Evaluating the Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture: National and International Tourists' Behaviors and Perceptions

Abstract

In 2012, Guimarães hosted the European Capital of Culture (ECOC). An evaluation of this event was needed because public, private, and community funds were involved. This analysis considers tourists as external and independent stakeholders who assessed the cultural activities developed during the event as well as the attributes of the city. The main objectives of the research conducted were to assess the visitors' motivations during the hosting of the Guimarães ECOC 2012, their perceptions towards the city, and if national and international visitors kept different perceptions of it. For 2 months, in the summer of 2012, a survey was applied to 390 visitors. The results revealed that hosting the 2012 ECOC was a major contribution towards attracting new visitors to the city (though many of the visitors stayed only for a short period of time). Based on tourists' perceptions, the tangible heritage was clearly detached from the set of attributes associated to Guimarães, whereas the intangible heritage was less noted. The Portuguese tourists seem to be more prone to value the tangible heritage than the foreign tourists. Overall, Guimarães received a very positive evaluation relating to the city's image and, as stated by tourists, visiting it was declared to be highly recommended. Following the obtained empirical results, the need for changing the city's promoted image emerges, which has been too centered on its tangible heritage. In doing so, it is believed that there will be longer overnight stays by visitors.

Foreign Tourists in World Heritage Sites: A Motivation-Based Segmentation

“…Thus, following Vong and Ung [14], four motivational factors are provided in relation to the management of heritage tourism: first, the history and culture of the place; second, the facilities and the services in these areas; third, the interpretation of the heritage; and fourth, the attractions that are offered to tourists. For their part, Vareiro, Freitas, Remoaldo, and Cadima [57] collect the motivations into four different components: historical references and accessibility, shopping and entertainment, convenience, and efficiency. For their part, Io [2] indicates the importance of ICH for foreign tourists and identifies the attributes in five dimensions to analyze the experience of the traveler in the destination: authenticity and nostalgia, handicrafts, consumption, enjoyment, and cultural meaning.…”

Segmentation of Tourists That Participate in a Cultural Event: The Fiesta of the Patios in Córdoba (Spain)

“…Regarding this question, Vong and Ung (2012) determined four key aspects in an efficient management of a cultural destination: its historical and heritage legacy, the facilities and services the tourist can access easily, the interpretation of this heritage for its understanding, and, finally, the different cultural attractions the visitor can go to in the time frame at their disposal. Vareiro et al (2016) highlighted three motivational blocks which influence heritage tourists in choosing a specific cultural destination: historical legacy of and the accessibility to the heritage, shopping and entertainment facilities, and convenience and efficiency in the visit. In any case, the research regarding tourist's motivations usually analyzes three alternative frameworks (Yolal et al, 2012): the pull-push model (Crompton, 1979;Dann, 1977), Iso-Ahola motivational theory (Iso-Ahola, 1982), and the travel career ladder model (Pearce & Lee, 2005).…”

Tourist Clusters in a Developing Country in South America: The Case of Manabì Province, Ecuador

“…Language barriers therefore did not impede proper completion of the questionnaire. The fieldwork was developed in different tourist places in the cities of Manta and Montecristi, with the condition that the surveyed tourists were spending at least a certain time in the destination and able to express their opinion in a well-founded way [13,14].…”

“…Researching the motivations that encourage tourists to decide to visit a specific heritage destination, three major areas of influence have been identified: Historical interpretation and ease of accessibility, shopping and complementary training, convenience and efficiency in the visit [14]. The analysis of tourist motivations is usually carried out on the basis of three alternative frameworks [15]: The pull-push model [16,17], Iso-Ahola motivation theory [18] and the Travel Career ladder [19].…”