Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; v. 2, n. 13,14 (2010); 719-728
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Resumo: The Demand of natural areas for the development of tourism has been growing considerably in the last decades. Portugal has many quality features for the development of these activities. In 90 000 square kilometres, 22% of the Portuguese territory is occupied by protected areas. One third of the country (3.3 million hectares) consists of forest and agricultural areas are numerous. However, besides being required an efficient management of natural areas also becomes relevant to know the tastes and perceptions of the landscape by its visitors. This article presents a exploratory study, where it’s compared people seeking activities in nature (hikers, from both the domestic and international origin) with people who do not have the habit of enjoying nature for leisure and tourism, to see what are their preferences and perceptions in the face of nature. It was found that, generally, respondents preferred natural environments that have the presence of man and landscapes that have water features, although there are differences between the groups. These results are quite relevant to the promotion and development of activities in the countryside directed to specific market segments.
