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Research and Evaluation Reports

Does Gender Affect Visiting a World Heritage Site?

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Pages 89-106 | Published online: 07 Apr 2014
 

ABSTRACT

The city of Guimarães in Portugal is a place of strong symbolic and cultural significance, and the nomination of its historical center as a World Heritage Site in 2001 enhanced its tourism potential. This study presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 and 2011 to capture the profile and motivations of tourists visiting Guimarães as a cultural tourism destination. The study addressed two main issues: whether males and females have similar or different preferences in choosing the city as their destination, and whether there are gender differences in the perception of the attributes of Guimarães. A better understanding of the gendered nature of the destination is a valuable cue for shaping products and services according to visitors’ preferences. The results suggest that both men and women are aware of the main elements responsible for the city's World Heritage status. That the destination is a Heritage Site that also offers the opportunity to tour the region has a significant positive effect on male tourists’ choice of Guimarães. Regarding the perceived attributes of the city, results indicate minor gender differences with one exception: Women expressed more apprehension than men regarding the perceived security of the destination.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Cristina Remoaldo

Paula Cristina Remoaldo is Associate Professor of Geography at the Social Sciences Institute of the University of Minho. She received a PhD in Human Geography (1999). Since a few months ago, she is the Director of the Master's Program in Geography (Planning and Management of Territory) of the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.

Laurentina Vareiro

Laurentina Vareiro is Associate Professor of Economics at the School of Management, Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Portugal. She has a PhD in Economics (2008) from the University of Minho, Braga. She is the author or co-author of several papers and her research interests include regional, rural, and urban economics; tourism economics; and rural and cultural tourism. Address correspondence Laurentina Vareiro, to School of Management, Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, Campus do IPCA, 4750–810 Barcelos, Portugal. E-mail: [email protected].

J. Cadima Ribeiro

J. Cadima Ribeiro is Full Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics of the School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. He received his PhD (1989) in Economics at University of Minho. He is the author or co-author of several papers dealing with industrial location, regional policy, tourism economics, and regional development issues.

J. Freitas Santos

J. de Freitas Santos is Full Professor of International Business at the Institute of Accountancy and Administration, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal. He obtained his PhD in 1997 from the University of Minho, Portugal. He is the author and co-author of several papers dealing with tourism, local and regional development, wine business, and internationalization.

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