Dynamics and challenges of industrial tourism in Central Region of Portugal

The perspective of supply agents

Abstract

The industrial tourism has been assuming a growing importance, worldwide and in Portugal, playing a key role in diversifying the offerings of various tourist destinations. However, despite the growing number of industrial tourism initiatives, the number of published studies on this subject is still rather limited. In Portugal there are no known studies analyzing the perception of supply agents regarding the benefits and constraints of implementing this type of tourism. With the aim of increasing knowledge on this subject, this article aims to: (i) identify the benefits perceived by the supply agents; (ii) analyze the constraints identified by industrial tourism supply agents; and (iii) present lines of action to improve the attractiveness and competitiveness of this tourist product.

To achieve the established objectives, a survey was conducted through interviews with agents responsible for industrial tourism resources (RTI) located in the Central Region (RC) of Portugal (N=23). The results obtained indicate that the main benefits of industrial tourism implementation are primarily felt in the areas of marketing and profitability. In terms of constraints, the most mentioned aspects are the lack of financial resources, with organizational aspects related to human resources and the poor state of industrial heritage conservation also being mentioned.