Guimarães is a world
heritage site (UNESCO) since December 2001, and is hosting the European Capital
of Culture (ECOC) in 2012. This paper examines the profile, destination image
and motivations of tourists’ visiting Guimarães before the cultural event. Based
on survey responses from 276 tourists, this study found that tourists arrived
to Guimarães came from the two most important cities in the northern part of
Portugal (Porto and Braga). They are
relatively young and well educated compared with the average tourists that
visited Portugal. The results suggest that many tourists are aware of
the city status as a world heritage site encompassing a historic centre, monuments, and architectural buildings. Further, these
perceptions shape the image of Guimarães, as the factor
analysis indicates that “historical
background and functionality” is the most reliable and valid factor behind the
choice of visiting the city. Finally, the main tourists’ motivation to
choose Guimarães as theirs destination is educational, rather than recreational
as they want to live a learning experience.
J. Freitas Santos
Laurentina Vareiro
Paula Cristina Remoaldo
J. Cadima Ribeiro
Keywords: Tourism motivations;
tourists’ perceptions; tourist destination image; cultural tourism; Guimarães -
Portugal.
[Resumo de comunicação apresentada no 32nd International
Geographical Congress, organizado pela International Geographical Union
(I.G.U.), pela German Geographical Society e pela Universidade de Colónia, que
decorreu na Universidade de Colónia, Alemanha, de 26 a 30 de Agosto de 2012]
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