Business and events tourism in the Azores: the case study of the International Big Game Fishing Tournament

Abstract

The Azores Tourism Association states that "continuing to increase the notoriety of the Azores destination, by attracting international events (...), we will continue to combine efforts with the respective audiences, in order to promote the marketing of the region through tour packages"(ATA, 2015, p. 20). This study aims to assess: a): if the International Big Game Fishing Tournament (IBGFT) contributes to the dissemination of the Azores as a destination for the practice of sportfishing and b) if the event promotion strategy is to take effect in the dissemination of this product among target markets with the greatest potential; on the other, it raises questions that, given the nature of the destination, should be evaluated, with the sustainable management of natural resources being most emphasized. Data collection is performed with direct interviews with organizers of IBGFT and questionnaire surveys to participants. The results show that the region is able to captures international events geared to niche markets. However, with respect to promotion, the strategy adopted falls short of expectations. At a time when the regional authorities are implementing programs to support the funding and promotion of events, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of promotional policies with regard to the affirmation of the Azores brand in the international context.