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Revista Tur smo & Desenvolvimento | n.o27/28 |2017 |[105 - 108 ]
e-ISSN 2182-1453
Perceptions of residents and of other local and
regional stakeholders regarding tourism
development and their potential contribution
to the creation of new tourism experiences in
Boticas
Perceções dos residentes e de outros stakeholders locais e
regionais sobre o desenvolvimento turístico e o seu potencial contributo
para a criação de novas experiências turísticas em Boticas
HELDER LOPES * [htsltiago@gmail.com]
PAULA REMOALDO ** [paularemoaldo@gmail.com]
SARA SILVA *** [sara.catarina.g@gmail.com]
MARIA DOLORES SANCHEZ-FERNÁNDEZ **** [msanchezf@udc.es]
VÍTOR RIBEIRO ***** [vitor.geografia@gmail.com]
JOSÉ CADIMA RIBEIRO ****** [jcadima@eeg.uminho.pt]
Keywords |Cultural tourism, stakeholders, residents’ perceptions, local agents, Boticas
Objectives |The primary goal of this paper is to capture resident perceptions, as well as the perceptions
of other local and regional stakeholder regarding the tourism attributes of their territory and the perceived
impacts of tourism development in Boticas, a municipality located in the north-eastern region of Portugal.
Additionally, we envisage better understanding whether residents are available to contribute to supplying
new tourist opportunities with a more active and creative experience. Consequently, this paper will:
*Master degree in Geography, Department of Geography, University of Minho.
** PhD in Human Geography from the University of Minho (Portugal). Associate Professor with Habilitation at the
Social Sciences Institute of the University of Minho, and Co-Coordinator of Investigation Group "Space and Representation
(SpaceR)"of Laboratory of Landscape, Heritage and Territory (Lab2PT), University of Minho.
*** PhD student in Geography, Department of Geography, University of Minho
**** PhD in “Competitiveness, Innovation and Development” .Lecturer at the University of A Coruña (Spain), Faculty
of Economics and Business, Department of Analysis and Business Management, Business Organization área. Member of
the GREFIN (University of A Coruña) and GEIDETUR (University of Huelva) research groups and associate researcher
at the Centre of CICS.NOVA.UMinho and Lab2PT at the University of Minho, GEEMAT (Brazil) and REDOR Network
(Mexico).
***** PhD in Geography and Regional Planning by University of Minho in collaboration with Complutense University
of Madrid. Invited Professor at the Department of Geography of University of Minho.
****** PhD in Economics from the University of Minho (Portugal). Full Professor of Economics at the Department of
Economics of the School of Economics and Management, University of Minho and research member of the Economic
Policies Research Unit (NIPE), University of Minho.
106 |RT&D | n.o27/28 | 2017 | LOPES et al.
i. Assess Boticas stakeholder perceptions (i.e., residents, local and regional actors) of the im-
plementation of a collaborative and integrated strategy for local tourism development and the
viability of taking an active role in the supply of new tourism experiences;
ii. Contribute to a more participative and sustainable tourism development program in the Boticas
municipality and of the neighbouring municipalities to empower this new tourism destination;
iii. Contribute to the creation and improvement of new tourist experiences and enhance the welfare
of the Boticas local community through tourism.
Methodology and data analysis |To achieve the proposed aims of this investigation, a survey was
distributed to Boticas residents. From the 737 questionnaires distributed between January and May
2016, 453 (62%) were returned. The questionnaire was adapted from previous surveys that assessed
resident perceptions of tourism development to include Boticas specific characteristics (Jurowski & Gur-
soy, 2004; Látková & Vogt, 2012; Kim, Uysal, & Sirgy, 2013; Vareiro, Remoaldo, & Cadima Ribeiro,
2013; Stylidis, Biran, Sit, & Szivas, 2014; Stylidis, 2016). The survey was four pages long, consisted of
23 questions and was divided into five sections: 1. the global image of the municipality; 2. the percep-
tions of municipality tourism attributes; 3. the opinions of tourism development in the municipality; 4.
participation in tourism activities; and 5. personal information. To complement the information provi-
ded by the survey, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 local agents and 3 regional agents
(public and private) in the tourism activities field between July and September of 2016. Descriptive and
factor analyses, using the principal component analysis, were used in the empirical approach concerning
resident perceptions.
Results |Residents were found to believe that their territory is endowed with relevant tourism attri-
butes and had a favourable image of the tourism potential of the municipality (average score of 3.88
on a Likert scale of five points, where 5 is the most favourable image). The residents underlined the
attractive landscape, the existence of relevant historical sites and the sense of security felt in Boticas.
Public transportation, road infrastructure and public services were less favourably perceived.
Concerning tourism attributes, residents felt a sense of belonging to their territory (mean score of 4
on the same Likert scale). The attributes they valued most were gastronomy, events and festivities.
They generally classified the expected economic impacts of tourism as positive (average score close to
4). Jobs and the generation of income from the local economy were the primary expected economic
impacts. The cost of living was perceived as a possible negative effect.
The socio-cultural impacts were evaluated positively (most rated with scores close to 4). The oppor-
tunity given to visitors of enjoying the local culture and handicrafts, profiting from the recreational
opportunities and the available facilities were mentioned by the residents. They also positively assessed
the potential of a cultural exchange associated with being exposed to different cultures.
Keeping in mind the embryonic status of Boticas in the tourism market, these results and the evaluations
should be regarded carefully. That is, they are primarily the result of the opinions of individuals (resi-
dents) in terms of what tourists seek and their expected behaviour, rather than the product of a practical
experience or deep reflection on the issue. Nevertheless, the empirical results attained are in line with
those of other studies performed in Portugal and elsewhere. This implies that resident perceptions of the
image of their territories are usually quite favourable. In addition, they tend to evaluate the economic
RT&D | n.o27/28 | 2017 |107
impacts of tourism development positively.
The local and regional agents interviewed expressed their belief that tourism is a key industry for enhan-
cing the development of Boticas and the Alto Tâmega sub-region. An increase of tourists into the
territory could improve the craftworks dynamism, as well as other traditional activities. Private tour
operators would have to play a key role in attaining these results.
Limitations |This investigation constitutes the first contribution of establishing a tourism strategy in
the Boticas municipality. As such, the study and strategy proposals suggested must be viewed as explo-
ratory approaches to the issue. A more thorough analysis can provide more consistent results and allow
for a deeper understanding of the policy recommendations. Gender differences in wages, age groups,
professions or the place of residence must be considered to acquire a better understanding of resident
perceptions on the tourism attributes and the impacts of tourism development.
The absence of information about tourists, especially their motivations and profile, raises constraints on
the strategy to adopt it. That is, the strategy must obtain support on the tourism attributes of the
territory and the motivations of potential tourists. In this way, there is a need to better understand
the visitor perceptions of the attributes of the territory. This information can be used to infer whether
visitor perceptions fit that of resident and local and regional stakeholder perceptions. Consequently, we
could not link the Boticas tourism attributes with tourist motivations and expectations. As mentioned
previously, we are convinced that the residents, as well as the local and regional agents, are not able
to develop a clear strategy on the profile of the destination that they should establish. Aware of that
missing link, a survey is being implemented to national and international tourists that are currently
visiting the Boticas municipality.
Conclusions |Our results reveal that residents perceived tourism as an opportunity to enhance the
development of the municipality of the Boticas. That being said, they have doubts as to whether they
would personally benefit from tourism. Since the municipality is not yet a major tourist destination,
these results have to be considered carefully, in the sense that they may be linked to strong (unrealis-
tic) expectations of the economic potential of their territory in relation to tourism development (Brida,
Osti, & Faccioli, 2011). Moreover, considering the multitude of attributes perceived as having tourism
potential, and keeping in mind the average rates and ranking attained, we wonder if the high rates are
primarily due to residents’ self-esteem and commitment to their territory, rather than to its intrinsic
tourism potential. In the same way, we wonder if the results attained, with regard to the expected
impacts of tourism on the territory and on its population, are mostly based on resident ideas of what
tourists seek and their expected behaviour, rather than on practical experience or a deep reflection on
the issue.
Overall, the results from the local and regional stakeholders were similar to those from the residents’
survey. The local and regional stakeholders perceived nature as the most important tourist asset of the
Boticas; this was followed by gastronomy and the local culture.
References |
Brida, J., Osti, L., & Faccioli, M. (2011). Residents’ perception and attitudes towards tourism impacts: A case study of
the small rural community of Folgaria (Trentino-Italy). Benchmarking: an International Journal, 18(3), 359-385.
Jurowski, C., & Gursoy, D. (2004). Distance effects on residents’ attitudes toward tourism. Annals of Tourism Research,
108 |RT&D | n.o27/28 | 2017 | LOPES et al.
31(2), 296-312.
Kim, K., Uysal, M., & Sirgy, M. J. (2013). How does tourism in a community impact the quality of life of community
residents?. Tourism Management, 36, 527-540.
Látková, P., & Vogt, C. A. (2012). Residents’ attitudes toward existing and future tourism development in rural commu-
nities. Journal of Travel Research, 51(1), 50-67.
Stylidis, D. (2016). The role of place image dimensions in residents’ support for tourism development. International
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Vareiro, L., Remoaldo, P. C., & Cadima Ribeiro, J. A. (2013). Residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts in Guimarães
(Portugal): A cluster analysis. Current Issues in Tourism, 16(6), 535-551.
