Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; v. 1, n. 17/18 (2012); 403-414
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Resumo: Accessibility is a key element to the development of tourism. However, the airlines industry lives a reality of extreme competition. It is under pressure by the necessity to maximize the profitability obtained in long distance flights.Peoples’ desire to travel has increased in the last decades. A large number of consumers have centred their decision on the price, where the Internet has had a profound influence in the way people search and make their reservations for their holidays. Expectedly, the demand for a tourist destination is more elastic or varied. Different destinations with substantial characteristic similarities defined by the consumer could assume the paper of substitutes.In spite of the fact that the data analysed in this study are of secondary nature, it is important to mention, firstly, the number of onboard passengers that have Madeira as their final destination but have a stopover at Lisbon Airport. This reaches significant marginal proportions which justify the trend of the low rate of visitors to Madeira. Secondly, the results illustrate that the source markets with significant dimensions are ignored in promotions and official statistics. The third result, but not less important, demonstrates that the amount of stopover and flying time, from the consumers’ place of origin to the destination, Madeira, could possibly lead to greater pressure to the substitution of Madeira as a tourist destination.
