“SAMBA DE UMA NOTA SÓ”? TURISMO CULTURAL NUM DESTINO DE SOL E PRAIA

Abstract

‘Sun and beach' tourist destinations are usually characterised by a poorly diversified economic base. But tourist activity itself is almost always excessively concentrated on the primary product on offer. On the other hand, culture is recognised as a structuring dimension of the tourist experience, constituting one of the main motivations for travel worldwide and generating mutual benefits in supply and demand. This article explores these ideas and tries to understand whether cultural tourism has room to grow and consolidate itself in a territorial context such as the Algarve, which concentrates its tourist activity on the 'sun and beach' product. The visitor profile segmentation analysis was based on a questionnaire to tourists in the region and the results allow us to launch some reflections on the role of cultural tourism in a tourist destination that wants to be more diversified and sustainable.