Search results

The Regional Government of Madeira has developed a re-qualification plan for the tourism sector to guide implementation of the recently launched tourism strategy for the destination.

The plan identifies the areas for intervention and the respective measures and actions to implement.

Human relations, resource management and training are among the main components that contribute to the success of a tourism value chain. It is also true that innovation and modernization in all aspects of energy efficiency, the digital economy, the environment and internationalization, should be a priority.

Any experience that stands because it is authentic is likely to attract tourists and affirm the destination. The implication is that it is essential that destinations know how to assert its uniqueness locally, via a strategy for innovation and creativity, without losing sight of its history and its essence.

This paper discusses the development of Madeira's tourism and its continuous action on aspects of sustainability.

The paper analyses the evolution of tourism in the region in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and how an investment in sustainability and on the certification of the archipelago as a sustainable tourist destination is a key move for stakeholders, in particular residents, companies and tourists.

To return to normality, and thus overcome the 2019 difficulties, Madeira continues to develop promotional activities in various international markets and develop sustainable tourism, supported by practices and policies that optimize the use of environmental resources. In so doing, sociocultural identity and authenticity is secured, while providing socioeconomic benefits for all stakeholders.

The approaches and solutions presented are those of the regional Government of Madeira, illustrated by the efforts and decisions that led to the certification of the archipelago as a sustainable tourist destination.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce Madeira’s new tourism strategy and demonstrate how it will lead the region to a new paradigm focused on a culture of service.

The paper is based on an analysis of Madeira’s strategic tourism and marketing plan and official regional, national and international information sources.

Madeira’s new tourism strategy is based on the reference tripod “Mountain, Sea and Culture”. The new tourism paradigm, it is focused on quality rather than on quantity and more committed on upgrading the product and its offer; is more aligned with environmental, energy and sustainable development concerns for the destination; and is more active, in a direct association between tourism, health and sports.

This paper presents the perspective and experience of Madeira’s regional government in the management of tourism developmental strategies and shares the solutions implemented in securing and advancing its position as the Best Island Destination in Europe.

The main aim of this paper is to introduce the articles of this theme issue and explain the pertinence of the strategic question.

A brief context for the strategic question is provided, as well as the issue alignment and a content analysis of the articles selected.

The profile of current and future tourists is changing. Travel consumers now want and expect accurate information to guide their choices, and these are increasingly based on quality, experimentation, willingness to undertake active holidays and to travel to sites with diverse and unique tourism products.

Collectively, the articles in this theme issue provide rich insights on key trends impacting the worldwide tourism industry, as well as suggestions on how to explore the opportunities arising from the highly competitive tourism markets. Proposals on scanning the tourism business environment are also presented and their importance discussed and illustrated.

From various angles of analysis, the final articles for this issue explore the trends and issues affecting the tourism industry, as well as approaches to scan the tourism business environment.

This paper aims to identify the importance of authenticity of the tourist experience, based on the main conclusions of the International Tourism Forum Round Table, attended by representatives of the main entities of the tourism sector in Portugal.

The main conclusions resulting from the International Tourism Forum Round Table are presented and discussed. The event was organised by the Institute for Tourism Planning and Development, under the theme “Tourism in 2017: trends and opportunities for businesses and destinations”.

The International Tourism Forum Round Table concluded that the tourism industry worldwide and in Portugal in particular, is facing major challenges that call for innovative ways of managing the tourist experience. Several questions regarding the negative impacts of tourism have been discussed, with authenticity being one of the major concerns.

The profiling of the current state of Portuguese tourism, its opportunities and challenges allows the design of more effective strategies to improve the Portuguese tourist offer and the experience of tourists visiting Portugal.

This paper aims to introduce the papers in this issue and explain the pertinence of the strategic question.

A brief context for the strategic question is provided, as well as the issue alignment and a content analysis of the papers selected.

From the analysis of the papers selected for this theme issue, it becomes clear that tourism has become one of the major players in international commerce, and represents at the same time one of the main income sources for developed and many developing countries.

The papers selected for this issue shed light on an important problem: the maintenance of authenticity in tourist destinations and also the preservation of the quality of life for local inhabitants.

This study aims to assess the potency and dose of Δ-9-Tetrahidrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) in cannabis joints. This will enable better estimates of the degree of exposure in a user and contribute towards a better understanding of potential harmful effects.

Analysis of intact joints confiscated by law enforcement on the street in the autonomous region of Castilla y León (Spain) during the years 2017–2019.

This study analysed THC, CBN and CBD in marijuana joints (N = 744). Joints contain cannabis and tobacco (N = 729), had a median net weight 0.69 g (IQR = 0.28); concentration THC median was 6.30%(IQR = 4.51) and THC median dose 42 mg (IQR = 32.75). A total of 35.5% mixed joints contained CBN – median percentage 0.61% (IQR = 0.51). CBD was detected 10.3% of mixed joints – median percentage 0.13% (IQR = 0.12) and median dose 1 mg (IQR = 0.92). CBD/THC ratio presented median value of 0.02 (IQR = 0.02). The samples analysed comprised pure cannabis joints (N = 15), with THC median 11.86% (IWR = 6.30) or median dose of 118 mg.

The study found high values for concentration and dose of THC and CBD in cannabis joints, warning of high exposures for the user and associated potential consequences. The results obtained contribute new perspectives on the definition of a standard cannabis unit.

An emerging market in human milk exists for both nutritional and biomedical research purposes. This commercialisation of human milk, however, raises issues about the exploitation and violence against women.

This paper explores the framing of the issues as one of human rights, and whether the shifting of gender issues away from gender-specific spaces in legal and ethical debates, makes their ethical consideration and the tangible consequences from these considerations, into a potential further sources of exploitation and other forms of violence against women.

The authors find the commoditisation of human milk as a nutritional product deprives women from the centrality of their roles and, therefore, from the upholding of women rights and the adequate prevention of violence against women. They identify an emerging space where trafficking in women and girls can occur for their milk as part of a broader set of practices of reproductive exploitation. They also identify that existing legal, ethical and research discussions often frame labour or organ trafficking as the appropriate framework but find this inadequate to address the inherently gendered aspect of reproductive exploitation. The current response makes trafficking in women for their milk a potential practice while concealing the structural inequalities that underpin women’s experiences as the buyers and sellers of human milk.

The regulation of human milk sale should therefore move from a public health paradigm focused on safety to one of health and women’s rights, whereas human trafficking laws around the world should explicitly address reproductive exploitation.

Emerging forms of exploitation, such as human milk sale remain underdiscussed alongside other more prominent forms of reproductive exploitation, such as surrogacy. The authors call for explicit consideration of the emerging trade as its burdens fall exclusively on women and existing frameworks for addressing exploitation often overlook these emerging practices and the structural inequalities faced by women that drive these trades.