Redalyc.TOURISM and SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais E-ISSN: 1645-586X [email protected] Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Regional Portugal Eusébio, Celeste; Kastenholz, Elisabeth; Breda, Zélia TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL DESTINATIONS: A STAKEHOLDERS’ VIEW Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais, núm. 36, mayo-agosto, 2014, pp. 13-21 Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Regional Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=514351882002 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative TOUR ISM A ND SUSTA IN ABL E DE VELOPM EN T OF RURAL DE ST IN AT ION S: A STAK EHOLDE RS’ V IE W 1 TUR ISM O E DE SEN VOLV IMEN TO SUST EN TÁV EL DE DE ST INO S RURA IS: UMA V ISÃO DO S STAKEHOLDERS Celeste Eusébio [email protected] (corresponding author) Assistant Professor at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering. Full researcher at GOVCOPP – Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies. University of Aveiro Elisabeth Kastenholz [email protected] Associate Professor at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering. Full researcher at GOVCOPP – Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies. University of Aveiro Zélia Breda [email protected] Assistant Professor at the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering. Full researcher at GOVCOPP – Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies. University of Aveiro ABSTRA CT/R ESUM O The topic of sustainable development has become an A temática do desenvolvimento sustentável aumentou a increasingly popular field of research since the late 1980s, sua popularidade, como área de investigação, desde finais as a result of the report Our Common Future , which sug- de 1980, em resultado da publicação do relatório O Nosso gests the satisfaction of the current generation’s needs Futuro Comum , o qual sugere um modelo de desenvol- without affecting those of future generations. Rural tourism vimento que satisfaça as necessidades das gerações atuais has been identified as potentially contributing to sustaina- sem comprometer a capacidade das gerações futuras para ble development, guaranteeing the satisfaction of all stake- satisfazerem as suas próprias necessidades. O turismo rural holders, both from the demand and supply side, without tem sido identificado como um tipo de turismo que poderá jeopardizing natural, cultural and social resources. How- contribuir para o desenvolvimento sustentável dos destinos, ever, there is empirical evidence pointing at a relatively garantindo a satisfação de todos os stakeholders , tanto do modest role of rural tourism as a development tool, with lado da procura como do lado da oferta, sem comprome- this potential depending on several factors. It is in this ter os recursos naturais, culturais e sociais dos destinos. No context that the present paper analyses the views of sev- entanto, algumas evidências empíricas que têm sido publi- eral stakeholders of rural tourism in the Portuguese schist cadas revelam que o turismo rural, muitas vezes, tem um village Janeiro de Cima (visitors, residents, private sector papel relativamente modesto como instrumento de desen- supply agents, and local and regional tourism planning en- volvimento, em consequência de um conjunto de fatores. tities), regarding the tourism phenomenon in the village Neste contexto, este artigo analisa as perceções dos vários and its implications on sustainable development. These stakeholders (visitantes, residentes, agentes da oferta do se- views were obtained through a qualitative approach, in- tor privado e entidades responsáveis pelo planeamento do 1 The paper was elaborated within the scope of a three-year research project entitled “The overall rural tourism experience and sus- tainable local community development” (PTDC/CS-GEO/104894/2008), financed by the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (co-financed by COMPETE, QREN and FEDER), which started in June 2010 (see also http://cms.ua.pt/orte/). Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais , n.º 36, 2014, 2.º Quadrimestre 14 Celeste Eusébio • Elisabeth Kastenholz • Zélia Breda terviewing stakeholder groups, in the context of a larger turismo a nível local e regional), de uma aldeia de xisto por- three year research project, financed by FCT, analysing the tuguesa (Janeiro de Cima) sobre a atividade turística na al- overall rural tourism experience and its potential for sus- deia e as suas implicações no desenvolvimento sustentável. tainable tourism development at the village scale. Os resultados apresentados neste artigo foram obtidos re- correndo a uma abordagem qualitativa, através de entrevis- tas ao diferentes stakeholders , no âmbito de um projeto de investigação financiado pela FCT, sobre a experiência global em turismo rural e as suas implicações para o desenvolvi- mento sustentável de destinos locais (aldeias). Keywords: Rural Tourism, Sustainable Development, Local Palavras-chave: Turismo Rural, Desenvolvimento Sustentá- Communities, Stakeholders, Schist Villages, Portugal vel, Comunidades Locais, Stakeholders , Aldeias de Xisto, Portugal. JEL Code: Q01, R58 Códigos JEL: Q01, R58 of rural areas. This literature review is followed by a case 1. IN TR OD UCTION study that, through a qualitative approach, identifies the Tourism may be considered a development tool in views of diverse tourism stakeholders (visitors, public and which sustainable development principles should be used. private agents of supply and residents) concerning pur- Nowadays, after the publication of the Brundtland Com- chase behaviour, satisfaction, host-visitor interaction and missions’ report Our Common Future in 1987 (WCED, perceptions of the tourism phenomenon and its implica- 1987), the idea of sustainability is widespread, also being tions on the village’s development. The methodology and transferred to tourism (Saarinen, 2006). However, for tour- a description of the village under analysis are presented, as ism to be sustainable, it needs to protect local culture, im- are findings and discussion of results. The paper ends with prove social and individual well-being, and preserve the conclusions and implications about how to make tourism environment (Choi & Sirakaya, 2005). Sustainability should a sustainable development tool for rural areas. be linked to all types and scales of tourism activities and environments (Butler, 1999; Saarinen, 2006), but it is not easy to implement sustainable tourism at the local level 2. T OUR ISM A ND SUSTA IN ABL E DE VELOPM EN T (Choi & Sirakaya, 2005). In many tourism destinations resi- dents are excluded from decision making, there is absence The concept of sustainability emerged in the mid19 th of stakeholder collaboration, and there is external control century as a response to problems produced by industri- over development by private operators or foreign inves- alization and urbanization (Choi & Sirakaya, 2005). Nowa- tors (Choi & Sirakaya, 2006). Despite these difficulties, it is days this view is considered a new development paradigm, crucial to define tourism development strategies that con- dominating both political and academic discourse. The tribute to sustainable development of tourism destinations. sustainable development approach substitutes the old de- Tourism and sustainable development in rural areas velopment paradigm, focused only on economic growth, have been subject of a growing research interest (Ghaderi which proved to be socially inequitable and environmen- & Henderson, 2012; Lee, 2013). However, few studies use tally unsuitable. a multi-stakeholder approach to analyse the contribution The World Commission on Environment and Develop- of tourism to sustainable development of a rural tourism ment (WCED), in its report Our Common Future , defines destination. In addition, in Portugal little research has been sustainable development as development that “meets the conducted in this domain. Therefore, the current study needs of the present without compromising the ability of may help bridge this gap, discussing sustainability within future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987, the context of a village ( Janeiro de Cima ) located in the p. 43). This concept has been applied to several sectors, interior Central Region of Portugal. The research question including tourism (Saarinen, 2006). The demand for more is: does rural tourism contribute to sustainable destination environmentally sensitive and sustainable practices in tour- development, guaranteeing the satisfaction of all stake- ism grew quickly in the 1980s (Saarinen, 2006) as a result holders both from the demand and supply side, without of increased knowledge about negative impacts of tourism jeopardizing natural, cultural and social resources? and due to intensified environmental problems in general. The paper begins with a literature review concerning However, the application of the concept in practical terms the role of tourism in sustainable destination development, has not achieved maturity yet. In this field, most debates considering the specificities of rural tourism, and the con- and studies have been presented at a theoretical rather tributions of this tourism form to sustainable development than at a practical level (Butler, 1999;