Gemma Cànoves i Valiente

Barcelona seen through the eyes of TripAdvisor: actors, typologies and components of destination image in social media platforms

Recent literature has emphasized the emerging role of social media in generating a destination image. Even so, there is still no clear definition of the main actors, typologies and components prevailing in these environments or the possible differences between diverse social platforms. Specific analysis and comparison of the Barcelona TripAdvisor Forum and a traditional Destination Management Organization (DMO) website showed that actors, typologies and components are platform specific and have both similarities and differences with other sources, including DMO websites and other social media platforms.Recent literature has emphasized the emerging role of social media in generating a destination image. Even so, there is still no clear definition of the main actors, typologies and components prevailing in these environments or the possible differences between diverse social platforms. Specific analysis and comparison of the Barcelona TripAdvisor Forum and a traditional Destination Management Organization (DMO) website showed that actors, typologies and components are platform specific and have both similarities and differences with other sources, including DMO websites and other social media platforms.

Emporda music festivals as tourism diversification tools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on territorial dynamics generated by five music festivals in the Emporda region (Spain) and its tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach – Using qualitative methodology, 10 qualified informants were interviewed. Their answers were coded and analysed. Findings – Territorial features favour the organisation of festivals. Promoters wish to offer some added value using local products. Festivals broadcast local identity to the world. Festivals’ features as tourist products explain how they are perceived as innovative. Practical implications – These existing products are being further developed to meet cultural tourism requirements. This strategy is justified by the search for innovation in a fiercely global competitive context. Originality/value – Current paper focuses on a present product and analyses its transformation: how a territory uses an old strategy in a new way generating future opportunities for tourism sector and local economies.

Costa Brava Culinary Tourism Routes and Relational Dynamics

Abstract Tourist destinations are usually associated with certain images that are based on main attractions. The development of new products is one of the most commonly adopted strategies when the destination product and its images have reached the critical stage for survival in the product life cycle (Butler, 1980). Gastronomy is becoming an important attribute in the development of niche travel and niche destinations. This paper from the focus of the agents (private suppliers, tourism associations, governmental organizations) analyzes the case of the two touristic routes about the culinary tourism on the Costa Brava (Catalonia, Spain), which is now trying to establish a new image other than the sun and beach. One is a route of the wine and other one is a gastronomic route. By it, from an external data collection, has been realized a social network analysis (SNA) of the relations generated in the networks by the agents involved with the development of these routes. This analysis has confirmed the importance of the social networks generated by the public and private agents involved with the development of a new touristic product created with the same aim, so that there is one relationship between the relational dynamics generated by these networks and the level of development of this tourism in a destination.AbstractTourist destinations are usually associated with certain images that are based on main attractions. The development of new products is one of the most commonly adopted strategies when the destination product and its images have reached the critical stage for survival in the product life cycle (Butler, 1980). Gastronomy is becoming an important attribute in the development of niche travel and niche destinations. This paper from the focus of the agents (private suppliers, tourism associations, governmental organizations) analyzes the case of the two touristic routes about the culinary tourism on the Costa Brava (Catalonia, Spain), which is now trying to establish a new image other than the sun and beach. One is a route of the wine and other one is a gastronomic route. By it, from an external data collection, has been realized a social network analysis (SNA) of the relations generated in the networks by the agents involved with the development of these routes.This analysis has confirmed the importanc...

Las romerías, oportunidad turística y relaciones sociales entre locales y visitantes. El caso de la Cerdanya en Cataluña

espanolEn los estos ultimos anos se estan desarrollando nuevas actividades alrededor del turismo cultural-religioso con el objetivo de dar a conocer y mantener vivo el folklore propio de las generaciones pasadas. Entre estos fenomenos historico-culturales y turisticos estan las romerias. Se trata de excursiones grupales, generalmente a pie, a ermitas y santuarios donde, ademas de las actividades puramente religiosas, tambien se aprovecha para realizar otros actos festivos vinculados con las tradiciones del lugar. De este modo, con las romerias, algunos lugares religiosos en los territorios de interior se han convertido en puntos de encuentro entre los turistas y la poblacion local, con una triple funcion: revalorizar el patrimonio local, atraer visitantes y ser lugar de encuentro entre la comunidad local y los turistas. En este trabajo, a partir de documentacion y estadisticas sobre el tema y de entrevistas a participantes, se ha analizado el caso de las romerias en la Cerdanya espanola (los llamados “aplecs”), y se ha confirmado que se trata de unos eventos populares que permiten revalorizar turisticamente el territorio, ayudando a reafirmar la identidad local, conservando el patrimonio material e inmaterial y favoreciendo las relaciones sociales entre gente con diferentes intereses y motivaciones. EnglishIn the latter years new activities are developing about the cultural and religious tourism with the aim to announce and keep alive the own folklore of the past generations. Between these historical, cultural and tourist phenomena this is the pilgrimage. There are group excursions, generally afoot, to hermitages and sanctuaries where, besides the purely religious activities, also he takes advantage to realize other festive acts linked with the local traditions. Thus, with the pilgrimages, some religious places in the territories of interior have turned into points of meeting between the tourists and the local population, with a triple function: to revalue the local heritage, to attract visitors and to be a place of meeting between the local community and tourists. In this work, from documentation and statistics on the topic and of you interview participants, the case of the pilgrimages has been analyzed in the Spanish Cerdanya (the so called “aplecs”), and has been confirmed that treats itself about a few popular events that they allow to revalue the tourism in the territory, reaffirming the local identity, preserving the local heritage and favoring the social relations between people with different interests and motivations.

Cultural change and industrial heritage tourism: material heritage of the industries of food and beverage in Catalonia (Spain)

Tourism is recognised as an agent of social and cultural change and has been identified as a force for both cultural enrichment and rejuvenation of territories. This article analyses the historical evolution and the opportunities that a type of the industrial heritage, the old industry of food and beverage, presents as tourist resource, both its products and processes and its architectural structure. There are numerous examples in all developed countries; however, in this work is analysed the case of Catalonia (Spain), where museums and interpretation centres have been created in abandoned factories, and these old factories have increasingly become a new attraction for those tourists interested to know more about the industrial past. This new tourism has an important geographic content since it recovers the cultural, social and economic values of the old industrial landscapes. This articles first goal is to review the historical evolution of the industry of food and beverage in Catalonia in the last cent...Tourism is recognised as an agent of social and cultural change and has been identified as a force for both cultural enrichment and rejuvenation of territories. This article analyses the historical evolution and the opportunities that a type of the industrial heritage, the old industry of food and beverage, presents as tourist resource, both its products and processes and its architectural structure. There are numerous examples in all developed countries; however, in this work is analysed the case of Catalonia (Spain), where museums and interpretation centres have been created in abandoned factories, and these old factories have increasingly become a new attraction for those tourists interested to know more about the industrial past. This new tourism has an important geographic content since it recovers the cultural, social and economic values of the old industrial landscapes. This articles first goal is to review the historical evolution of the industry of food and beverage in Catalonia in the last centuries, creating a material heritage that in this new millennium, in which rapid changes and transformations are taking place, has been converted into tourist products. Second, to analyse the feasibility of this tourism with these attributes: potential, stakeholders, adaptive reuse, economics, authenticity and perceptions.

La revalorización turística del patrimonio judío en España. Sus barrios y su vino

Las comunidades judias tuvieron una importante presencia en la Peninsula Iberica, especialmente en la Edad Media. En la actualidad, ante las nuevas motivaciones y expectativas de los turistas, el turismo cultural esta en auge, sobretodo en los territorios de interior. Por ello, desde la Red de Juderias de Espana se han disenado unos productos turisticos que, por una parte, permiten conocer los barrios judios de 24 ciudades, asi como sus principales monumentos, su historia y su cultura. Por la otra, se pueden visitar las bodegas donde se elabora y comercializa el vino siguiendo el metodo Kosher. En este articulo se estudian cuales son los factores que mas inciden en la satisfaccion de los turistas al hacer estas dobles visitas a partir del analisis de una serie de entrevistas personales realizadas.

The importance of satisfaction in relation to gastronomic tourism development.

This work investigates the interrelationships between the development of gastronomic tourism and the satisfaction of this tourist on having consumed this product. The factors analyzed in order to evaluate satisfaction with the visit are the quality of the product, the marketing, and the accessibility. The factors analyzed in order to evaluate the development level of gastronomic tourism are the interest of the tourist in the local gastronomy, the possibility of realizing new culinary experiences, and the economic level of the tourist. A total of 263 respondents completed a personal survey conducted at Emporda, a very important touristic region in northern Catalonia (Spain). The data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling technique, and the results reveal that the impacts of the six factors have significant effects on gastronomic tourism development and satisfaction of this type of tourist, and both�gastronomic tourism development and gastronomic tourist satisfaction�have a very strong interrelationship

La participación en redes sociales y su incidencia sobre el comportamiento y satisfacción de los consumidores del turismo. Un estudio comparativo en diferentes recursos de turismo industrial en Cataluña, Alsacia y Escocia.

Las redes sociales son un creciente fenomeno social que esta motivando grandes cambios en el comportamiento del consumidor en general y del turista en particular. Centrandonos en el turismo industrial, en este trabajo se analizan algunos de los principales elementos precursores de la intencion de seguir el consejo obtenido en una red social de este tipo de turismo. Los resultados del analisis realizado en diferentes destinos europeos (en Cataluna, Escocia y Alsacia), a partir de un cuestionario, confirman que la satisfaccion obtenida en el consumo de este turismo tiene una relacion directa con la participacion en las redes sociales; y esta, a su vez, con la intencion de seguir los consejos alli presentados, poniendose de manifiesto la importancia de la actitud hacia el consejo, la confianza en la red social y la utilidad percibida de dicha informacion, en la intencion de seguir dicho consejo.

Las asociaciones como eje vertebrador del desarrollo del turismo industrial: la red XATIC y el turismo industrial en Cataluña

En Espana el sector turistico ha desempenado un rol importante, desde la crisis financiera e inmobiliaria de 2008 es uno de los sectores que ha mostrado mejor comportamiento, es por ello que se ha de incidir en mejorar la competitividad turistica de las provincias espanolas y aprovechar asi la contribucion del turismo. Hemos seleccionado para este analisis las provincias del Mediterraneo por ser las que mayor cuota turistica acumulan respecto al conjunto nacional, y por sus caracteristicas comunes en el ambito turistico. La manera de analizar y posteriormente sugerir propuestas para mejorar la competitividad de los destinos turisticos del Mediterraneo, analizar a continuacion las valores de los indicadores que representan la competitividad de los destinos, para luego valorar mediante un panel de expertos la importancia de los factores en cada destino, y finalmente, sugerir actuaciones para aumentar la competitividad. ABSTRACT In Spain tourism sector has had a relevant role since financial and real state crisis in 2008, tourism is one of the few sectors that has helped to economic recovery and it is improving it performance year a year, so tourism competitiveness in the Spanish provinces must be enhanced taking advantage of the tourism good behavior. We have selected the Mediterranean area provinces because of their mayor acummulated tourism share above national, and because of their similar characteristics. The way of improving competitiveness, then to analyze the provinces which have worst performance on the indicators that form the factors, next to asses the factor importance through and expert panel, and finally to recommend actions for improving competitivenessNumerosos estudios han demostrado que las redes sociales influyen en las intenciones de los viajeros de visitar un destino. Sin embargo, la literatura ha prestado poca atencion a la relacion entre el comportamiento de busqueda de informacion y el desarrollo de la fidelidad a los destinos. En este sentido, este estudio analiza este fenomeno, considerando como los turistas no solo comparten su tiempo entre varias fuentes de informacion, sino que estas estan tambien influyendo en el tiempo que los turistas estan compartiendo entre varios destinos, no solo repitiendo la visita a un unico destino, sino tambien haciendose mas fieles a multiples destinos al mismo tiempo (fidelidad horizontal). Sin embargo, este tema no se ha destacado adecuadamente en el contexto turistico. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio es doble: 1) comprender mejor el comportamiento del turista con respecto al uso de las redes sociales, considerando las diferencias por nacionalidades, genero y edad; y 2) explorar la relacion entre el uso de las diferentes fuentes de informacion de los turistas (tradicionales y digitales) y su influencia en la posterior fidelidad (tanto a un solo destino como en la fidelidad horizontal), y considerando tanto la fidelidad conductual como la actitudinal. Estos resultados son utiles para tomar decisiones sobre estrategias de comunicacion digital y la gestion de los programas de fidelizacion por parte de los destinos turisticos. Palabras clave : Fidelidad Horizontal, Marketing Relacional, Fuentes de Informacion, Redes Sociales, Imagen ABSTRACT The visit to a tourist destination is influenced by the tourists use of social media. However, the literature has not focused its efforts on trying to understand the relationship between the use of social media and destinations loyalty. This study analyzes this phenomenon, considering how tourists not only share their time between several sources of information, but these are also influencing the time that the tourists are sharing between several destinations, not only repeating the visit to a single destination, but also becoming more loyal to multiple destinations at the same time (horizontal loyalty). However, this topic has not been adequately highlighted in the tourism context. This study tries to analyze the differences in the use of social media by nationalities, gender, age and income; and to shed light on their relationship with loyalty. These results are useful for making decisions about digital communication strategies and the management of loyalty programs by tourist destinations. Keywords : Horizontal Loyalty, Relationship Marketing, Information Sources, Social Media, ImageActualmente, los destinos de sol y playa afrontan la necesidad de renovacion y, en el Partido de Necochea, Argentina, se elaboro el Plan Estrategico de Turismo Sustentable de Necochea para responder a esta necesidad. La implementacion requiere analizar y evaluar de modo pragmatico y programatico las intervenciones territoriales para alcanzar las estrategias definidas de reposicionamiento. El articulo propone identificar las unidades de gestion del espacio, los modelos de intervencion para un escenario estrategico que contribuya a la gestion sustentable y reorientacion turistica y proporcionar bases para la reestructuracion territorial como eje transversal de politica publica ambiental y turistica. Para ello, respecto de la unidades se delimita el espacio turistico en funcion de las particularidades fisico-espaciales, los recursos turisticos y oportunidades recreativas y las disfuncionalidades o problematicas detectadas. Luego, se definen los contenidos concretos de los tipos de intervencion propuestos que reorienten la renovacion. Y por ultimo, se enuncian las bases para las actuaciones de reestructuracion territorial en funcion de un escenario estrategico. La renovacion ambiental de Necochea debe basarse en estrategias conducentes a la cualificacion del espacio turistico, la diferenciacion basada en la naturaleza, la potenciacion del entorno urbano y la inclusion de lo ambiental en la gestion turistica.