Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being

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Publications

Hotel industry and regional competitiveness: the bibliometric perspective of web of science

Publication . Teixeira, Sérgio J.; Pocinho, Margarida

The hotel industry is certainly a key sector study for any regional competitiveness. The aim of this study is to review the extent and emerging perspectives and approaches to the hotel industry and regional competitiveness. We adopted a systematic literature review using a bibliometric approach, focusing on the creation of maps and networks of visualization of intellectual structure in the period of 18 years (2000-2018), through the Web of Science database. The author argues that the hotel industry is undoubtedly the sector linked to regional competitiveness and that is an engine of the regional economy

2020Journal article

Open access

Exploring creativity and wellbeing characteristics of portuguese tourists

Publication . Garcês, Soraia; Pocinho, Margarida; Jesus, Saul Neves de; Câmara, Ester; Martins, Patricia

The purpose of this study was to explore creativity and wellbeing characteristics in a sample of Portuguese tourists while simultaneously building a creative tourist profile. A sample of 857 Portuguese tourists with ages ranging from 17 to 76 years was used. The Creative Personality Scale short form and the Tourism Experience Scale were applied for data collection. The results indicated positive and significant correlations between wellbeing and creativity. Women showed higher levels of wellbeing. Older tourists performed better in creativity. Age had a significant influence only on creativity and not on tourists’ overall wellbeing. Non-students obtained higher and significant scores for creativity, while overall wellbeing was not influenced by having a job (student vs non-student). A significant multiple linear regression model suggested that wellbeing and age are significant predictors of creativity in tourism settings. Wellbeing rankings showed positive emotions in first place, creativity in second place and meaning in third place. In conclusion, the results indicated that creativity and wellbeing are important factors for tourism experiences and that Portuguese tourists’ psychological profile already show

2020Journal article

Open access

BACK TO BASICS: EXPERIENCING A DESTINATION THROUGH GASTRONOMY - THE CASE OF MADEIRA ISLAND

Publication . Garcês, Soraia; Pocinho, Margarida; Jesus, Saúl Neves de

Abstract Purpose – This study aims to explore gastronomy tourists' wellbeing in Madeira Island, Portugal, particularly those who acknowledged this activity as the experience they most enjoyed. Methodology – Data was retrieved in 2019, and it is part of the "Wellbeing Tourists Project" developed in Madeira Island. From a preliminary sample of 475 tourists, 52 considered gastronomy their most enjoyed experience, composing this subset of participants the sample for the current study. Data collection occurred in-person (before the pandemic) and online. Tourists filled the Tourism Wellbeing Scale, which evaluates tourism experiences through positive Psychology variables [wellbeing (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment), creativity, optimism, and spirituality]. Findings – Tourists from England/UK, Czech Republic and Portugal (mainland) considered gastronomy their top choice. Findings showed that a gastronomy tourist in Madeira is someone who first looks to have fun, acknowledges the experience as unique/original, and enjoys engaging with the local community. Logistic regression showed that the estimated odds ratio favoured an increase of nearly 53% for the Gastronomy experience every one unit increase of the Meaning variable. Contribution – Madeira has a unique cuisine with unique flavours, which can be an essential attraction factor for this destination, but it is considered a complementary product. This study highlights that gastronomy should be considered a potential to promote the Island tourism and that it can also be an essential factor to promote wellbeing and Madeira food heritage.

2021Conference object

Open access