Did the context of economic crisis affect the image of Portugal as a tourist destination? The Government’s perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the governmental perspective on the effects of the economic crisis on Portugal as a touristic destination.

Design/methodology/approach

The main political decisions related to tourism were analysed and related to the sector’s present performance.

Findings

Portugal’s public and private entities were able to use the crisis as an opportunity to increase the quality and competitiveness of the tourism sector and, as result, grow more than its main competitors.

Originality/value

This paper concludes that there are still some challenges that the tourism sector faces, like the decline of the internal market and the level of prices, but overall, the sector has been showing signs of resilience that shall allow it to overcome its main issues.

Citation

Nunes, A.M. (2014), "Did the context of economic crisis affect the image of Portugal as a tourist destination? The Government’s perspective", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 6 No. 5, pp. 452-457. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-09-2014-0035