Content area
Full text
Introduction
In recent years, tourism has become one of the most important sectors of the global economy, not only as a contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries, but also as a job generator. The industry is resilient and has shown its ability to overcome a very complex global economic context. In 2013, it achieved its best results ever in terms of international tourist arrivals (UNWTO, 2014). In addition to general expansion, we have also witnessed a growing dispersal of tourists across the planet and this translates into a greater diversification of tourist destinations.
From a qualitative point of view, the profile of current and future tourists is changing: travel consumers now want and expect an array of accurate information to guide their choices, and these are increasingly based on quality, experimentation, willingness to undertake active holidays and to travel to sites with diverse and unique tourism products.
Given this perspective, the destination is clearly a central requirement for the development of an effective promotional strategy for tourism. In turn, this is likely to be reflected in the number of tourists who actually visit the destination. Implementing a tourism marketing strategy is fundamental to positioning a destination with a consistent image, aligned with the needs and expectations of its target segments. To achieve this aim, we must first know - in depth - the trends, tastes, lifestyles and consumption profiles of travellers.
Tourism in Porto and North of Portugal
Porto and North of Portugal (PNP) is a region rich in natural, scenic, cultural and human resources, these being the basis of its diverse tourist offer. In recent years, there has been a continuing and sustained growth in its tourism performance indicators and, in particular, for its international tourist arrivals.
Tourism in PNP has come to be an important and significant development in recent years. Figure 1 shows that in less than ten years, the number of overnight stays in the region increased from 3.3 million in 2004 to 4.9 million in 2013 (National Institute of Statistics; Reports of Touristic Activity, 2004-2013) - one of the highest growth rates in the country.
Figure 2 reveals that except for the year 2012, in which no growth was recorded, PNP was the only region...