Open AccessSuccess factors for small rural tourism units: an exploratory study in the Portuguese region of Serra da Estrela
Author(s) -
Ana Paula Evaristo Guizarde Teodoro,
Isabel Dinis,
Orlando Simões,
Gonçalo Gomes
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.467
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1314-0817
pISSN - 1994-7658
DOI - 10.54055/ejtr.v17i.298
Subject(s) - tourism , business , rural tourism , portuguese , marketing , service (business) , order (exchange) , unit (ring theory) , exploratory research , success factors , exploratory factor analysis , rural area , occupancy , geography , tourism geography , political science , business administration , psychology , sociology , philosophy , anthropology , linguistics , archaeology , biology , mathematics education , finance , law , ecology
Over the past few decades, tourism has come to be considered a way of promoting economic and social development in peripheral, rural areas where traditional agriculture has declined. This is the case of the Portuguese region of Serra da Estrela, where rural tourism has been seen as a strategy for regional development. However, it is important to understand the extent to which tourism activities are able to meet the expectations of tourists and entrepreneurs, in order to represent a realistic development strategy. The current exploratory study compared the performance of 42 small tourism businesses operating in Serra da Estrela in an attempt to understand the impact of several factors on their success. Using occupancy rate as an indicator of success, a linear model was estimated, revealing the importance of adopting information and communications technologies (ICT) in tourism service as a factor for success. The study also shows that the supply of other services, besides housing, and client satisfaction promote the increase in net occupancy rates. Contrary to expectations, two of the explanatory variables related to management (owning and living in the touristic unit) have a negative impact on success.