Abstract
This research analyses the stakeholders' perception of the development of sustainable cultural tourism experiences. A case study is presented; the chosen place is a council in the Algarve, South Portugal, a mature destination, where the sun and beach are the main attraction. A qualitative approach was used through interviews with key stakeholders, directly and indirectly involved in tourism. The multidimensional analysis shows the relevant findings on how the stakeholders perceive their cultural resources and offer. The concepts of cultural identity, authenticity, cultural preservation, community well-being, pride, and community empowerment emerged, especially through their intangible cultural heritage. It was observed that stakeholders consider local people as their most important cultural resource. Thus, they are also the source of unique, meaningful, and memorable cultural and sustainable experiences.
TopIntroduction
All tourist activity has a significant impact on economic, social, cultural and environmental levels. The tourism phenomenon has been growing in recent decades, with a broader diversity of tourist destinations also emerging and, consequently, the competitiveness among them, which seek, at all costs, to differentiate themselves from each other. This increase also affects cultural tourism, and the demand for tourist experiences leads the authors to question the sustainability of tourism activity, tourist destinations, and its residents' quality of life. On the one hand, this increase in tourism demand means more economic opportunities that can contribute to the conservation and revitalisation of historic areas, cultural heritage, and the diversification of the cultural offer. On the other hand, the increasing number of tourists also causes a change in the modus vivendi of the inhabitants and their cultural values. The increasingly conscious and informed consumer is looking for alternatives to reduce its ecological footprint, with a growing trend due to concern about his travels' impact on the destination (Cohen, Prayag, & Moital, 2014). Thus, when tourist activity is sustainable, it can motivate tourists, generate positive effects on consumer preferences and choices, which, however, depends on the level of knowledge on sustainability (Garg & Pandey, 2021).
Culture is a crucial element in the differentiation of destinations and promotes sustainable development (Dessein, Soini, Fairchlough, & Horlings, 2015), contributing to preserving authenticity, attenuating seasonality, and developing complementary products (Futur & Nedelea, 2018; Henriques, 2014). Based on these assumptions, there is a recognition of gaps in research concerning the synergy between culture and tourism and how to ensure its sustainability in the integration of cultural and tourism industries (Z. Su, Aaron, McDowell, & Lu, 2019).
In this chapter, the authors analyse a council in the Algarve, the district in the south of Portugal; a mature coastal destination, where the sun and beach have been the main attraction, with a high seasonality index (FCT, 2019). Although it continues to be the most representative of the region, nature tourism and cultural tourism (which attract tourists more concerned with sustainability) are expanding and are increasingly promoted and supported by the Algarve Tourism Region. Its growth potential is not only high but also necessary.
The council of Olhão was somewhat apart from the tourism development that has taken place in general in the Algarve region. Partly because it does not have direct access to the beach (islands), so it is not attractive for the same reason that tourists come to the Algarve, but also because its main industrial activity linked to fishing and canning made it an unattractive place (Gonçalves, Oliveira, & Santos, 2015).
To better understand this problematic, this chapter establishes the objective of assessing stakeholders' perception regarding the relevance of the cultural offer and cultural resources to the development of sustainable cultural tourist experiences using a qualitative methodology. Due to the depth of the information that was intended to be obtained, this qualitative approach uses semi-structured interviews (Quivy, 1995). The interview guide was defined and approved by a panel of experts based on the literature review. Key stakeholders were identified, and 30 interviews were undertaken with local and regional government authorities, residents, associations and players of the tourism industry. Interviews took, on average, 50 minutes, were recorded and transcribed.
The content of the interviews was analysed according to the research objectives, for which the software Nvivo was used (Alves, Filho, & Henrique, 2015). After the codification process, a structural model was created, and it allowed an exploratory search of the data collected and framework matrices were generated. This methodology enables assessing stakeholders' perceptions regarding the relevance of the cultural resources and offer and its potential and how it can be structured to develop sustainable cultural tourism experiences.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Authenticity: Characteristics that reflects local values.
Tourism Experience: An individual, subjective and involving interaction at an affective, cognitive, and behavioural level that takes place in a touristic destination.
Cultural Tourism: A type of tourism in which the tourist seeks to learn about and consume the local cultural attractions and products of the tourist destination he or she visits.
Cultural Resources: Cultural assets that exist on a particular site and have particular characteristics capable of attracting visitors.
Cultural Offer: Set of cultural goods or services available for consumption.
Stakeholders: Person or group of people participating or having an interest in an organisation.
Responsible Tourism: A conscious and intentional practice of tourism that makes all participants responsible.
Intangible Cultural Heritage: A body of knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation.
Sustainable Tourism: Takes in account the environmental, social, economic and cultural impacts derived from tourism activity so as not to compromise the resources, and to promote the balance between all parts involved.