The image of destinations is a key factor when it comes to positioning and attracting the attention and interest of potential tourists. That being, the subject matter is relevant to experts and academics as well as destination managers looking for new alternatives to generate greater impact and influence. Today, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is widespread in all areas of life, being also useful and fully adopted in tourism image projections, mainly through social networks. Accordingly, this article focuses on the figure of the tourism ambassador as a diffuser or enhancer of the image of a tourism destination, particularly through the use of an appropriate web platform created by the French tourism destination authority-the Ambassadeurs Savoie Mont Blanc. To understand the repercussions of this initiative, a content analysis of its official Facebook page is made, studying variables such as fans, content and engagement.
Tourist guides as front-line professionals, information-givers, and interpreters act as destination representatives and "ambassadors" in the eyes of tourists (Rabotić, 2010). This paper, using an empirical analysis of coach tour foreign tourists travelling in Portugal, intends to determine how tourist destination image (TDI) is modified and enhanced through the influence of tourist guide performance and tourist satisfaction with the guided tour. A survey questionnaire of first-time package tour travellers to Portugal revealed a positive change in attitude to image components such as monuments/museums, tourist information, landscape, and gastronomy and wines, confirming that the tourist guide's attributes in communication skills and scholar knowledge (history, art, and popular culture) together with highly rated tourist satisfaction with the guided tour concerning the professional competence of a bus driver were critical in enhancing Portugal destination image. Marketing implications for senior coach tour in Portugal are drawn.
Scopus is recognized by experts as one of the best, most rigorous, and most complete bibliometric databases. The present work used Scopus-based bibliometric analysis and Pearson correlation coefficients to analyse the research output of three universities in the Galicia region of Spain and three public universities of North of Portugal. The purpose of this study was to understand the current state of Galician and Northern Portugal academic and scientific research, to identify the main research fields in which the region stands out, and to compare and contrast the academic production of the six universities. The main conclusion to be drawn from this study is that scientific production in the Euroregion Galicia-North of Portugal is not concentrated on a few study fields, but covers a wide range of subjects, from medicine and chemistry, to computer science or engineering. The University of Porto stands out, both in scientific production and in the number of researchers.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented global health and economic crisis started. This situation has had a devastating effect on all economic and social sectors, provoking either a decrease or cessation of business or profound changes in life habits. One of the most affected industries has been tourism, due to the resulting travel restrictions and a sharp drop in demand among travellers as well as temporary hotel and restaurant closures. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to analyse the changes during the pandemic in individual consumers’ behaviour patterns in the tourism sector. Predictive market research techniques through quantitative analysis were carried out via surveys (n = 712). One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that recollection of these times will be in people’s minds for a long time after the pandemic. Notably, tourists will reward safety over leisure and will continue to undertake independent tours with their own vehicles. Findings also proved—and for the tourism sector this is good news—that travellers’ trust will be rebuilt, and tourists will be travelling again.
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