Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; n. 35 (2021); 185-200
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Resumo: The most evident segment of nautical tourism is currently cruise ship tourism. With the significant expansion in this tourism segment in recent years, there is an increasing need to study its social, economic, and environmental impact in places where this type of activity exists. In this context, the main focus of this study is to understand the contribution of nautical tourism to the development of a region, specifically, the importance of the Douro River for the development of the Alto Douro Wine Region. To this end, qualitative data will be collected using semi-structured interviews with managers and stakeholders in the Douro and Porto and Northern Portugal, followed by a focus group with the local community. The results seem to show that nautical tourism, particularly cruise ship tourism, has a significant impact on the region's economic, social, and environmental development. This impact is positive at the economic and social level and serves as a lever for economic growth and social development, especially in less developed locations. The controversy is more remarkable regarding the environmental factor since the negative effects appear to be more and have a greater impact than the positive ones.
