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- Sports recreation in tourist context: Alentejo coasts resorts case studyPublication . Mascarenhas, Margarida; Silva, Rita; Pereira, ElsaThe new sporting era in which we are living has new forms, new contexts and values, and a growing demand for evasion, wellbeing and health, and new experiences. In this leisure environment, favorable to sports practice, there has been an increase in the number of resorts in Portugal offering a range of sport services to its customers in accordance with their wishes. In this context, the main goal of this research is centered on the general characterization of the sports animation services offered by resorts in the Alentejo Coast. A qualitative research approach was used, in which content analysis was the chosen data analysis method; a semi-structured interview was the tool for data collection. The results show that the services of sporting activities in resorts located in this region are still underdeveloped. The majority of such resorts has a small amount of services, equipment and human resources. The search for these services is meager, despite their gratuitousness nature. In spite of the reduced offer of the sports animation services, the resorts' managers state that in a recent future there won't be new investments in the area, since the offer now satisfies the actual level of demand. (C) 2017 Varna University of Management. All rights reserved
- Understanding spectator sustainable transportation intentions in international sport tourism eventsPublication . Martins, Rute; Pereira, Elsa; Rosado, António; Marôco, João; McCullough, Brian; Mascarenhas, MargaridaIt is vital to study spectator responses to environmental campaigns to advance environmental sustainability initiatives. Therefore, this investigation aimed to identify which factors influence spectator sustainable transport intentions and perform a spectator segmentation based on their responses. Data were collected from 355 spectators at an international surfing event hosted in a renowned surfing destination. The data were analysed in two stages. First, through the sport sustainability campaign evaluation model to infer spectator sustainable transport intentions. Second, through non-hierarchical cluster analysis, to segment the sample based on those intentions. The results added a direct relationship between the points of attachment and sustainable transport intentions. Furthermore, the results highlighted the effect of constraints, points of attachment and past sustainable behaviours as predictors of spectator sustainable transport intentions. In addition, differences in needs (i.e., aesthetic), attachment to the community, lack of time, lack of access and past sustainable behaviours were found within the three analysed clusters. Organisers of sport tourism events should develop sustainable transport campaigns promoting the destination’s aesthetic features, strengthening the connection between the local community and the event spectators, and improving the availability of information on transport services to increase spectator commitment to more sustainable modes of transport.
- Portugal nautical stations: Strategic alliances for sport tourism and environmental sustainabilityPublication . Pereira, Elsa; Martins, Rute; Marques, João Filipe; Flores, Adão; Aghdash, Vahid; Mascarenhas, MargaridaNautical tourism is a tourist product with great development in the European space and a lot of potential to promote and develop tourist destinations. Considering the dynamics of nautical tourism management and the importance of meeting the specificities of this market niche, the objective of this study was to analyse the strategic alliances for the development of the offer of nautical tourism products, namely the strategic goals and sustainable environmental practices adopted by their actors which integrated the strategic alliances in order to certificate a plethora of nautical stations in Portugal. Between September and December 2021, 17 Portuguese nautical stations' application forms were collected. Content analysis using Nvivo software was the technique used for data analysis. The results showed a multiplicity of strategic objectives associated with the strategic alliance established between the nautical stations. The strategic vision of nautical stations for the development of strategic alliances is built, firstly, on the objective of structuring the tourism offer, followed by increasing governance and promoting and marketing nautical tourism using the image of the destination. Based on these results, it is possible to infer the importance of nautical stations in destination competitiveness and the role of strategic alliances in facilitating penetration in the nautical tourism market. The managers of nautical stations should consider the use of strategic alliances to make a cooperative marketing in order to improve the experience of the clients. Regarding environmental sustainability practices, the results exposed the prominence of environmental education actions in contrast to the reduced number of nautical stations developing actions for the adoption of sustainable transport. This study contributes to a better understanding of nautical tourism and Portuguese nautical stations, a project of strategic investment in sport and tourism, inferring on the objectives underlying the formation of strategic alliances and on the adopted environmental sustainability practices. The conclusions of this study point to the need for future scientific research on the actual operationalization of the objectives underlying the formation of strategic alliances, as well as the environmental practices developed by nautical stations.
- Exploring the relationship between sport demand's key players and environmental sustainability: pointers from a systematic reviewPublication . Martins, Rute; Pereira, Elsa; Rosado, António; Mascarenhas, MargaridaA systematic literature review was conducted to explore the relation between key players of the demand for sport and the environmental sustainability, within the 2013-2019 timeframe. Data were collected from four scientific databases and scrutinized by the PRISMA protocol. Quantitative systematic literature review and content analysis, supported by Nvivo 11 and EndNote X7 software, were the methodologies used for data analysis. The results provided by the 142 selected studies highlighted tourism and recreation as the most scrutinized areas by recent research on this relationship. Compared to spectators and local residents, the nature-based sport practitioners were the furthest analysed type of sport consumers. The most pursued research objective relates to the behavioural driving factors. Among the environmental action's encouraging causes, psychological factors were emphasized. Promoting the sport consumer's environmental education, along with the improvement of the environmental communication developed by the organizations integrating the sport offer, were the greatest management recommendations to induce ecological behavioural change. Future studies should focus on deepening the knowledge on the spectators' and local residents' relation with environmental sustainability, namely through the comparison of practitioners and non-practitioners, so that sport can assert itself more effectively in the implementation of environmental sustainability.
- The iImportance of perceived quality for golf course member satisfaction and loyalty in tourism deprivation timesPublication . Costa, Gonçalo; Pereira, Elsa; Martins, Rute; Mascarenhas, MargaridaThis study assessed the relationship between perceived quality, expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty of golf course members, based on an adaptation of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Data collection was performed using a questionnaire, based on Customer Service Quality (CSQ) questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to validate the proposed hypotheses. The model presented good fit values, validating the direct, positive, and significant effects between: expectations and perceived quality; perceived quality and satisfaction; and consumer satisfaction and loyalty, which made the ACSI model a reliable tool for golf course managers. This study validated an additional relationship, namely, the positive direct effect of perceived quality on loyalty, which strengthened the model. It also contributed to a better understanding of the factors involved in the management of golf courses regarding the satisfaction and retention of their members.
- Educational dimension of olympism: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Santos, Claudia; Pereira, Elsa; Mascarenhas, MargaridaThis paper aimed to systematically review and summarise the latest literature concerning the educational dimension of Olympism, in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the published peer-reviewed articles on the topic. Specifically, the goals were to identify the main research questions and objectives in the educational dimension of Olympism; to describe and characterise the methodologies and research instruments; to analyse the results and main conclusions; to know the limitations and recommendations for future research. Data were collected from four databases: Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct and SPORTDiscus. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 52 out of 123 studies were selected. Data collection was supported by EndNote X8, and for data content analysis, grounded theory methodology was used with the support of NVivo 11 Pro software. The results revealed that the current research in the field of Olympism education is being developed around two main thematic areas of study: The 'Olympism educational construct' and 'Olympism educational programmes'. This systematic literature review made it possible to characterise the research developed in the scope of Olympism education and to identify the potential unexplored research opportunities for future investigation.
- Strategic environmental leverage of a sport tourism event: approaching the global challenge locallyPublication . Martins, Rute; Pereira, Elsa; Mascarenhas, MargaridaThe proactivity in the management of sport events is essential to maximise environmental benefits for the host communities through strategic leverage. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the process of strategic environmental leverage in an internationalnature-based non-mega event of sport tourism (Sintra PRO 2022 -stage of the IBC World Bodyboarding Tour) by means of action research. Data collection combined several methods and sources, namely, document research, nominal group sessions, field observation, and interviews conducted with organisers and partners of the event. Three actions, which synergistically linked the environmental values of community projects and the sport subculture, were implemented in order to focus stakeholders' attention on the environmental topics. The availability of local resources and the involvement of the network of local partners facilitated the implementation of environmental leverage. On the other hand, the lack of communication between those involved in the operationalisation and promotion of environmental leverage actions was a constraint in the process. This study highlights several implications for environmental leverage in sport events, as well as for the applicability of the environmental leverage model to promote strategic planning and the implementation of the resulting strategic environmental leverage actions in sport events.
- Exploring strategic multi-leveraging of sport tourism events: An action-research studyPublication . Martins, Rute; Mascarenhas, Margarida; Pereira, ElsaStrategic planning of sport events should promote the maximisation of local communities' benefits. Among other dimensions of interest to the host destination's stakeholders, given the aim of sustainable development, sport events leveraging must integrate economic, social and environmental perspectives, justifying its multidimensional extensiveness. The general objective of this study was to stimulate and understand the process of planning and implementing strategic multi-leverage of international open water swimming events hosted in Portugal, in 2022, addressing the economic, social, environmental, partners and sport dimensions. This study employed a case study approach within an action-research methodology. The research design covered three action-research stages: planning, implementation and analysis. The data collection combined nominal group sessions, field observation, document analysis and interviews. The qualitative analysis used the triangulation of the data collected, and the content analysis was performed using the NVivo software. Actions were strategically planned targeting economic, social, environmental, partners, and sport dimensions, albeit with a prominent focus on economic and sport leverage. Excluding sport, the implementation of strategic actions ensured all dimensions' operationalisation. Six constraints (e.g. little adherence from local partners) and three drivers (e.g. commitment and authority of the leverage coordinating team) conditioned the strategic leverage implementation. The strategic planning of future sport events should outline actions that intensify the destination’s image, focusing the attention of stakeholders on valuing the natural attributes. This study strengthened knowledge about the multi-leverage approach applied to two sport events, reinforcing the need to implement cross-leveraging among the aforementioned dimensions to enhance the success of strategic leverage.