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The sensory dimension of tourist experiences: Capturing meaningful sensory-informed themes in Southwest Portugal

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  • Agapito, Dora
  • Valle, Patrícia
  • Mendes, Júlio

Abstract

Sensory aspects of destinations have recently been in focus as an important dimension in the process of facilitating positive tourist experiences. The countryside embraces local resources rich in multi-sensory stimuli that could be utilized in the planning and marketing of appealing tourist experiences addressed to segments of tourists, while fitting sustainable local development. This study follows a holistic approach to the five external human senses, aiming to capture meaningful sensory-informed themes adequate for segmenting rural tourists. A self-administered survey in four languages was collected from 181 tourists in Southwest Portugal. A multiple correspondence analysis suggests four sensory-informed themes, tentatively named generic beach-related experience, nature-based experience, balanced experience, and rural experience. The proposed themes correspond to a four-solution cluster of tourists presenting different profiles. The largest segment (73 tourists) corresponds to the rural experience, regarding which tourists mainly refer to the taste of local food and the smell of fresh air.

Suggested Citation

  • Agapito, Dora & Valle, Patrícia & Mendes, Júlio, 2014. "The sensory dimension of tourist experiences: Capturing meaningful sensory-informed themes in Southwest Portugal," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 224-237.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:touman:v:42:y:2014:i:c:p:224-237
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2013.11.011
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    2. Gang Li, 0. "Book review “Analytics in smart tourism design”; Zheng Xiang, Daniel R. Fesenmaier; ISBN 978-3-319-44262-4, 978-3-319-44263-1, Springer, 2017, 328 pp., $302.71," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-4.
    3. Marion Rauscher & Andreas Humpe & Lars Brehm, 2020. "Virtual Reality in Tourism: Is it ‘Real’ Enough?," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 13(2), pages 127-138.
    4. Quintal, Vanessa Ann & Thomas, Ben & Phau, Ian, 2015. "Incorporating the winescape into the theory of planned behaviour: Examining ‘new world’ wineries," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 596-609.
    5. Miguel Ángel Moliner-Tena & Diego Monferrer-Tirado & Juan Bautista Ferreres-Bonfill & Rosa M. Rodríguez-Artola, 2021. "Destination Sustainability and Memorable Tourism Experiences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-12, October.
    6. Lin Zuo & Jie Zhang & Ronda J Zhang & Yingying Zhang & Meng Hu & Min Zhuang & Wei Liu, 2020. "The Transition of Soundscapes in Tourist Destinations from the Perspective of Residents’ Perceptions: A Case Study of the Lugu Lake Scenic Spot, Southwestern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, February.
    7. Kock, Florian & Ringberg, Torsten, 2019. "Embodied cognition effects on tourist behavior," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Alex Yang-chan Hsu & Brian King & Dan Wang & Dimitrios Buhalis, 2016. "In-destination tour products and the disrupted tourism industry: progress and prospects," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 413-433, December.
    9. Gang Li, 2017. "Book review “Analytics in smart tourism design”; Zheng Xiang, Daniel R. Fesenmaier; ISBN 978-3-319-44262-4, 978-3-319-44263-1, Springer, 2017, 328 pp., $302.71," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 367-370, September.
    10. Isaac Nanekum & Abekah Keelson Solomon, 2022. "The Mediating Role of Employee Factor in the Relationship between Sensory Marketing and Economic Performance of Ghana’s Foodservice Sector," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 38(1), pages 537-558, December.
    11. Yiting Zhu & Xueru Pang & Chunshan Zhou, 2023. "Key Area Recognition and Evaluation of Audio-Visual Landscape for Global Geoparks: A Case Study of Koktokay in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Agapito, Dora, 2020. "The senses in tourism design: A bibliometric review," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Agapito, Dora & Pinto, Patrícia & Mendes, Júlio, 2017. "Tourists' memories, sensory impressions and loyalty: In loco and post-visit study in Southwest Portugal," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 108-118.
    14. Marion Rauscher & Andreas Humpe & Lars Brehm, 2020. "Virtual Reality in Tourism: Is it ‘Real’ Enough?," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 13(2), pages 127-138.
    15. Min Shao & Derong Lin, 2021. "A Study on How the Five Senses Are Affected When Tourists Experience Towns with Forest Characteristics: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Data of Fujian, Guangdong and Sichuan in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    16. Chee Hua Chin & May Chiun Lo & Zaidi bin Razak & Pooria Pasbakhsh & Abang Azlan Mohamad, 2020. "Resources Confirmation for Tourism Destinations Marketing Efforts Using PLS-MGA: The Moderating Impact of Semirural and Rural Tourism Destination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, August.
    17. Mónica Gómez-Suárez & María Jesús Yagüe, 2021. "Making Sense from Experience: How a Sustainable Multi-Sensory Event Spurs Word-of-Mouth Recommendation of a Destination Brand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    18. Jean-Éric Pelet & Erhard Lick & Basma Taieb, 2021. "The internet of things in upscale hotels: its impact on guests’ sensory experiences and behavior [L’internet des objets dans l’hôtellerie haut de gamme : son impact sur les expériences sensorielles," Post-Print hal-04137824, HAL.
    19. Teodoro Luque-Martínez & Nina Faraoni & Luis Doña-Toledo, 2019. "Auditing the Marketing and Social Media Communication of Natural Protected Areas. How Marketing Can Contribute to the Sustainability of Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-23, July.
    20. Ante Mandić, 2019. "Nature-based solutions for sustainable tourism development in protected natural areas: a review," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 249-268, September.

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