Challenges of sustainable tourism management in a small Historical town from the perspective of accommodation managers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59072/rper.vi69.632

Keywords:

Sustainable Tourism Development, Historical tows, Sustainable management, Accommodation managers

Abstract

The tourism industry has made significant efforts to adopt more sustainable practices in order to minimise environmental impacts. Despite the general recognition of these initiatives, there is a lack of studies investigating the perceptions of tourism companies in relation to the application of Sustainable Tourism Development (STD) principles. This study therefore aims to understand the attitudes of accommodation managers towards implementing sustainable tourism development practices, as well as the challenges they face when incorporating these principles into their business models. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research used MAXQDA20 software to analyse the data. The results revealed that the majority of managers recognise that challenges arising from external factors have resulted in significant learning for the management of their accommodation. However, the research concludes that accommodation managers are not yet fully capable of making a positive contribution to STD, and there are difficulties in fully integrating sustainable principles into their business models. The uniqueness of this research lies in its original contribution to filling a gap in the existing literature, offering an unprecedented insight into the perceptions of managers and the challenges they face in implementing the principles of STD. 

Author Biographies

Isabel, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu

Is Adjunct Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu. She works in the areas of Social Sciences with an emphasis on Tourism and Heritage and in the area of Management. Completed her PhD in Management in 2014 at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. She has a Masters degree in Tourism and Heritage in 2007 from the University of Minho and a degree in Tourism Marketing in 1998 from the University of Algarve (UAL). She has published articles in specialized magazines and book chapters.  She is involved in several studies and research projects.

Ana Rodrigues, Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies

Has a PhD in Management (UTAD), a Master's in Management – Specialization in Marketing (University of Minho) and a degree in Management (UTAD). She is an integrated researcher in the Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies. Her areas of interest are marketing, entrepreneurship, and sustainable tourism development. She has published several articles in scientific journals in the area of marketing and tourism. She is involved in several studies and research projects

Elisa Alén, University of Vigo; Faculty of Business Sciences and Tourism

Has a PhD in Cuestiones Actuales en Dirección y Gestión de Empresas in 2003 from the Universidad de Vigo and a degree in Business Administration and Management in 1999 from the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia - Campus de Senda del Rey. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Vigo - Ourense Campus. She has published several articles in specialized magazines and books.  Has received three awards and/or honourable mentions. She participates and/or has participated as a Researcher in three projects and as a Principal Investigator in two projects

Nuno, INESC TEC, Campus da FEUP

Doctoral student in Tourism at the University of Vigo, Master in Management at the University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Department of Economics, Sociology and Management and Degree in Economics from the same higher education institution. Co-author of articles in conferences, articles in specialized scientific journals and book chapters in the area of social sciences. He was Co-organiser of scientific seminars and is a regular participant in conferences and seminars. He was a Research Grant Holder in the scientific project "Dourotur" of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and a Grant Holder of Science and Technology Management (BGCTM) in the Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies for Development (CETRAD). Recently, he was a guest lecturer at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. He is currently a PhD FCT scholarship holder at INESC-TEC and a researcher in the IC & DT scientific project "PromoturVR". He is an effective member of the Order of Economists (professional card nº 15797). He works mainly in the area of Social Sciences. The most frequent terms in the contextualization of scientific, technological and artistic-cultural production are "Management" and "Tourism".

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17-09-2024

How to Cite

Vieira, I., Rodrigues, A., Alén, E. ., & Sousa, N. (2024). Challenges of sustainable tourism management in a small Historical town from the perspective of accommodation managers. RPER, (69), 57–78. https://doi.org/10.59072/rper.vi69.632

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No. 69 (2024): Portuguese Review of Regional Studies

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