Hiking tourism and rural development

Silva, Luís; Freire, Francisco; Azevedo, António; Matos, Rute

http://hdl.handle.net/10362/187444

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Resumo(s)

This article examines hiking tourism’s contribution to rural development, as perceived by both visitors and local stakeholders / residents, with reference to the Mondego Walkways in central Portugal. The study is based on data collected through quantitative and qualitative methods, namely a survey carried out in situ with walkways’ visitors (n = 299) and a set of 16 semi‑structured interviews conducted with local stakeholders / residents in 2023. First, the results show that most of our interlocutors believed that the Mondego Walkways are already having a positive impact on local development through increased tourism and related economic activities. Second, they considered that the increase in the flow of visitors is also causing some adverse impacts. Third, visitors stated that the walkways may counteract rural depopulation, whereas local stakeholders / residents expressed a contrary opinion.

Descrição

UIDB/04038/2020 UIDP/04038/2020

Palavras-chave

Hiking tourism Portugal Rural development Stakeholders’ and residents’ perceptions Visitors’ perceptions Turismo de senderismo Desarollo rural Percepciones de los visitantes Percepciones de las partes interesadas y de los residentes Geography, Planning and Development Cultural Studies Anthropology Social Sciences (miscellaneous) Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management