism.

Dark Tourism: Concepts, Typologies and Sites

Dark Tourism: Concepts, Typologies and Sites Dark Tourism, understood as the type of tourism that involves a visit to real or recreated places associated with death, suffering, misfortune, or the seemingly macabre, is not a new concept, even from a touristic point of view. In fact, places of war, disasters, death and atrocities always fascinated humans and are subject to visits. People have long been drawn, purposefully or otherwise, towards sites, attractions or events linked in one way or another with death, suffering, violence or disaster. The concept of dark tourism has been designed and studied for the last years and many are the destinations around the world where it has been implemented, playing an important role in both a country’s economy and its image. However, there is a gap in literature about this specific type of tourism. The main goal of this paper is to present a literature review about this new tourism product where the thrill seeking is the main motivation. Specifically, it’s our intent to present some Dark Tourism definitions, history and evolution, as well as, to introduce its typologies and identify the most important dark tourist sites all over the world.

Residents’ Perceptions of Mountain Destinations

Abstract This chapter analyses residents’ perceptions of mountain destinations. The aim is to develop a scale for assessing residents’ mountain images. An extensive literature review and insights from an empirical study of 315 residents of the Serra da Estrela in Portugal, the Alps in France, Austria and Switzerland, and the Peaks of Europe in Spain show that mountain images held by local people refer to the dimensions: mystic/sacred, historic-cultural life; health and affective image. Results were obtained by both content analysis of open-ended questions and by a quantitative approach based on scale items identified as belonging to specific dimensions in the literature review, whose relevance was confirmed through a confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL. Discussion is focused on theoretical and practical implications of findings and limitations are also presented.