Tourist Perceptions of and Motivations for Visiting the Algarve, Portugal

• Correia, Antónia ^[1] ; Crouch, Geoffrey I. ^[2]
  1. [1] Universidade do Algarve

     Universidade do Algarve

     Faro (Sé), Portugal

     
  2. [2] La Trobe University

     La Trobe University

     Australia

     
• Localización: Tourism analysis, ISSN 1083-5423, Vol. 8, Nº. 2-4, 2003, págs. 165-169
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Perceptions and motivations are fundamental in tourist decisions and are crucial in the formation of the destination image. Despite the growing number of publications in this area, case studies are still scarce and especially so for Portugal. This study investigates tourist perceptions and motivations in the Algarve. A questionnaire was used to interview a random sample of tourists. Factor analysis and multivariate statistics were employed to find different exogenous variables at work for both perceptions and motivations, which varied according to the participant's country of origin. Eight factors were found that help in understanding the perceived image and motivations tourists of different nationalities have about the Algarve. It is found that the Algarve is perceived as a sports destination. The sun and the beach also predominate as the leading motivation for tourists. The implications of these findings for explaining consumer behavior indicate future lines of research