A importância da Segmentação do mercado turístico, de acordo com as despesas que os visitantes realizam no destino, para o Desenvolvimento Económico Local: o caso da Covilhã
A importância da Segmentação do mercado turístico, de acordo com as despesas que os visitantes realizam no destino, para o Desenvolvimento Económico Local: o caso da Covilhã
Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; v. 1, n. 13/14 (2010); 87-99
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Resumo: This study presents a tourist market segmentation model, based on the level of visitors’ expenditure during the visit. This model was applied to the municipality of Covilhã. In order to achieve this objective a theoretical reflection about the impact of tourism on economic development of the destinations, specifically the role of tourist expenditures in this process and the relevance of developing a strategy of segmentation according to tourist expenditures, was undertaken. To evaluate the segmentation model developed in this study, a visitor survey, yielding 205 visitors interviewed in 2008, and a hierarchical cluster analysis were undertaken. Four distinct clusters emerged from this analysis: “light spenders”, “medium spenders”, “heavy spenders” and “very heavy spenders”. The results revealed that these segments showed to be significantly different in terms of economic relevance to the destination, socio-demographic profile and trip behavior. These findings are useful information for defining more appropriate strategies to maximize the benefits of tourism to local economic development.
