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- Designing tourist experiences in the countrysidePublication . Agapito, Dora; Pinto, Patrícia; Mendes, JúlioThe rise of the experiential paradigm in conceptualizing tourism has directed special attention to the five senses - sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch - in designing tourist experiences. Additionally, a multidisciplinary literature approach shows the importance of all the senses in human perception, suggesting multiple sensory experiences in geographical encounters, such as in tourism destinations. In the countryside, tourist experiences are highly based on a diversified collection of undeveloped resources, offering multiple sensory stimuli that can be managed in order to design and enhance tourist experiences and bolster natural resources, in a view to a sustainable local development. This study aims to understand the role of human senses in designing tourist experiences in the countryside. A survey was presented to tourists in rural lodgings. Sensory experiences emerged from a content analysis followed by a multiple correspondence analysis, suggesting that sensory information is suitable for theming tourist experiences in rural areas. Practical implications are discussed.
- A review on destination social responsibility: towards a research agendaPublication . Agapito, Dora; Kronenburg, Rosalie; Pinto, PatríciaDestination social responsibility (DSR) is a contemporary construct related to social responsibility efforts at the level of destinations rather than corporations. While DSR has become a salient topic for destinations, research approaches are still fragmented. This work discusses existing conceptualisations, followed by a systematic review. Studies have supported positive outcomes of DSR, which can be favourable towards destinations at large. Although stakeholder theory is deemed foundational in conceptualizing DSR, findings reveal the construct has been studied from the perspective of tourists or residents, whereas other stakeholders are still absent from studies. The topic is biased towards quantitative methods and settings, and a comprehensive measurement instrument and definition of DSR are called for. This review aims to outline the contribution and progress of DSR in the context of responsible tourism, propose a unifying definition of DSR, and offer avenues for future research.
- Tourism experiences and experiential image: Algarve, a safe and joyful destination in EuropePublication . Manuela Guerreiro, Maria; Pinto, Patrícia; de Matos, Nelson; Pereira, Luís; Sequeira, Bernardete; Ramos, Celia; Wikesjö, Magda; Agapito, Dora; Martins, Rafaela; Bender, Ana; Lampreia, FatimaTurExperience is a project within the scope of the Regional Intelligent Specialization Strategy of the Algarve (RIES3 Algarve),and the Intelligent Algarve Region – RIA,contributing to the promotion of research and development (R&D) of the tourism industry in the Algarve. Funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional(FEDER) and the Programa Operacional CRESC Algarve 2020, Portugal2020, and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), the project involves several stakeholders, namely the ResearchCenter for Tourism, Sustainability, and Well-being (CinTurs) and the Economics Faculty the University of Algarve, Aeroporto Gago Coutinho at Faro, Algarve Tourism Board, hotel units, among other entities. The project addresses the followingresearch question: How is the Algarve tourism destination experienced and perceived by tourists? Overall, it aims to identify and measure the touristic experiences and their impacts on the experiential image of the Algarve as a tourism destination. The project results are expected to contribute to the future Observatory for Sustainable Tourism in the Algarve (a partnership between regionalentities [RTA and CCDR] and theUniversity of Algarve). A mix-methodapproach was performed using triangulation involving three studies. First,a survey-based questionnaire encompassing the high and low seasons of the Algarve tourism experience.
- Destination image: perspectives of tourists vs. residentsPublication . Agapito, Dora; Mendes, Júlio; Pinto, PatríciaThis study aims to measure the image of Lagos in the Algarve region, the most important Portuguese destination, using a cognitive, affective and behavioral approach. Given the lack of studies which compare the perspectives of tourists and residents, the empirical investigation includes a mixed methodology enabling a holistic approach followed by a quantitative methodology with the use of questionnaires for both tourists and residents. The attributes that are more consensually associated with Lagos are the good weather and good beaches, although these variables do not have significant discriminatory power for "recommendation of the destination to friends and family" as the dependent variable.
- Sensory marketing and tourist experiencesPublication . Agapito, Dora; Pinto, Patrícia; Mendes, JúlioMarketing has been increasing its focus on the role of the five human senses in consumer behaviour, since research under the experiential paradigm has pointed to multisensory stimuli as intensifiers of consumers’ experiences, such as tourist experiences. Whereas previous studies in tourism touted vision, current research claims a holistic approach to sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch in order to develop effective communication and branding strategies, as well to boost the performance of destinations and tourist organizations by designing and creating conditions to enhance tourist experiences. This study aims to present the main contributions of the literature on a sensory marketing approach to the tourist experience, and to discuss some preliminary results of an empirical study on the role of human senses in tourist experiences in rural areas. Data analysis from a questionnaire presented to tourists supports the multisensory nature of tourist experiences and the importance of the five senses to the intensity of the experience.
- Understanding tourist recommendation through destination image: A CHAID analysisPublication . Agapito, Dora; Pinto, Patrícia; Mendes, JúlioIn spite of the efforts of marketers and managers to boost a favourable destination image, with a focus on encouraging tourists‟ revisit, other factors contribute to tourists‟ decision-making processes with regard to revisiting destinations. Moreover, recommendation from family and friends are considered to be the most credible source of information in the process of choosing a holiday destination, becoming relevant that studies on destination loyalty focus on this variable. Therefore, this research aims to identify the attributes which contribute to tourists‟ willingness to recommend a destination. The first stage of this study involved identifying the attributes to measure the image of Lagos in the Algarve region, an important Portuguese destination, through open-ended questions. In the second phase, the application of the Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) to survey responses from a sample of 379 tourists allowed to identify the features that explain the intention to recommend the destination. The results show that culture is the attribute with the strongest power to explain recommendation, highlighting the need for sun and sand tourism destinations to diversify their offer. Of the seven terminal nodes produced by CHAID, two segments with opposite trends were found, for which profiles were drawn.
- The cognitive-affective-conative model of destination image: A confirmatory analysisPublication . Agapito, Dora; Pinto, Patrícia; Mendes, JúlioDestination image influences tourist behaviour before, during and after travel, as it is an important instrument which contributes to tourists’ loyalty. Although Gartner (1993) advocates that the cognitive, affective and conative dimensions of destination image are hierarchically interrelated, there is no empirical evidence to support the complete model. This study aims to test the hierarchical nature of the relationship between the dimensions of destination image. The results of structural equation modelling confirm Gartner’s theoretical model, validating the theory that the influence of the cognitive component on the conative dimension is higher when mediated by the affective component, raising managerial implications.
- The cognitive-affective-conative model of destination image: A confirmatory analysisPublication . Agapito, Dora; Pinto, Patrícia; Mendes, JúlioDestination image influences tourist behaviour before, during and after travel, as it is an important instrument which contributes to tourists’ loyalty. In this context, although Gartner (1993) advocates that the cognitive, affective and conative dimensions of destination image are hierarchically interrelated, there is no empirical evidence to support the complete model. This study aims to test the hierarchical nature of the relationship between the dimensions of destination image. The results of structural equation modelling (SEM) confirm Gartner’s (1993) theoretical model, validating the theory that the influence of the cognitive component on the conative dimension is stronger when mediated by the affective component. This conclusion raises important considerations regarding affect as a crucial aspect linking destinations and people.
- Destination image: perspectives of tourists vs. residentsPublication . Agapito, Dora; Mendes, Júlio; Pinto, PatríciaThis study aims to measure the image of Lagos in the Algarve region, the most important Portuguese destination, in a cognitive, affective and behavioral approach. Given the lack of studies which compare the perspectives of tourists and residents, the empirical investigation includes a mixed methodology enabling a holistic approach followed by a quantitative methodology with the use of questionnaires. The attributes that are more consensually associated with Lagos are the good weather and good beaches, although these variables do not have significant discriminatory power for “recommendation of the destination to friends and family” as the dependent variable, in a CHAID analysis.
- Tourists' memories, sensory impressions and loyalty: In loco and post-visit study in Southwest PortugalPublication . Agapito, Dora; Patrícia Pinto; Mendes, JúlioThis study aims to offer some insights on the contribution of sensory diversity as perceived by tourists to memorable destination experiences and to explore the connection between long-term memory of sensory impressions and destination loyalty. The vital role of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences is stressed by current tourism research and supported by a multidisciplinary view on the role of the five external senses in human perception, memory, and behavior. While the marketing management approach highlights the importance of considering multisensory information in the process of facilitating positive and memorable destination experiences, there is a lack of empirical research to validate the theoretical literature. A two-step exploratory study was conducted in loco and six months after tourists' visits to Southwest Portugal. The findings suggest that perceived richer sensory tourist experiences may have a significant role in the long-term memory of individuals' experiences, encouraging favorable tourist behavior towards destinations. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.