A team of researchers from CinTurs – Center for Research in Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being, of the University of Algarve (UAlg) is developing a project that will study residents in the Algarve to develop a sustainable tourism strategy.
For the first time, residents of the 16 municipalities in the region are being consulted on the state of tourism in the Algarve region, through a representative sample of the population.
This three-year “RESTUR” project also includes data collection during the low and high seasons of tourist activity.
The results for the low season of tourist activity, for the Algarve and divided by municipality, are already available for consultation through the project website.
For these results, 2.004 questionnaire surveys were collected and validated, with a maximum sampling error of 2,15% and a confidence level of 95,0%.
In the scope of this study, seven dimensions of the residents-tourism-tourist triad were analyzed, namely: the sociodemographic characterization of the residents, the residents' perception of the impacts of tourism, the residents' feelings and emotions in relation to the tourists, or the involvement and the dependence of residents on the tourism sector.
This analysis also includes dimensions of residents' perception of local accommodation, residents' attitudes and pro-tourism behavior and, finally, residents' quality of life and their individual happiness.
The main results of the project include «the perception that residents in the Algarve value above all the economic impacts of tourism, as they feel that it contributes to increasing employment opportunities, the development of economic activities and the creation of more businesses. and services», reveals CinTurs.
The study reveals, however, a set of concerns such as: the seasonality of the activity, environmental degradation, the decrease in the number of tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the unemployment of the local population, the increase in insecurity, or real estate speculation .
These concerns are also part of the decrease in the purchasing power of tourists and residents, the quality of tourism, the lack of incentives and investments in the interior of the Algarve and the lack of policies aimed at improving and promoting tourism in the Algarve abroad.
To see the main results of this project click here.
The collection of data relating to the peak season of tourist activity will begin shortly, and the results will be announced this year.
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