Local development and tourism. The socio-economic impact of digital communication in Portugal

. This article presents the results of a study that examines the tourist information offered by Portuguese municipal websites and correlates it with certain structural factors to measure the impact of the leisure industry on local development. Methods. Content analysis, based on a codebook of 36 variables, was performed, with a predictive character, over the 308 websites that make up the total population of Portuguese municipalities. Results. At the general level, the tourist orientation of the Portuguese municipal websites is relatively clear and explicit, particularly in the municipalities of the coast of Continental Portugal. Conclusions. The study has confirmed a trend change in tourism, towards a more sustainable non-seasonal model that is based on cultural and natural heritage. In addition, and in line with pre-existing literature, it has been shown that demographic and economic factors are determinant for the state of the management of municipal websites.