Browsing by Author "Rodrigues, Ana Isabel Barros Pimentel"
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- Lake-destination image assessment: the case of the Alqueva lake, PortugalPublication . Rodrigues, Ana Isabel Barros Pimentel; Correia, Antónia; Kozak, MetinThe thesis is about exploring the main image attributes that might potentially influence lake-destination areas (LDA), and simultaneously, contribute to conceptualizing and defining lake tourism as recent research area (Hall and Härkönen, 2006). Lake tourism is a growing academic sub-field of tourism studies with an emerging body of literature. However, little research attention has been given to lake-destinations’ projected or perceived tourism images (Tuohino, 2006). In fact, this topic has been completely absent from destination image (DI) studies over the last 45 years of research. The study site is the newly-formed Alqueva Lake, the biggest man-made lake in Europe, located in the Alentejo region, Portugal. Due to the goal of this thesis, a mixed-method design was adopted (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2011), particularly a complementarity approach (Greene et al., 1989). The data were first collected in the qualitative stage, then analysed, and the information was used to develop a follow-up quantitative phase of data collection. Thus, the methodological approach is comprised of a three-phase model with (i) the preliminary phase to specify the domain of the constructs and identify the main DI attributes in existing literature; (ii) phase one to extract image attributes more related to LDA and explore lake tourism concept; (iii) phase two to assess the applicability of items/attributes in an existing LDA, and (iv) phase three to test the LDI model. The results suggest a feasible image for LDAs is depicted. A set of image variables that best describe the Alqueva Lake as an LDA was obtained and validated by the industry side and tourists. These results bring useful implications for destination management organizations (DMO), since image building, brand creation and marketing positioning might be set up. A strategy focused on selling ‘waterscapes’ could be implemented in the future in the Alentejo region.