Understanding the personality of Europe’s only world surfing reserve
Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality
ISSN: 2752-6666
Article publication date: 10 April 2023
Issue publication date: 24 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to uncover the destination personality of the World Surfing Reserve (WSR) in Europe, Ericeira, from local stakeholders’ perspectives; understand if WSR recognition influences the perception of destination personality; and understand if there is an alignment between the vision of the destination management Organization (DMO) and stakeholders in terms of destination personality.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature search was conducted to identify personality traits, which were then filtered and included in a survey of Ericeira's stakeholders and in a DMO interview. A principal components analysis enabled the identification of the most relevant personality traits.
Findings
Cool, appealing and self-assured emerged as destination-specific personality traits of Ericeira, indicating that other similar destinations can consider them in future branding actions. The findings indicate that WSR recognition can be a determinant for local tourism but has no impact on destination personality as viewed by local stakeholders. Therefore, one can suggest that personality is embedded in a tourist destination and is somewhat resistant to external WSR recognition. In general, alignment was found between the views of the local stakeholders and the DMO.
Originality/value
This study reinforces the literature on the importance of stakeholder involvement in place brand development. It also suggests that external recognition may have an impact on local tourism but has a limited impact on destination personality. Finally, this research constitutes a baseline for further studies on the destination personality traits of current and prospective WSR.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, grantUIDB/00315/2020 and UIDB/04521/2020.
Citation
Martins, A.F., Penela, D. and Cardoso, M.G.M.S. (2023), "Understanding the personality of Europe’s only world surfing reserve", Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 215-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-05-2022-0115
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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