Sports Tourism and High-Performance Centres in the Portugal Central Region

Authors

Abstract

Tourism and sports are both the fastest and largest growing sectors, and sports tourism has a positive impact on the development of tourism. Considering the overall potential of sports tourism, this research aims to understand the importance of High-Performance Centres as a support for the development and growth of sports tourism in destinations. A qualitative methodology was developed, structured in the following stages: (i) a characterisation of the High-Performance Sports Centres, (ii) a swot analysis and a tows analysis of this type of infrastructure, followed by (iii) six interviews carried out with the managers of seven High-Performance Centres of the Central Region of Portugal. It is possible to see that tourism has a positive role in the Central Region in terms of employment and in improving the living conditions of the locals, contributing to increased employment in the region which, consequently, leads to an increase in per capita income and an improvement in the quality of life of the population. The main conclusions have shown that sports tourism can be a differentiating product that meets the new needs of the visitor that no longer wants only passive holidays, but demands active ones, seeking to be emerged in differentiated experiences during a trip. In this way, it is crucial that tourism stakeholders be aware of the new visitor’s profile, adapting its services to meet the tourist needs.

Keywords: tourism, High-Performance-Centres, tourism destinations, Central Region of Portugal

Author Biography

Rui Augusto Costa, University of Aveiro

Rui Costa was born in Oliveira de Azeméis, district of Aveiro. He graduated in Tourism Management and Planning in 1988, completed the Master’s degree in Innovation and Development Policies in 2005 and the PhD in Tourism in 2012, at the University of Aveiro. He is Assistant Professor in Tourism at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism of the University of Aveiro. He is an Integrated Member of the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies, part of the Research Group in Tourism and Development. He develops his research on planning and development in tourism, networks, governance and public policy, territorial dynamics of investment and financing of small and micro enterprises in the tourism sector. He participates in several projects of applied research, nationally and internationally, and he is author and co-author of several papers in national and international journals. He is also member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Tourism & Development and member of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference INVTUR.

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Published

2022-05-31

How to Cite

Costa, R. A., Moleiro, I., & Brasete, M. F. (2022). Sports Tourism and High-Performance Centres in the Portugal Central Region. Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, 15(1). Retrieved from https://academica.turistica.si/index.php/AT-TIJ/article/view/355

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Special Issue

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