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The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a measurement brand personality scale for golf destinations and simultaneously to assess the destination personality of the Algarve as a golf destination.

A set of 36 unrepeated items, generated from individual interviews with experts in tourism and golf in the Algarve and from promotional texts in golf-related websites, was the base for a survey instrument. The survey was applied to a convenient sample of 600 golf players in the Algarve, and 545 (valid) questionnaires were analysed to refine the scale. Golf players assessed the Algarve as a golf destination and the components of the relational brand personality (functional, symbolic and experiential). Two multi-dimensional brand personality models were estimated by using structural equation modelling.

Findings indicate that golf players ascribe personality characteristics to destinations. The brand personality of the Algarve is translated into three main dimensions enjoyableness, distinctiveness and friendliness when tourists/golf players reveal their overall perception of the destination. The brand personality of golf destination Algarve is reflected in the dimensions reliability, hospitality, uniqueness and attractiveness when tourists/golf players assess the components of the relational brand personality. Refined scales consisting of 10 and 11 items were finally derived meeting both reliability and validity requirements.

The analysis is based on personality perceptions of only one golf destination. Another limitation is the fact that both interviewees and respondents had great difficulty in expressing themselves tending to use repeated words. Also, the fact that the research was conducted in two languages since translation and retroversion of the items may lead to some loss in meaning or sense. Moreover, the experiential component of the relational brand personality might have been further explored to relate golf destination brand personality to the tourist experience.

Important contributions are that both qualitative and quantitative approaches should be used in the measurement of brand personality. A reliable and valid tool to assess golf destination brand personality is a valuable marketing management resource.

Destination managers will be able to plan marketing actions that will help to change general destination attitudes and product-destination attitudes, establishing the destination brand and creating differentiation, resulting in increased preference and usage, higher emotional ties, trust and loyalty towards the brand. Also, marketers should place great emphasis on building a connection between destination personality and tourists/golf players’ self-concept.

This is one of the first pieces of research to validate a specific brand personality scale to golf destinations. Results of this study make important theoretical contributions to the understanding of brand personality in the context of tourism destinations in general, and golf destinations in particular.

This study aims to follow the Job Demands-Resources model to understand how: job resources (organisational health and organisational support) were related to work engagement through intrinsic motivation (personal resource); and intrinsic motivation was associated with job satisfaction through work engagement.

Data were collected from 504 workers (50% women and 50% men; M = 39.48 years old, SD = 11.98) at four- and five-star hotels from the Algarve, Portugal. Through structural equation modelling, using the maximum likelihood estimation method, nine research hypotheses were tested.

Results indicated that intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between organisational health and work engagement. Work engagement mediated the association between intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction.

Hotel managers must promote a supportive work environment and demonstrate openness to receiving suggestions from employees. Employees should also be informed about their hotel’s business model and operation. At the task design level, challenging and stimulating tasks should be created and job rotation policies should be implemented to foster work motivation. Also, managers must recruit employees that present positive emotions, proactivity and stress and time management skills.

This study considered the role of organisational health as a job resource, a new concept in hospitality. The selected personal resource, intrinsic motivation, is different from positive psychological capital, the typical resource used in hospitality studies.

A synthetic indicator (SI) is developed to measure the sustainability of tourist destinations according to four proposed dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic, environmental and political. Its purpose is to determine the most appropriate indicators for each type of tourist destination, i.e. which variables should be considered in each territory according to its typology (environmental, social, economic and tourism). To test the usefulness and employability of the SI, it has been applied in the Algarve (Portugal). Three destinations were analysed in this region: Albufeira, Faro and Lagos, all three good examples of the well-known sun and beach tourism model.

The SI is the result of a system of indicators. To reach the final result, a multi-criteria calculation has been used in which the most important variables that fit the territorial reality analysed have been included, based on an exhaustive analysis of more than 2,000 indicators proposed by various scientific studies and international organisations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The results of this analysis have been weighted according to the opinion of the population. A survey of more than 1,800 questionnaires was carried out in tourist destinations with high seasonality and dependence on tourism in the Algarve, Portugal. Finally, the SI has been aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The level of sustainability and the level of social concern regarding tourism activity were defined. In the Algarve, tourism is transforming the landscape and the local economy, and overcrowding is perceived as an economic activity that negatively affects sustainability. The concerns of the resident population about the impacts of tourism have served to identify priority strategies to improve the level of sustainability of the destinations. The three territories analysed present different problems and therefore require different strategies for action, mainly of a local public nature. The final result indicates the level of sustainability of the destination, which allows specific actions for improvement in the short, medium and long term to be generated.

The results made it possible to develop lines of action aimed at improving the sustainable management of each tourist destination analysed. Involving the local population allows the residents of the destination to be part of tourism policies, assuming a bottom-up strategy. This research provides answers to destinations seeking to implement sustainable tourism, offering tourism sector managers tools for correct decision-making.

This research presents a SI based on a system of indicators adjusted to the needs of the territory to be analysed, takes into account the opinion of the local population as a weighting factor and is in line with the 17 SDGs.

本文根据为可持续发展提出的四个方面：社会、经济、环境和政治, 开发了一个综合指标（SI）来衡量旅游目的地的可持续性。其目的是为每一类旅游目的地确定最合适的指标, 即根据每个地区的类型 (环境、社会、经济和旅游), 应考虑哪些变量。为了测试IS的有用性和可用性, 它被应用于阿尔加维 (葡萄牙) 。在这个地区, 有三个目的地。阿尔布费拉 (Albufeira)、法鲁 (Faro) 和拉各斯 (Lagos), 这三个地方都是著名的阳光和海滩旅游模式的例子。

SI 是一个指标体系的结果。为了得出最终结果, 我们采用了多标准计算, 在对各种科学研究和国际组织（如世贸组织）提出的两千多个指标进行详尽分析的基础上, 将符合所分析的领土现实的最重要变量纳入其中。这一分析的结果已经根据民众的意见进行了加权处理。在葡萄牙阿尔加维（Algarve）季节性强且依赖旅游业的旅游目的地进行了1800多份问卷调查。最后, SI与可持续发展目标保持一致。

本文定义了可持续发展水平和社会对旅游活动的关注程度。在阿尔加维, 旅游业正在改变景观和当地经济, 过度拥挤被认为是一种对可持续性产生负面影响的经济活动。居民对旅游业影响的关注有助于确定优先战略, 以提高目的地的可持续性水平。所分析的三个地区出现了不同的问题, 主要是地方公共属性方面的, 因此需要不同的行动策略。最终的结果表明了目的地的可持续发展水平, 并为短期、中期和长期的具体改进行动提供依据。

这些结果帮助我们制定行动方针, 以改善所分析的每个旅游目的地的可持续管理。让当地居民参与进来这一种自下而上的战略, 可以让目的地的居民成为旅游政策的一部分。这项研究为寻求实施可持续旅游的目的地提供了答案, 为旅游管理者提供了正确决策的工具。

这项研究提出了一个合成指标, 其基础是根据要分析的区域的需要而调整指标系统, 考虑到当地居民的意见作为加权因素, 并且与17项可持续发展目标一致。

Se desarrolla un indicador sintético (IS) para medir la sostenibilidad de los destinos turísticos según las cuatro dimensiones propuestas para el desarrollo sostenible: social, económica, medioambiental y política. Su objetivo es determinar los indicadores más adecuados para cada tipo de destino turístico, es decir, qué variables deben considerarse en cada territorio según su tipología (ambiental, social, económica y turística). Para comprobar la utilidad y empleabilidad del IS, se ha aplicado en el Algarve (Portugal). En esta región se analizaron tres destinos: Albufeira, Faro y Lagos, los tres buenos ejemplos del conocido modelo de turismo de sol y playa.

El IS es el resultado de un sistema de indicadores. Para llegar al resultado final se ha utilizado un cálculo multicriterio en el que se han incluido las variables más importantes que se ajustan a la realidad territorial analizada, a partir de un análisis exhaustivo de más de dos mil indicadores propuestos por diversos estudios científicos y organismos internacionales como la OMC. Los resultados de este análisis se han ponderado según la opinión de la población. Se ha realizado una encuesta de más de 1.800 cuestionarios en destinos turísticos con alta estacionalidad y dependencia del turismo en el Algarve – Portugal. Por último, el IS se ha alineado con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible.

Se definió el nivel de sostenibilidad y el nivel de preocupación social respecto a la actividad turística. En el Algarve, el turismo está transformando el paisaje y la economía local, y la masificación se percibe como una actividad económica que afecta negativamente a la sostenibilidad. La preocupación de la población residente por los impactos del turismo ha servido para identificar las estrategias prioritarias para mejorar el nivel de sostenibilidad de los destinos. Los tres territorios analizados presentan problemas diferentes y, por tanto, requieren estrategias de actuación distintas, principalmente de carácter público local. El resultado final indica el nivel de sostenibilidad del destino, lo que permite generar acciones específicas de mejora a corto, medio y largo plazo.

Los resultados permitieron desarrollar líneas de actuación dirigidas a mejorar la gestión sostenible de cada destino turístico analizado. Involucrar a la población local permite que los residentes del destino formen parte de las políticas turísticas, asumiendo una estrategia ascendente. Esta investigación aporta respuestas a los destinos que buscan implementar un turismo sostenible, ofreciendo a los gestores del sector turístico herramientas para una correcta toma de decisiones.

sta investigación presenta un indicador sintético basado en un sistema de indicadores ajustado a las necesidades del territorio a analizar, tiene en cuenta la opinión de la población local como factor de ponderación y se ajusta a los 17 ODS.

Discusses the profile for a global intervention which would lead to an effective and virtuous circle of long‐term development for the Algarve Region, and argues that the seasonal nature of the tourism industry linked to school holidays and the excellent climate aggravates, as a general rule, the already existing fragility of its territory structure, provoking serious ecological imbalances. Based on the existing panorama, a need for a response, which should be corrective rather than preventive, is suggested.

This study aims to understand how legislation and technology can enhance socio-economic development in low-density population territories, focusing specifically on the dynamics of local tourist accommodation over the past decade.

A case study was conducted for five municipalities in one of the most significant tourism regions of Portugal – the Algarve – based on a systematic investigation of relevant laws, regulations and electronic platforms. Official statistics were compiled and analyzed for the five territories’ registered local accommodation services, population, overnight stays and additional local services.

The results reveal that public entities’ regulations favor micro-entrepreneurship initiatives in local accommodation and that digital tools supported by online platforms have quite visible effects on low-density territories. The findings also reveal that the local tourist accommodation supply has experienced an especially dynamic, sustained growth over the past decade. This expansion has been accompanied by an increased supply of other services, suggesting that accommodation can positively influence the existing and/or future socio-economic development of low-density territories.

Further studies focusing on other areas with low-density populations are needed to determine more clearly how local accommodation influences socio-economic development.

Public regulations supported by digital platforms that favor micro-entrepreneurship initiatives in local accommodation can strengthen local development.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to analyze how local tourist accommodation can foster socio-economic development in low-density territories.

This paper aims to analyze job‐satisfaction differences between employees of the hotel industries of two similar tourist destinations: Andalusia (Spain) and the Algarve (Portugal).

A questionnaire survey was conducted in the two regions. The population for this study comprised employees of any hotel establishment in these regions. The authors have used stratified random sampling based on the number of hotels in each category and the number of hotel beds these represent. A total of 2,064 usable questionnaires from 165 hotels were returned in Andalusia and 461 from 23 hotels in the Algarve.

Findings from this study show an acceptable level of job satisfaction in both regions, although this is higher among the Andalusian workers, not only in terms of the overall score but also for each of the job facet scores considered. In contrast to previous findings, in this study the effect of wage on job satisfaction has been reported as significant in both regions.

The different periods of time in which the fieldwork was done may have caused some distortions in the perception of working conditions in each region. Besides this, some departments may not be sufficiently represented.

This paper encourages hotel managers to focus their attention on their remuneration systems, promotion possibilities and the perception of their profession's prestige in order to improve staff satisfaction. Particularly in Andalusia, it would be advantageous to develop retention strategies for talented people. In the Algarve region, more training and an improved recognition system are needed.

Although job satisfaction is an employee attitude that has been studied extensively, there have been few studies on that topic in the tourism sector in Spain, and even fewer in Portugal. Moreover, whereas prior work has mainly focused on small samples – a limited number of hotels surveyed in some specific area – in this study two important tourist regions using a wide sample, and taking all hotel categories into consideration are compared.

This article is a result of a much broader investigation that was seeking to understand which factors composed a geo‐brand. It is argued that not only should products and services develop a system of brand management focused on their identity which helps develop a coherent execution, places should also develop a similar brand management system. This paper aims to investigate perceptions of the branding of a location.

The methodology is based upon interviews conducted with local people and with tourists to the location.

One of the most interesting findings of this on going research was the realisation that a main and significant factor on a geo‐brand is its local people. Moreover and after some considerations it was concluded that this factor was essentially composed by people who work for the tourism industry. Interestingly it was then concluded that management and entrepreneurs from the tourism industry had a major responsibility and impact on a geo‐brand.

In order to achieve a satisfactory service performance, the local geo‐brand authorities should develop tools to scrutinize how entrepreneurs and managers train and motivate their staff. In this case the tourism boards should control directly or indirectly performance in different establishments. As revealed in Spain, a bad experience might jeopardise the overall competitive stand. No doubts that tourism boards have the obligation to, not only inform entrepreneurs and managers on how they should care for the tourists, but also granting some kind of incentives in order to achieve excellence in services since a good or bad experience will have an impact on the overall brand. If “local people” has such a relevant role on a geo‐brand, which might even affect its competitive position in the market, than extra consideration should be given to this factor. In addition, and because this factor is partly controllable, than it is reasonable to argue that there should be some kind of central managerial tools that helps to monitor employees performance.

Aversion to the use of marketing tools and to the geo‐brand conceptual management is a mere signal of misunderstanding for what a geo‐brand is and for what it can do to society. It has been argued that geo‐brands (brand applied to places) might be a practical solution to promote local development and fight the standardisation tendency of a globalised world.

Little is known about how tourists’ eating habits change between everyday life and holidays. This study aims to identify market segments based on changes in food consumption and experiences of a sun-and-sea destination’s local food. The authors evaluate to what extent tourists consume local food and assess the contribution of local food experiences to the tourists’ overall experience.

The target population was all tourists visiting the Algarve in the Summer 2018 and included both domestic and international sun-and-sea tourists. A sample of 378 valid questionnaires was collected. Data analysis included descriptive analysis, statistical tests and cluster analysis.

Cluster analysis identified three segments: non-foodies, selective foodies and local gastronomy foodies. Results indicate that tourists change their eating habits during holidays, eating significantly more seafood and fish and less legumes, meat, fast food and cereals and their derivatives. International and domestic sun-and-sea tourists reported that eating local food contributes significantly to their overall tourism experience.

Sun-and-sea destinations should promote the offer of local dishes, especially those that include locally produced fish and seafood, to improve the tourist experience, differentiate the destination and increase sustainability.

The authors address three identified research gaps: a posteriori segmentation based on tourists’ food consumption behaviour; measurement of changes in eating practices between home and in a sun-and-sea destination; and assessment of the role of food experiences to overall tourism experience of tourists visiting a sun-and-sea destination.

The purpose of this study is to explore the hedonic experience and its formation at heritage attractions.

A qualitative and exploratory approach was applied, using data from 21 semi-structured interviews and three in-situ focus groups.

Findings highlight that senses, imagery and emotions are stimulated by the physical landscape and by triggers of memorable experiences.

To further explore this topic, a broader range of heritage attractions and perspectives from the diverse stakeholders involved in the management and consumption of these sites is needed.

Given the scarcity of research dedicated to the hedonic experience at heritage sites, this study provides a contribution by exploring the visitor’s perspective and points out relevant insights. As the hedonic feelings of pleasure, comfort and related affective responses impact the quality of memorable experiences, relevant implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The advent of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communities and review sites has strongly affected the tourism industry, changing the way hotels and accommodations build credibility and a good image. Few studies have tested, among eWOM communities, the predictors and factors that directly affect positive eWOM reviews. Using a directory of Spanish hotels in TripAdvisor, the purpose of this paper is to critically discuss and examine the predictors of positive eWOM, from the hoteliers’ perspective.

After the literature review on eWOM, hypotheses regarding predictors of positive eWOM were developed. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to empirically validate the relation between hotel and personal characteristics and positive eWOM among a population of 335 hotels.

Results suggest that commitment and competence are factors affecting positive eWOM. The study found that hoteliers do not perceive hotel characteristics (category, size, and type of ownership) or the use of the review site as predictors of positive valence. Instead, they perceive commitment and competence as the main predictors.

The identification of the predictors of positive valence is important to get better eWOM valence. It would allow hotels to improve some factors that affect positive eWOM. In this way, the hotel resources and efforts would be better targeted.

The identification of the predictors of positive valence is important to get better eWOM valence. It would enable hotels to improve some factors and characteristics that affect positive eWOM. In this way, the hotel resources and efforts would be better targeted.

This paper investigates the factors affecting positive reviews on hotels, from the hoteliers’ perception. The study will help researchers to understand positive eWOM formation. Moreover, this study will provide marketers with information on how to improve efforts to obtain positive reviews.