Papers
O dragão chinês e o elefante indiano: Traços de similitude e de divergência nos processos de abertura e reforma económica
Co-authored with Jorge Tavares da Silva and published in Economia Global e Gestão (2009), 14(1), 23-39 (ISSN 0873-7444)
Um dos sinais indissociáveis da economia global no início deste novo século é, indiscutivelmente, a mudança do centro do crescimento económico mundial do ocidente para o oriente, em grande medida suscitado pelo ressurgimento económico chinês e indiano. Os respectivos processos de transição, caracterizados por uma maior abertura comercial e por alterações estruturais, impulsionaram a integração gradual daqueles países no sistema económico internacional. Importa ressalvar, no entanto, que, face à natureza distinta de cada um daqueles mercados, além dos diferentes percursos históricos e especificidades culturais, os dois países oferecem aos investidores internacionais condições de negócio divergentes. O presente ensaio vai ao encontro das principais diferenças e similitudes dos dois processos de abertura e reforma económica, na ânsia de melhor compreender a natureza de cada um dos mercados à disposição do investimento internacional, as suas debilidades e virtudes, naquele que já é considerado o «século da Ásia».
ABSTRACT: One of the main traces of the global economy at the beginning of the new century is the shift of focus of worldwide economic growth from the West to the East, being driven to a large extent by the Chinese and the Indian economic resurgence. Their transitional processes, characterized by greater trade openness and structural changes, boosted the gradual integration of these countries into the international economic system. However, it should be noted that given the distinct nature of each market, in addition to specific historical development paths and cultural features, they present different business environments. This paper addresses the main differences and similarities of the two transitional processes of opening up and economic reform, in order to better understand the nature of these markets highly targeted by international investors, in what is already considered to be the “Asian century”.
Restoring tourism in Serbia: The role played by volunteering in Vojvodina
Co-authored with Klicek, T. and published in Turyzm (2008), 18(2), 43-58 (ISSN 0867-585)
The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe had led to profound geo-political changes. The instability caused by civil unrest and war for independence, led some post-socialist countries in South-eastern Europe lagging behind in socio-economic development. One of the affected countries was Serbia, which experienced economic stagnation and a halt on tourist activities in result of the unrest of the 1990s. Serbia is now trying to gain a relevant position in the international tourist sphere and is undertaking serious efforts to improve tourism in four key clusters. One of these clusters is Vojvodina, where numerous volunteer tourism activities have been promoted, providing socio-economic development in local communities. This paper discusses the importance of volunteering as a strategy for developing tourism in Serbia, which is still suffering, economic and socially, from damages caused by war. It presents the state of the art of tourism in Serbia and outlines the situation of tourism in Vojvodina. Furthermore, through the case study of the Volunteer Centre of Vojvodina, the paper addresses how volunteering activities can contribute to tourism development.
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The benefits of networks for small and medium sized tourism enterprises
Co-authored with Costa, C., Costa, R., & Miguéns, J. and published in C. Cooper, N. Scott & R. Baggio (Eds.) (2008). Network analysis and tourism: From theory to practice (pp. 96-112). Aspects of Tourism Book Series. Channel View Publications, an imprint of Multilingual Matters. (ISBN 978-1845410872)
In today’s competitive business world, enterprises have to compete globally but they should adjust to the surrounding environment in order to become more efficient and effective locally. Networks can play a significant role in accomplishing that, as they facilitate the access to knowledge, resources, markets and technologies. The literature recognizes that networks have the ability to convey information and to induce innovation through knowledge exchange and shared strategies. Nonetheless, there is limited research on whether networks and clusters can be used as an innovative process to support tourism enterprises. An empirical study was thus carried out in Portugal, targeting sports and adventure tourism enterprises, mainly consisting of SMEs. Micro and small enterprises dominate the tourism sector in Portugal and are generally located outside the main tourism routes. Despite their size, they assume an important role in local economic development, giving an enormous contribution to the development of peripheral areas. Recent transformations in the global market have however posed a huge challenge to these enterprises, which now recognize the importance of cooperation with other tourism partners, as a way to develop strategic positioning and capacity to operate in a competitive environment. By cooperating in the form of geographical and product-based clusters, enterprises can function as dynamic and interesting innovative organizations. This study explores the benefits of innovative networks and partnerships, and thereby investigates how they minimize enterprises’ growth constraints, increase competitiveness, promote innovation and facilitate internationalisation.
Helping small businesses getting bigger: The role played by networks and partnerships in the internationalisation of small tourism enterprises
Co-authored with Costa, R., & Costa, C. and published inG. Richards & J. Wilson (Eds.) (2008), From cultural tourism to creative tourism: Changing structures of collaboration (Vol. 2, pp. 53-64). Proceedings of the ATLAS International Conference 2005. Arnhem: ATLAS (ISBN: 978-90-75775-31-0)
This paper focuses on the role of networks and partnerships in the internationalization of small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs). It tries to highlight the importance of working together as a means to respond to challenges introduced by transformations occurring within the global market. It is undoubted that globalisation has led a growing pressure on this type of tourism enterprises, but it is also true that it should be regarded as an opportunity. A study conducted in Portugal surveying small and medium tourism enterprises shows that the international market is one of their major targets and, moreover, to grow is one of their main objectives. The majority of these enterprises state that it is crucial the development of a network of organisations in their business area, which is in accordance with the enormous importance they attach to networks and partnerships as a means to innovate and to become international in their operations.
Revitalização de áreas industriais tendo por base a definição de estratégias de desenvolvimento do turismo
Co-authored with Costa, R. & Costa, C. and published in G. Seabra et al. (Eds.) (2007). Identidade Cultural e Desenvolvimento Local (Vol. 3, pp. 867-874). Actas do X Encontro Nacional de Turismo de Base Local. João Pessoa: Universidade João Pessoa. (ISNN 1808-9755)
O sector do turismo tem vindo a evoluir de uma forma excepcional. A sua dinâmica e importância económica faz com que este sector tenha vindo a ascender a prioridade estratégica em vários países, e em Portugal particularmente. O impacte económico produzido pelo sector do turismo ao nível nacional é de grande relevância. Contudo, deve tomar-se em consideração que os verdadeiros impactes criados pelo turismo são de nível local. Neste sentido é fundamental que o nível local possua uma maior intervenção ao nível do sector do turismo, de forma a geri-lo e planeá-lo criteriosamente. Os municípios devem dotar-se de instrumentos efectivos e eficientes de gestão do território. Devem possuir indicadores fiáveis em termos das suas capacidades de oferta e procura que lhes permitam obter um conhecimento da forma como o turismo se desenvolve dentro das suas fronteiras, e lhes possibilite actuar e perspectivar as dinâmicas de crescimento e desenvolvimento em termos futuros. O principal objectivo deste artigo é analisar um estudo de caso prático realizado pelo grupo de investigação da Universidade de Aveiro no âmbito do Plano Estratégico de Desenvolvimento do Turismo para o concelho do Seixal. Pretende-se apresentar a estratégia de desenvolvimento definida para uma área urbana localizada nos limites de uma metrópole, Lisboa. O referido Plano Estratégico encontra-se também a ser analisado como um exemplo de boas práticas ao nível local, de uma tese de doutoramento em turismo.
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Re-launching development in peripheral rural areas: The role played by tourism in a Portuguese lagging area
Co-authored with Costa, C. and published in A. Raj (Ed.) (2007). Sustainability, profitability and successful tourism (pp. 125-140). New Delhi: Kanishka Publishers. (ISBN 81-7391-919-4)
The Portuguese economy has been in recession for the last years. Some of the traditional exporting sectors lost competitiveness, the economic structure is undergoing major changes, and the country ought to look for alternative sources of development. Being one of the fastest growing industries in Portugal and all around the world, tourism offers great potential for development. For that reason, the government is paying special attention to tourism with the aim of boosting the country’s economic recovery. The philosophy of intervention is in line with the new planning approach which defends a combination of market forces with a package of limited planning controls and public subsidy. That is, strategies have been designed in public-private partnership, and the implementation process is to be left to the private sector. The case of the Regional Tourism Policy Programme Anchored on Private Sector Investment (PITER) constitutes a good example of how this approach has been implemented in Portugal to boost economic development through the encouragement of sustainable and sustained tourism activities. The strategy designed for the Caramulo region is used to illustrate that this approach is an important tool for less developed areas so as to promote economic development and enhance them as tourist destinations.
Do clusters and networks make small places beautiful? The case of Caramulo (Portugal)
Co-authored with Costa, R., & Costa, C. and published in L. Lazzeretti & C. Petrillo (Eds.) (2006). Tourism local systems and networking (pp. 67-82). Advances in Tourism Management Series. Oxford: Elsevier. (ISBN 0-08-044938-7)
The development of networks and partnerships in the tourism sector constitutes a means to respond to challenges posed by constant transformations occurring within the global market. This is especially important for peripheral areas, usually located outside traditional tourist routes and lacking the adequate growth dynamics. The Regional Tourism Policy Program Anchored on Private Sector Investment encourages the emergence of strong relationships between public and private organizations and represents an important instrument for the development of regions which are in most cases remote and structurally weak. This work focuses on clustering and networking the tourism development process on a small backwards region in Portugal located in an inland area (Caramulo).
Providing safety for tourists: A study of the hotel sector in Aveiro, Portugal
Co-authored with Costa, R., Costa, C., & Santos, R. and published in G. Papageorgiou (Ed.) (2006). Cutting edge research in tourism: New directions, challenges and applications. Guildford: University of Surrey. (ISBN 1-84469-012-1)
Over the past few years, the tourism industry has been seriously undermined by the growing lack of safety and security. Crime, terrorism, food safety, health issues and natural disasters are among the major areas of concern. However, these issues only started to gain more visibility after the September 11th events, pushing the travel industry to deal with a major travel paradigm shift, which is based on the fact that tourism security is now a key concern for travellers. It is now widely accepted by the international community that the success of the tourist industry in a particular destination is directly linked to its ability to offer tourists a safe and pleasant visit. Key findings of a study conducted in the Aveiro region in Portugal demonstrate that, in accordance with the worldwide trends, hoteliers are increasingly sensitive to issues concerning security, safety and health. However, the study also unveils that business priorities are still very much oriented towards the feasibility and profitability of investments, while security and safety issues remains a matter that is mostly seen within the sphere of influence of public sector organisations.
EU integration and tourist destination management: The case of Portugal
Co-authored with Corfu, A. & Costa, C. and published in Revista Amfiteatru Economic (2006), 20(8), 20-29. (ISSN 1582-9146)
The EU membership has brought many benefits to Portugal by improving the access to single European policies and funds. The tourism sector is one of the fast growing industries in the country (accounting for approximately 11% of GDP) and it has strongly benefited from the EU integration, making Portugal one of the top destinations in the world. However, the recent economic slowdown, coupled with phenomena of worldwide proportions (the September and March 11th terrorist attacks, the SARS outbreak and, most recently, the avian flu threat) have made tourism professionals question about how destinations should be managed in a more innovative, responsible and profitable way. This paper attempts to provide, on one hand, some theoretical and empirical findings on Portuguese tourism evolution during the two-decade period of EU membership, with reference to some European support schemes and their impact on Portugal as a tourist destination. On the other hand, it aims to point out critical issues that are essential to depict future trends in destination management, which can be useful to emerging tourist destinations, such as many countries in Eastern Europe. Since Romania is a fast growing country in terms of international tourist arrivals and a candidate country in the next EU enlargement process, the Portuguese experience could be an interesting case to learn from.
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Globalization and the hotel industry: The Portuguese experience
Co-authored with Corfu, A. and published in Proceedings of the Conferinţa Internaţională Constanţa 2006 (Vol. II, pp. 113-118). Craiova: Editura Universitaria. (ISBN 978-973-742-466-2 e 978-973-742-586-7)
The current external environment, characterized by the interdependence of economies, the globalization of markets and the deregulation of competition, has created new challenges to the tourism industry, but has also shaped new opportunities that stimulated enterprises to adopt new strategies. The tourism sector, generally pointed out as one of the main activities leading to the globalization of the worldwide economy, has benefited from a sustained growth, placing itself as one of the main businesses at the global scale. However, the highly competitive environment presents many challenges to the hotel sector, since it is tied in closely with other industries in the service sector, real estate, other forms of investment, employment patterns and different cultural management systems. This paper examines the implications of globalization in the hotel industry and as such, explores the potential challenges faced by the Portuguese hospitality sector.
Safety and security issues affecting inbound tourism in the People’s Republic of China
Co-authored with Costa, C. and published in Y. Mansfeld & A. Pizam (Eds.) (2005). Tourism, safety and security: From theory to practice (pp. 187-208). Amsterdam: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. (ISBN 0-7506-7898-4)
Learning Objectives:
• To acknowledge that destinations are particularly vulnerable to political, economic and social stability;
• To identify the main risk factors to tourism;
• To understand how these issues can damage destination image and impact tourism demand;
• To become familiar with tourism development in the People’s Republic of China;
• To learn about the safety and security situation in China and examine which factors deterred or might undermine tourism growth.
Clustering and networking the tourism development process: A market driven approach for a small backwards tourist region located in central Portugal (Caramulo)
Co-authored with Costa, R., & Costa, C. and published in C. Petrillo & J. Sawrbrooke (Eds.) (2005). Networking and partnerships in destination development and management (Vol. II, pp. 469-484). Proceedings of the Atlas Annual Conference 2004. Naples: Enzo Albano. (ISBN 88-89677-03-1)
This paper focuses on the development of networks and partnerships in the tourism sector as a means to respond to challenges posed by constant transformations occurring within the global market. How a region can grow and develop using its endogenous resources is one of the main issues addressed. This is especially important for peripheral areas, usually located outside traditional tourist routes and lacking the adequate growth dynamics. The public sector can play a significant role in the process of economic growth of those areas. However sustained growth could be achieved by private enterprises through networking and clustering, being also important public-private partnerships. The Regional Tourism Policy Program Anchored on Private Sector Investment constitutes an innovative methodology intended to promote tourism development in Portugal, encouraging the emergence of strong relationships between public and private organizations and representing an important instrument for the development of regions which are in most cases remote and structurally weak. Having as basis the philosophy of this program, the paper will focus on clustering and networking the tourism development process on a small backwards region in Portugal located in an inland area (Caramulo).
Tourism and the changing face of Goa
Published in B. P. George & S. K. Swain (Eds.) (2005). Advancements in tourism theory and practice: Perspectives from India (pp. 25-49). New Delhi: Abhijeet Publications, . (ISSN 81-88683-75-2)
Tourism as an economic activity in Goa can be traced back to the 1960s, when many Western hippy travellers discovered its untouched beaches, its laid-back and rural atmosphere, and easily found drugs at little cost. However, the lethargic nature of Goa only began to change in the mid 1980s with the establishment of charter flights, introducing to the territory a new type of tourism. The packaging of Goa as a major international tourist destination resulted in the number of visitors far exceeding the number of residents and also the region’s carrying capacity. At the same time that Goa falls under the impact of massive change, it keeps being vigorously promoted as a tourist paradise. Goa is therefore facing the challenge of balancing tourism’s economic advantages with environmental issues and the inevitable change of its character. This paper tries to discuss the development of Goa as a tourist destination, examining at the same time the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts of such tourism development.
The impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on China’s tourism sector
published in Tourism Research Journal (2004), 1(2), 5-14. (ISSN 0972-7191)
Tourism is a fast growing sector in China’s economy, representing a considerable part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, China’s booming domestic and international tourism industry had recently suffered losses in tourism and related service industries, as a result of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic. In face of the events concerning the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had advised international travellers to avoid visiting some areas in China that had the most number of SARS cases. While consolidated results are not yet available, it is clear that SARS had impacted severely China’s service sector during its critical period, particularly the tourism sector, which had suffered significant business losses. In view of the lack of published articles in the tourism literature that investigate the effects of SARS epidemic, this paper attempts to examine the extent of the impact of this new disease on the tourism sector in China.
Avaliação do potencial de desenvolvimento turístico ao nível local: Uma proposta de metodologia aplicada ao concelho de Ílhavo
published in Revista Turismo & Desenvolvimento (2004), 1(1), 35-42. (ISSN 1645-9261)
A elaboração de qualquer estratégia ou linha orientadora para o sector do turismo deverá passar pelo conhecimento da base de recursos que sustenta, ou que poderá sustentar, o desenvolvimento do turismo de um determinado local. A par do conhecimento dos recursos turísticos, há que se ter em conta também a procura, actual e potencial, por esses mesmos recursos. A interacção entre a oferta, elemento estático, e a procura, elemento dinâmico do sistema do turismo, faz surgir um terceiro elemento que deverá ser sempre ponderado quando se elabora uma estratégia de desenvolvimento: os impactes do turismo. O presente artigo, tendo por objectivo apresentar a metodologia seguida na avaliação do potencial de desenvolvimento do turismo a nível local, tenta evidenciar os três elementos que constituem o sistema do turismo.
O Desenvolvimento do sector do turismo na República Popular da China e o seu contributo para o crescimento económico do país
published in A. Amaro, R. Leão & S. Dias (Coords.) (2004). Estudos sobre a China VI (Volume II, pp. 567-594). Lisboa: Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas. (ISBN 972-8726-13-9)
Durante cerca de três décadas (1949-1978), a República Popular da China (RPC) adoptou uma política de isolamento em relação ao exterior. Durante esse período, no qual os visitantes estrangeiros eram rigorosamente “seleccionados” e impedidos de circular livremente no país, a indústria do turismo estava-se a desenvolver rapidamente no resto do mundo. No entanto, desde o final da década de 70, altura em que a política de turismo mudou, na sequência da liderança de Deng Xiaoping, este país tem vindo a afirmar-se como um dos mais importantes destinos turísticos na Ásia, assim como a nível mundial. A Organização Mundial de Turismo (OMT) prevê que a RPC irá receber cerca de 130 milhões de turistas estrangeiros em 2020, tornando-se assim no principal destino do mundo. Actualmente, o turismo é um sector em grande crescimento no país, representando uma parte considerável do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) e contribuindo positivamente para a Balança de Pagamentos, para a criação de emprego, assim como para o desenvolvimento sócio-económico das áreas interiores mais desfavorecidas.
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