THE RELEVANCE OF EVENTS IN PROMOTING NAUTICAL TOURISM

 

Eunice R. Lopes^{1, 2}; Jorge Simões³; Maria R. Nunes¹; Júlio Silva⁴; Manuel Rosa⁵; João T. Simões^1,6; Carla Rego⁷; Joana Santos⁸

¹Polytechnic Institute of Tomar & Techn&Art. Departmental Unit Social Sciences, Tomar, Portugal

² CiTUR-IPL; CRIA-FCSH-UNL; GOVCOPP-UA; Portugal

³Polytechnic Institute of Tomar & Techn&Art. Departmental Unit Business Sciences, Tomar, Portugal

⁴Polytechnic Institute of Tomar & Techn&Art. Departmental Unit Information and Communication Technologies, Tomar, Portugal

⁵ Polytechnic Institute of Tomar & Techn&Art. Departmental Unit Engineering Tomar, Portugal

⁶Ui&D-ISLA, Portugal

⁷Polytechnic Institute of Tomar & Techn&Art. Departmental Unit Archaeology, Conservation and Restoration and Heritage, Tomar, Portugal

⁸ Intermunicipal Community of Médio Tejo, Portugal

 

 

 

ABSTRACT

Events play a fundamental role in all contexts of society, in each territory. The relevance of events in the nautical tourism sector is no exception, due to the impacts it produces on tourist destinations sought by visitors and tourists who intend to take advantage of it. It appears that tourists are increasingly looking for a destination that has a wide range of goods and services, including events. In this context, it is essential for the territory (ies) to find strategies to promote events for the attractiveness of a greater wider number of visitors and tourists, being even useful as a way of subjecting these activities to environmental quality standards and minimizing the impact of tourist seasonality. This article aims to highlight the relevance of events in the promotion of nautical tourism, where events are considered as tourist attractions to promote the image of the Médio Tejo tourist destination. The methodology followed a base of analysis based on the pyramid of evaluation of tourist events (Getz, 2005), with emphasis on wakeboard, associated with nautical tourism.

The results of this study demonstrate that the events contribute to the promotion of territories through the relevance attributed to nautical tourism. The events allow strategies to diversify the tourist offer, reinforcing the interest and the flow of visitors and tourists for the enjoyment and appreciation of heritage resources associated with this tourist segment.

Key Words: Nautical Tourism, Events, Territorial Promotion, Heritage Resources

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Tourists are increasingly looking for a destination that has a wide variety of goods and services on offer, including events. It is essential for the territory(ies) to detect event promotion strategies to attract a greater number of visitors and tourists, and it is also beneficial to subject these activities to environmental quality standards and to minimize the impact of tourist seasonality. In this context, several studies have pointed to the importance of marine leisure events in the tourism sector. Events are an important vehicle for promoting nautical tourism. In the pyramid of tourism event evaluation (Getz, 2005), wakeboarding, associated with nautical tourism, is highlighted. Events play a fundamental role in terms of positioning and competitiveness in the tourism market. They have socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and cultural impacts on a given territory as they can attract tourists.

In the pyramid of tourist events evaluation, one can find a categorization of events: a) local events-periodic and unique; low tourist demand and low value; b) regional events-periodic and unique; medium tourist demand; c) branded periodic events-high tourist demand and high value; and d) occasional mega events-high tourist demand and high value (Getz, 2005).

There are also four categories of events: leisure (sports and recreation), cultural (cultural heritage, sacred, art), organizational (sales, politics, charity) and personal (birthdays, weddings, among others) (Shone & Parry, 2004). The organization and planning of events present themselves as tools to combat the tourism seasonality of many destinations. These events can be used as incentives to attract new markets of visitors and tourists to a destination. In this sense, events have achieved a growing importance regarding the products offered by a particular destination. Events are strategic marketing tools that not only support in attracting tourists, but also in developing a responsible awareness in destinations, positioning and promoting them (Faustino, 2015). Tourism events attract tourists and enable the creation of an image or knowledge of the destination (Jago & Shaw, 1998. Which means that events are activities planned to attract visitors and tourists to satisfy them and at the same time has the function of projecting an image of a destination with a view to its tourism development.

In this sense, tourism activity has a strong consequence on the economy, the community, employment, and quality of living standards (Santana, 1997). This perspective can also be seen from the standpoint of recreation, improvement of physical condition, contact with nature and sports infrastructures for sports practices (Carvalho & Lourenço, 2009). Nautical tourism and the importance that events represent for its promotion and for the development of the territory(ies) should be highlighted in this line of reflection.

The tourism sector and in this scope of nautical tourism there is a pressing need for the organization and sustainability of products. The link between heritage and tourism is undoubtedly important regarding the enhancement and promotion of the culture of a given territory and can even contribute to the sustainability of heritage resources (Lopes & Simoes, 2020: 109). Nautical tourism and the revenue arising from the practice of wakeboarding associated with the river resource for Portugal is a significant strategy. It will also contribute to the consolidation and attractiveness of the destination Portugal, more specifically the Middle Tagus (Portugal). Thus, there is a potential growth in demand for nautical tourism, provided that the offer is attractive, and the services are of a high quality. It is necessary to increase nautical tourism demand linked to the river experience (river resource), contributing to sustainable tourism development through the relevance of events in the promotion of nautical tourism.

 

2. EVENT MANAGEMENT: MODALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH NAUTICAL TOURISM

Currently, events play a crucial role in all societal contexts. Some of them may be remarkable, at any moment of human existence, and a unique event may occur because of experiences and/or circumstances (Cardoso, 2016 & Duarte, 2017).

Thus, the events, which are not considered routines and are not programmed, are usually called events. According to Getz (1991), Cardoso (2016) and Duarte (2017), an event is a leisure, social or cultural experience, which takes place outside everyday activities. In the same vein, Oliveira (2014) considers an event as a set of professional actions, developed with the aim of achieving a set of qualified and quantified results, with its target audience. Also, according to Cunha (2013), Cardoso (2016) and Duarte (2017), it can be considered a tourism event, the events organized, solely and temporally, aimed at the promotion and attraction of visitors and tourists to a tourist destination, specifically, or aimed at providing the occupation of the leisure time of those who visit. About nautical tourism, a range of activities are included, such as recreational sailing - sailing - and water sports that include light sailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, bodyboarding, rowing, canoeing, skydiving, diving, motor boating, and can be practiced on the river or at sea. One of the advantages of all these sports is the fact that they can be practiced during the "low season" and with incidence throughout the country where there is the river or sea resource. According to Duarte (2017), the promotion of nautical tourism in Portugal has been increasingly encouraged by the long coastline and the quality beaches that exist, but there are still several weaknesses in terms of infrastructure and accessibility that should be suitable for this type of tourism.

According to Turismo de Portugal (2007), the development strategy for recreational boating considers a concentration of investment in the fulfilment of a set of competitiveness factors and the enhancement of nautical tourism. Furthermore, according to Turismo de Portugal (2017) and Duarte (2017), nautical tourism has the necessary attributes to be considered the basis of the national tourism offer that can encompass endogenous, non-tradable and flow-generating characteristics. The Tourism Strategy 2027 document (Turismo de Portugal, 2017) thus developed the lines of action for the 2017-2027 timeframe (Table 1).

 

                         Tabel 1 Territorial Guidelines for the Year 2027.

Lines of Action for 2027

Territorial Enhancement - guaranteeing tourism in the maritime economy

*To position Portugal as a surfing destination, known internationally for its nautical activities, practiced all along the Portuguese coast; *Enhance and boost the infrastructures, technical equipment and all water sports centers, ports, and marines; *Develop and make profitable the activities that allow for the sustainability of nautical culture such as sailing, diving, canoeing, fishing and the observation of species, as well as maritime tourist trips; *Create and promote a "route of experiences" with the offer of tourist activities around water sports; *To upgrade and enhance the value of the marginal and beaches along the country's coastline; *Develop health and well-being tourism projects that are related to the therapeutic contributions of the sea; *Promote sea products around the Mediterranean diet

Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Tourism Strategy 2027 (Turismo de Portugal, 2017).

 

The strategies presented in Table 1 aim to provide a greater focus, both regarding the improvement of infrastructures, the upgrading of spaces and the promotion of nautical events. However, although there have been slight improvements in this regard, it will be necessary to reinforce all these processes with a view to boosting and promoting the concept of nautical tourism, promoting the country's potential, both in coastal areas and in inland regions of the country (Cardoso, 2016 & Duarte, 2017).

Thus, when investing in nautical tourism, one must take into consideration that the river beaches, rivers, and dams that exist in the interior of the country, despite being little recognized, will be differentiating environments for this type of tourist product.

 

3. NAUTICAL TOURISM EVENTS: THE CASE OF WAKEBOARDING

Aware of the potential of the Castelo do Bode Lagoon and realizing the interest of world wakeboarding professionals in our country, the Intermunicipal Community of the Middle Tagus (CIMT) decided to bet on the creation of the first wakeboarding resort in the world, with cable systems, in five river beaches of recognized quality, all with unique features. Wakeboard started by being practiced only by boat in these five cable parks located on the river beaches of Fernandaires (Vila de Rei), Lago Azul (Ferreira do Zêzere), Aldeia do Mato, (Abrantes), Trízio (Sertã) and Praia dos Montes (Tomar), making the sport more accessible, more economical, more environmentally friendly, and sustainable.

The project Wakeboard Resort in Médio Tejo is a strategic project of intermunicipal nature implemented by the Intermunicipal Community of Médio Tejo (CIMT), in partnership with its municipalities (Abrantes, Ferreira do Zêzere, Sertã, Tomar and Vila de Rei), and with the Regional Tourism Entity of the Centre and the Portuguese Wake Association. These entities are together in this innovative project that aims to position Portugal as a European cluster for this sport and promote the interior of the country as a place of excellence for the practice of this sport. The climate and scenic surroundings of the Middle Tagus make Castelo do Bode reservoir the ideal place to practice this sport and this region a destination of excellence for practitioners, visitors, and tourists, bringing together sport and tourism along the 30 kilometers of the reservoir.

The practice of wakeboarding using the installation of cable parks allows this sport to take place in a silent and ecological way, since, by dispensing with motorized boats, it no longer produces noise, as well as combustion emissions. This was one of the essential requirements for the implementation of this Resort, since the cable parks are in areas of intervention of the Castelo do Bode Reservoir Management Plan (POACB). After the infrastructures for wakeboarding were created, it was necessary to invest in the communication of the Middle Tagus as a nautical tourism destination, focusing on wakeboarding, as a dynamic, attractive, and innovative sport in Central Portugal.

Therefore, and given the growing popularity of wakeboarding worldwide and the interest that the competition has been arousing in more and more people, we wanted to strengthen the position of the Albufeira de Castelo do Bode as a compulsory stop for the most important wakeboarding events, integrated into international competitive circuits. Due to their dimension, these events naturally generate tourist flows, with very significant impacts due to the relevance and dynamics they promote in the territory and may even foster the creation and consolidation of new tourist visitation routes, which will translate into a positive socio-economic development of the region. This focus on events began in 2015 with the hosting of a world circuit event (WWA Supra Wakeboard World Championships) in Castelo de Bode, which contributed to placing the Médio Tejo region and the country on the world wakeboarding map. The impacts of this event on the territory were clear: media projection with national and international reach, more than 150 athletes of around two dozen nationalities (accompanied by their families), around 20,000 tourists and visitors and 1.5 million people impacted on the social networks. The success of this event and attraction also contributes to the goal of positioning Portugal as a destination of choice for the practice of the sport, creating the first European Wakeboard Cluster (Wakeskate, 2021).

Alongside international competitions, the Médio Tejo has hosted national cable championships, as well as, from 2018 to the present day, an agenda of free nautical tourism events for the local community, visitors and tourists has been promoted by the Intermunicipal Community of the Médio Tejo (CIMT), in partnership with the other entities already mentioned above.

It was thus created a calendar of promotional initiatives for demonstration and open trial of the sport, the "Wakeboard Open Days", in which visitors and tourists can enjoy free nautical experiences in the 5 cable parks. Wakeboarding can be tried for free throughout the summer, with the aim of creating routines for visits to the cable parks and building loyalty in the local market, making the infrastructures available to the community, in a simple and economic way to empower the local community, showing that cables are an option for leisure and sport. In addition to the Open Days, the "Welcome to Castelo Bode" events were also created with the aim of implementing a series of new events associated with nautical and nature themes, as well as boosting existing events, making them an integral part of the tourism offer. In the "Welcome to Castelo Bode" events, in addition to wakeboarding, the possibility of free trials of other water sports activities available in the Castelo do Bode lagoon is promoted, namely Canoeing, SUP - Stand Up Paddle, Waterskiing and Wake surfing, among others. Aiming to attract the world wakeboarding community to the city of Tomar and the region, in 2018 there was also a bet on the WWA Wakeboard World Cup stage in the Centre of Tomar, on the Nabão River, with a positive impact on the territory, generating visitation and economic flows, while promoting and highlighting the region on the world wakeboarding scene. Considered the toughest event of the year, attracting global media, it attracted around 4,000 people to the event, which was broadcast live on the internet and a summary of the event was broadcast in over 70 countries (Wakeskate, 2021).

In 2019 Tomar opened the new season of the Wake Park World Series, the professional cable wakeboarding world circuit of the World Wake Association. The Tomar Pro Wakeboard was the first of three rounds of the championship, which also passed through the United States and Mexico, and featured the 12 best world athletes in the sport (Bull.pt, 2019).

With these events, the intention was to continue the international promotion of the Castelo do Bode destination as a wakeboarding destination, a sport that attracts fans all over the world, with more than three (3) million practitioners in Europe. The focus on events was fundamental to consolidate the image of the destination and promote its qualification and attractiveness in the future.

Nautical tourism events are therefore a complementary offer to the nautical activities that the Médio Tejo offers, contributing to an increase in the average stay in the Médio Tejo, as they are linked to the heritage, cultural and natural resources of the region, promoting an increase in tourist visits, and economic returns for local activities (hotels, local accommodation, restaurants, tourist entertainment, themed events and commerce in general), as well as promoting endogenous resources and local products. On the other hand, the positioning of Castelo do Bode, as an area of excellence for the practice of wakeboarding activity allows to anticipate relevant gains for the territory and its economic agents, namely because 1) it is a sport in strong international growth (about 6 million in Europe and the USA); 2) it is a demand characterized by its high purchasing power; 3) having the USA, Germany and the UK as its main source markets (with high purchasing power); 4) it integrates with various activities in the value chain (tourism and others) (Wakeskate, 2021).

The development of wakeboarding in the Castelo do Bode lagoon thus promotes the valorization of an endogenous resource, in line with the demands determined by the current paradigms of sustainability, attracting to the territory a demand with high purchasing power, which can benefit the whole tourism value chain in the Middle Tagus region.

 

1. FLUVIAL BEACHES: ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISATION

The conditions necessary to guarantee the safe use of waters identified as river beach bathing waters go beyond the common sense related to the existence of a lifeguard or to indications of the existence of dangerous areas of whirlpool formation, currents, or unexpected shoals. There is another fundamental dimension to this dynamic, which is water quality. The quality of bathing water in nautical tourism, besides being an important indicator of water safety from a public health point of view, is also an indicator of environmental quality and tourism development.

The environmental characterization of river beaches is based exclusively on water quality. The guarantee of bathing water quality of river beaches is evidenced in the European Union since 1976, through the old Bathing Water Directive 76/160/EEC (DAB-76). Through this Directive, reliable and clear information on water quality is now provided for beaches in coastal bathing areas, lakes, and rivers. The DAB-76 created environmental and health awareness in people's everyday lives. This DAB-76 directive consisted of a system for monitoring water by checking a range of physical, chemical, and biological parameters to see if they met the requirements for bathing.

In 2006 the Bathing Water Directive DAB-76 was replaced by a new Bathing Water Directive (DAB-06) which addresses the issue of bathing water quality from a different perspective, emphasizing not only monitoring, but also prevention and management, thus seeking to ensure bathing water quality in an integrated way. Monitoring in DAB-06 is carried out only based on two water quality indicators: Escherichia coli (E. Coli) in MPN/100mL (Most Probable Number), according to ISO 9308-3, and Intestinal Enterococci, in MPN or CFU/100mL (Colony Forming Units) according to ISO 7899-1 or ISO 7899-2. DAB-76 did not strictly specify which method should be employed, and therefore the results were not always comparable, especially in terms of accuracy and uncertainty of the values obtained. The methods of analysis that should be used are now specified in the new directive and follow ISO standards, so that results can be comparable across the EU. The new DAB-06 directive reduces the parameters monitored from 19 to just 2, focusing only on those that directly influence public health through the presence of fecal pollution in water. In this way, the testing becomes simpler, faster, and cheaper and is still in line with the WHO recommendations issued in 2001. These 2 tests focus on 2 groups of bacteria which, although not in themselves disease-causing, are good indicators of the presence of other pathogens living in the human digestive system such as bacteria, protozoa, and viruses which, when present in water in high concentrations, increase in humans the risk of contracting salmonella, giardia or ascaris diseases (OMS, 2001).

The classification of river beaches is no longer based on the data collected the previous year, but on the data collected in the previous 3 to 5 years, which has the advantage of mitigating positive and negative peaks in water quality, thus providing a classification more in line with the state of the water over a longer period. Water is now classified according to 4 categories: Excellent, Good, Acceptable and Poor. The final classification is calculated using a percentile determined from the samples according to Table 2.

 

Table 2 - Inland bathing water quality classification.

	Quality
Inland water parameter	Excellent	Good	Acceptable
Escherichia coli in UFC/100 ml	95 percentiles of samples < 500	95 percentiles of samples < 1000	95 percentiles of samples < 900
Intestinal enterococci in CFU/100 ml	95 percentiles of samples < 200	95 percentiles of samples < 400	95 percentiles of samples < 330

Source: Own preparation. Adapted from Directive 2006/7/EC (DAB-06).

 

A more complete environmental characterization of river water can be expanded to other dimensions than water quality indicators focusing on public health. A physic-chemical characterization offers a broader view but is also necessarily more time-consuming and costly. Other indicators that can be monitored include nutrient concentrations (phosphorous and nitrogen), which are indicators of the eutrophic state of waters; dissolved oxygen and BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), which are important not only as a measure of the water's ability to support marine life but also the ability to support oxygen-consuming bacteria in the process of degrading organic matter present in the water. Other parameters such as pH, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, or total solids are very important in the environmental characterization of river waters. In another dimension, the biological assessment of the distribution of macroinvertebrates serves to determine the environmental conditions and infer water quality.

If a river beach wants to be awarded a "Blue Flag", in addition to the compliance with a list of criteria related to "Environmental Information and Education", "Environmental Management Equipment" and "Safety and Services", it is necessary to comply with water quality criteria that go far beyond the environmental characterization based on the DAB-06 Directive. It is necessary to comply with criteria related to physical-chemical parameters, guarantee that eventual industrial or urban wastewater discharges into waters do not affect water quality and therefore requires compliance with the Urban Wastewater Directive 91/271/EEC (ABAE, 2021). In this context, the quality of bathing water at the river beaches in the Middle Tagus used for nautical tourism, in addition to requiring water safety from a public health point of view, also requires environmental quality contributing to sustainable tourism development.

 

3.2. THE IMPORTANCE OF HERITAGE RESOURCES (CULTURAL AND NATURAL) ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIVER

Heritage presents itself as a strong point of tourist attraction and in the matter of nautical tourism this factor is no exception. The heritage that is located near the river, more specifically near the river beaches of this study, consists mostly of: churches and chapels of architectural value, sometimes of a more popular nature, but also with artistic value of the assets that integrate them (liturgical implements, parameterizes, tile panels, carvings, furniture, stone sculpture, ceramics and polychrome wood, painting on canvas and board, among others); fountains, mainly from the 19th century; mills; water mills; Roman bridges with relevant historical interest; manor houses, local museums, where it is possible to observe the modus vivendi of the ancestors of these localities (their uses, customs, habits, professional and leisure activities, etc. ). The villages themselves, which are only a few kilometers away from the river beaches, are important heritage resources, made up of some typical narrow streets which characterize the rural village. Finally, there is all the surroundings of the river, where nature is sublime, with its vegetation composed of pines, acacias, cork-oaks, chestnuts, olive trees, holm-oaks, and eucalyptus. In spring its flowering hills create idyllic landscapes with the river as a backdrop and the observation of flowers such as broom, flowering bushes, rosemary, dandelions, lilies, cistus, orchids, marigolds, poppies, among many other species of wild flora. The fauna in this region is abundant and diverse with many species of birds (partridges, owls, wild ducks, woodcocks, herons, crows, owls, turtle doves, nightingales, goldfinches, blackbirds, among many others. Besides birds, it is common to find other wild animals such as squirrels, foxes, wild boars, rabbits, gannets, etc. The practice of wakeboarding attracts to the region not only its own people, but also family members and spectators during training sessions and competitions. The arrival in the region of people somehow linked to this sport provides nautical tourism, but also tourism in a more leisurely way. Visitors and tourists from the region surrounding the river beaches are interested in getting to know their surroundings, whether natural, human, social or cultural. This type of tourism, which is not limited to visits to monuments and museums, but is also interested in other types of visits, drives these visitors to seek this type of tourism out of curiosity to get to know new cultures, new landscapes, and obviously new places (Roveda, 2003). The localities, their heritage and people and nature are inevitably linked to the river, as are the wakeboarding spectators and practitioners who visit or practice their sport in the region, so it is highly recommended and desirable that they associate and establish knowledge of the culture and nature that surround them. The responsibility of planning in management is great, requiring tourism and cultural initiatives framed in a type of strategic planning, focused on the demand and supply for the development of sustainable tourism (Lopes & et al, 2018:108 apud Lopes & Simões, 2020). The interaction between tourists and the local population, getting to know their daily life and culture are of high importance for the conservation of memory and local identity, leading to the creation of incentives for heritage preservation, since its value is recognized by those who visit, but also by local people. It is essential to create several tourist and cultural routes linked to each of the regions of the fluvial beaches, with well-defined routes, as well as to place guiding and identifying signs of the elements to visit, either near the river, in the surrounding localities, or at the headquarters of the municipality where the river beach is located.

However, for there to be an effective connection between the people of the region and those who visit them, it is essential that there is an awareness of the local heritage among tourists and the people who live in these areas. This factor will contribute to the knowledge, interpretation, valorization, preservation, and preservation of heritage, in other words, the maintenance of the memory and identity of the people who live in the localities by the river.

 

4.  DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIMEDIA TOURISM PRODUCTS APPLIED TO NAUTICAL TOURISM

Tourism destinations designated as “locally based”, group not only the resident community, but also local stakeholders. These are the main agents of the territory's development which includes tourism products such as support services and tourist attractions and resources. It has physical and administrative boundaries that define its management and images and perceptions that define its competitiveness in the market (WTO, 2005). Tourist destinations allow integrated experiences to the consumer (Table 3), since they constitute products (Buhalis, 2000).

 

Table 3 Integral elements of tourist destinations.

Attractions	Natural, cultural, man-made, artificial
Accessibility	Transport systems (roads, vehicles…)
Amenities	Tourist services (accommodation, catering, and trade)
Available Packages	pre-designed tour packages
Activities	all activities available in destinations enjoyed by tourists
Ancillary Services	services used by tourists (hospitals, telecommunications, post offices, banks, …)

Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Buhalis (2000).

 

The tourism sector develops according to a set of factors external to its environment (Figure 1). It is also influenced by a set of factors internal to the tourism system. All these factors influence each other in a dynamic way, as they are related to each other. This means that if there are changes in one of the factors, there will be implications in other factors.

 

Figure 1 Tourism: external factors.

Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Cooper et al. (2005).

 

This dynamic must be considered in the planning and management of the tourism sector, especially regarding the development of multimedia tourism products applied to nautical tourism. Throughout the decision-making process about travelling to a particular destination, tourists' preferences change. This is where the difficulty of analyzing tourist behavior lies. The tourism sector has been influenced by an aggregate of factors that include political, social, technological, marketing and marketing and media variables (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007). The changes in the tourists' behavior will influence the type of products purchased, allowing the creation of new products according to the tourists' needs (Figure 3). The tourist needs to buy a trip is the beginning of the consumer decision process, which is followed by a set of other decisions related to the decision about the destination, travel time, transportation, accommodation, and other services (Hudson, 2008).

Figure 3 Tourist behaviors: influencing factors.

Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007).

 

The adequacy of the product to the tourist's needs goes through the analysis of their behavior, regarding the marketing policy and the adequacy of the content to the target audience. To understand the reasons why tourists, choose a particular tourist destination, it is essential to resort to the vector of consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is one of the main factors to consider in the marketing concept. There are models that explain the phenomenon, but there has been deficit empirical research to test these models (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007). However, there are major factors that influence tourists' behavior as consumers of a tourist destination (Figure 4). Age, gender, social and personal attributes, along with motivation, have an important effect on an individual's behaviors and decision making (Hudson, 2008: 41).

Figure 4 Key factors influencing consumer behavior.

               Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Hudson (2008).

         Cultural factors have profound influence on people by the apprehension of basic values, perceptions, desires and behavioral patterns of family, society, and other important institutions. Other social factors such as family, reference groups, role and status of the person also affect behavior (Kotler & Arm-Strong, 2010: 161). Similarly, personal characteristics also influence consumer behavior, just as a person's individual personality, lifestyle and values are important characteristics that influence behavior (Kotler & Keller, 2016: 183). 

         A key determinant in consumer behavior for travel is motivation. For this reason, the choice of a tourist destination is a decision-making process with some risk, given the intangible nature of the service offering (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007: 45). In recent years, user-generated media has become an important tool for travelers who use it to minimize risk when purchasing an intangible product (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2016:111). Studies on consumer behavior, are related to five stages of the consumer purchase decision process (Figure 5). In the purchase decision process of a particular tourist destination, the search for information continues site when tourists need, for example, to decide on the cultural and tourist activities to participate, as well as information related to the restaurant service.

 
Figure 5 Model of the consumer buying process.

Source: Own elaboration. Adapted from Kotler & Keller (2016).

       In this context, visual practices play an important role in the decision-making process, being an integral part of tourist experiences. Through videos and photographs tourists can enjoy the sense of authenticity of the territorial referents they appropriate. Photographs and videos have a powerful influence in generating travel and engagement, capable of generating enquiries and consequent booking (Gonzalo, 2014).

       In this dynamic, visual communication and visual social media platforms are fundamental in the impact of consumer purchase. Visual communication today, is integrated into almost all social media platforms and has significantly increased in tandem with the use of smartphones. Facebook currently has around 300 million photos shared per day, and around 8 billion videos are viewed per day. YouTube has about 300 hours of videos uploaded every minute, and about 5 billion videos viewed per day, Instagram has about 1 billion active users, with 95 million photos shared daily (Dustinout - Social Media Statistics, 2021).

       It is noted that the main visual social media platforms include Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Pinterest is a web and mobile app that allows users to organize and share images and videos from across the internet (Techopedia, 2017). In this context, the creation of multimedia content must adapt the narratives to the type of audience and, depending on the type of audience, the appropriate adaptation to the platform. Currently, with the Internet and mobile devices, there is a need to adapt the type of content, format, resolution, and duration. If Facebook and YouTube work with video content in 16:9 proportion, for Instagram the proportion is 1:1 or 9:16.       The choice of the tourist destination is highly dependent on the capacity of the content created, in the sense of transmitting experiences, emotions and feelings of the destination or the tourist and cultural activity enhanced. The narrative created in the content is fundamental to the influence it holds in the phase in which the tourist seeks information about that same destination.

       In the specific case of water sports and events, more specifically wakeboarding, if the content created does not have a more radical narrative that enhances the spectacular nature of the sport and the space where it takes place, it may not attract potential users of water sports resorts. It is therefore necessary to create another type of content that complements the information with a supplementary offer. In this way, it is possible to attract visitors/tourists who travel with those looking for water sports such as wakeboarding, through the development of multimedia/audiovisual tourism products applied to water sports tourism.

5. Conclusions

Tourist events are of great value for the dynamization of destinations. They are associated with a large flow of participants, who are interested not only by the event, but also by the destination. In this way, events are an efficient marketing tool to promote destinations and tourist activities in the regions that promote them.

In the study presented here it is possible to see that the events and infrastructures installed in the Castelo de Bode reservoir, not only provided the creation of the first Wakeboard Resort in the world, but also and mainly, enabled the creation of events that boosted the river resource in a sustainable, democratic, and accessible way.

In this way, the events promoted in the Middle Tagus region by the river, value local resources in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), where concerns are expressed with the safeguarding of marine resources. In this way, in the promotion of the nautical tourism product, the practical application of visitor behaviors, who are currently more concerned with the environment and natural resources, becomes essential.

Thus, the nautical event is a complementary offer to the activities promoted in the Middle Tagus. The promotion of events is relevant for boosting the local economy, raising awareness of the importance of the aquatic-fluvial resource, understanding the need to protect the river resources, and promoting the tourist destination, as well as increasing tourist stays, organizing tourist entertainment activities and multiplying the effect of tourism on the local economy.

Finally, this study demonstrates that for endogenous development there is a need for partnerships between the public sector, the private sector, and the local community. The former, as being the one capable of creating infrastructure (resorts, ports, avenues, airports), the private sector, with the creation of undertakings linked to the leisure and entertainment sector (lodging, tourist entertainment, restaurants, etc.) and the local community with its culture, tradition, and local identity.

Together, the three local actors acted in the territory, in the case of the study, in the river, and managed, in an efficient way, not only a greater dissemination and one of the events of the Supra Wakeboard World Championships held in Albufeira do Castelo do Bode that projected nationally and internationally the tourist destination, but also and, mainly, ensured that the river water resource had a good management and was protected from actions that were not in accordance with environmental protection or little concerned with future generations.

As future research challenges, it is of great importance to understand the motivations of visitors to nautical tourism events and to understand the level of satisfaction of tourists with nautical tourism practices, particularly wakeboarding, as this is the main sporting activity promoted by the tourist and cultural destination considered here.

 

REFERENCES

ABAE (2021). Critérios de atribuição da Bandeira Azul para as Praias, Associação Bandeira Azul da Europa. Retrieved from https://bandeiraazul.abae.pt/plataforma/index.php?p=criteria&s=beaches#section2.

Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future.Tourism Management, 21(1), 97-116.

Bull, R. (2019). Os melhores wakeboarders do mundo vão estar em Tomar. Retrieved from https://www.redbull.com/pt-pt/tomar-pro-wakeboard-2019.

Cardoso, D. (2016). Náutica: os Eventos e o Turismo. Dissertação de Mestrado em Turismo, pela Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, Porto.

Carvalho, P. G., & Lourenço, R. (2009). Turismo de prática desportiva: um segmento do mercado do turismo desportivo. Revista Portuguesa de Ciências do Desporto, 122-132.

Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Fyall, A., Gilbert, D. and Wanhill, S. (2005). Tourism, Principles and Practice. Third edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Cunha, L., & Abrantes, A. (2013). Introdução ao Turismo (5ª ed.). Lisboa: LIDEL.

Duarte, I. (2017). As motivações do turista para a prática de Turismo Náutico na Região Centro de Portugal. Dissertação de Mestrado em Gestão Turística. Instituto Superior Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu.

Dustinout - Social Media Statistics (2021). Top Networks by the numbers. Retrieved from https://dustinstout.com/social-media-statistics/#facebook-stats.

EPA - United States Environmental Protection Agency (1997). Volunteer Stream Monitoring: A Methods Manual, Monitoring Water Quality. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-04/documents/volunteer_stream_monitoring_a_methods_manual.pdf

Faustino, P. (2015). Turismo, Marketing e Indústrias Criativas. Turismo, 66-70.

Getz, D. (1991). Festivals, Special Events and Tourism. Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Getz, D. (2005). Festivals, Special Events and Tourism (2ª ed.). Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Gonzalo, F. (2014). Photos impact bookings more than reviews. Retrieved from http://fredericgonzalo.com/en/2014/09/03/photos-impact-bookings-more-than-reviews-on-tripadvisor/.

Hudson, S. (2008). Tourism and Hospitality Marketing. SAGE Publications Ltd. London.

Jago, L., & Shaw, R. (1998). Special events: a conceptual and differential framework. Festival Management & Event Tourism, 21-32.

Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of Marketing (13^th ed.).  Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River.

Kotler, P. & Keller, K. (2016). Marketing Management, Global (15^th ed.). Pearson Education Limited. Harlow.

Leone, C. (2016). Which social media sites get the most engagement? Webstrategies. Retrieved from https://www.webstrategiesinc.com/blog/which-social-media-sites-get-the-most-engagement.

Lopes, E. R., & Simões, J. T. (2020, October 1). Cultural Tourism and Museum Activity(s). Journal of Tourism and Heritage Research, 3(4), 107-120.

Lopes, E. R; Almeida, R; Almeida, P. & Marques, C. G. (2018). Cultural Tourism and Sustainable Development. Journal of Tourism Research, (19), 26-35.

Meeker, M. (2016). Internet Trends Report. KPCB. Retrieved from http://www.kpcb.com/blog/2016-internet-trends-report.

O’Reilly, L. (2014). Now Instagram is dominating Twitter in another hugely important way. Business Insider: Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-engagement-rates-up-to-50-times-higher-than-twitter-socialbakers-finds-2014-12?r=UK&IR=T&IR=T.

Oliveira, M. (2014). A Influência dos Eventos na Taxa de Ocupação Hoteleira. Estoril: Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril.

OMS - Organização Mundial da Saúde (2001). Bathing Water Quality and Human Health: Faecal Pollution.

Parker, S. (2016). A long list of Instagram statistics that marketers need to know. Hootsuite Blog: Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/.

Roveda, F. (2003). Turismo e património cultural. Memória e identidade do património tombado do município de António Prado. Caxias do Sul – RS.

Santana, A. (1997). Antropología y Turismo. Barcelona: Ariel.

Shone, A., & Parry, B. (2004). Successful Event Management: A Practical Handbook (2ª ed.).

Sousa, J., Fonseca, M., Fernandes, A., & Galiau, S. (2011). A náutica de recreio como factor de desenvolvimento local: o caso do estuário do Tejo. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra.

Swarbrooke, J. & Horner, S. (2007). Consumer Behaviour in Tourism (2^nd Ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Swarbrooke, J. & Horner, S. (2016). Consumer Behaviour in Tourism. Third edition. Routledge. Abingdon.

Techopedia (2017). Pinterest. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/28407/pinterest.

Tuckman, B. (2012). How photography and online video influence customer purchasing behaviour. Marketing: Retrieved from http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2012/8088/how-photography-and-online-video-influence-customer-purchasing-behaviour.

Turismo de Portugal (2007). Plano Estratégico Nacional do Turismo - Para o desenvolvimento do turismo em Portugal. Lisboa: Turismo de Portugal, I.P.

Turismo de Portugal (2017). Estratégia Turismo 2027. Turismo de Portugal Retrieved from https://www.turismodeportugal.pt/pt/Paginas/homepage.aspx

WTO (2005), Adapting the National Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) Project to Sub national Levels - A Discussion Paper.

Wakeskate, A. P. d. W. e. (2021). O que visitar & atrações locais. Retrieved from http://wakeboardportugal.com/wb/pt-pt/.