Slow Tourism: Crossing Emigrants Perceptions with Land-Uses in

Portugal Mainland

ROSSANA ANDREIA SANTOS

College of Technologies and Management, University of Madeira

University of Madeira, 9000-082 Madeira

PORTUGAL

and

CITUR-Madeira-Centre for Tourism Research, Development and Innovation

University of Madeira, 9000-082 Madeira

PORTUGAL

and

41-300 Dabrowa Górnicza

Abstract: Local communities' expectations and perceptions provide fundamental directions for sustainability

development. Bearing in mind the relevance of these premise, the current article intends to assess Portuguese

emigrants' intentions in public policies' territorial growth of low-density territories. Contextually, this

investigation has used direct and indirect research tools and methods as a questionnaire and Geographic

Information Systems (GIS). Throughout this research, it was possible to understand that public policies do not

consider it in the most needed areas of Portugal's mainland since are more related to tourism development and a

rural lifestyle.

of local communities provide essential directions for

sustainable development, this study aims to analyze

Portuguese emigrants' intentions of tourism

development, in public policies territorial

the study aims to answer the following research

question: Are the public policies considering the

expectations and perceptions of the potential return

emigrant populations towards the so-desired

lifestyle in Portugal.

In this scope, authors highlight that slow tourism is

a new path for sustainable tourism development.

This form of tourism was born in the 2000s and is

inspired by the slow food movement, that can occur

not only on the coast but also in inland rural and

urban areas [1]. Facing the needs of the new tourist,

the concept of holiday changes and the contact with

the territory, the landscape, and the local

relationship with sustainable tourism.

Nevertheless, the economic sustainability of slow

tourism is an issue that generates some academic

controversy. Thereby, the impact of return migration

of Portuguese emigrants on on their places of origin

will be the discussion focus of the following section.

Although literature has shown that return migration

can contribute to sustainable development, this is

not always the case. That is why this work consists

The results and their consequent discussion and

conclusions, as well as a closing chapter focusing on

the study limitations and future research lines, will

be addressed in the sections after.

2 Slow Tourism as a Path to

Sustainable Tourism

Slow Food Movement was founded in 1989 as a

protest to the proliferation of the fast-food industry

than just physical travel as a mode of transport to a

destination [8].

Since the 1980s, the traditional mass tourist has

been increasingly replaced by post-modern tourists

who, through their leisure and vacation, search for

experience, diversity, and confirmation of their own

identity [9]. In this context, Hernandez-Mogollón et

al. [10] have argued that the traditional approach to

travel experiences through mass tourism is

the impact that the presence has on the environment

[10]. In other words, the new tourism is a response

to problems that have arisen from the previously

predominant mass tourism. “They include

environmental, social and cultural degradation,

unequal distribution of financial benefits, the

promotion of paternalistic attitudes, and even the

spread of disease [3].

The potential for tourism to contribute towards the

achievement of sustainable development and its

more sustainable by focusing on the three pillars of

sustainability: economic, environmental and

sociocultural. In this respect, much of the early

focus on slow tourism has generally supported the

concept with strong environmental arguments,

defending slowness as a valuable opportunity to

reduce the high pollution and carbon footprint of

tourism. Instead, the tourism industry has mainly

focused on the experiential and regenerative power

of the slow tourism experience [12].

When slow tourism appears in the first decade of

2000, it takes advantage of two innovations

produced a few years before. The first has to do with

the effort made regarding coastal sustainability in

the Mediterranean and the Caribbean area, as a

the fast-paced, unhealthy, and unsustainable lifestyle

of modern society. In other words, slow tourism is

also a form of political consumption and a new form

of sustainable tourism development that is based on

the push-back from fast lifestyle, ideology and

consumption practices and not as an alternative to

mass tourism (e.g., the “soft/hard” dichotomy) [2].

The second innovation is based on the great

advances made around the quality of services and

modes including bus and train; iii) slowness; iv)

resource reduction; v) journey is the thing; vi)

localness; vii) authenticity; viii) unique; ix)

sensations; x) you make your journey; xi) vacation

rentals; xii) committed to local culture and history;

xiii) quiet; xiv) treat the tourist as a temporary

resident; xv) joining; xvi) as best as possible; xvii)

staying awhile; xviii) low carbon; xix) de-

commoditization; xx) slow food and beverages; and

xxi) discover.

of many attractions; vii) standard; viii) replicable;

ix) miles; x) you by the journey; xi) hotels, resorts;

xii) indifferent to the local culture and history; xiii)

stressful; xiv) treat the tourist as a visitor; xv) see as

much as is possible; xvi) maximizing visits; xvii)

high carbon; xviii) commoditization; xix)

standardized hospitality dominates visit and xx)

visit.

According to Folgado-Fernandez [27] there are

three identifiable behavioral categories of what can

be termed slow tourism. Firstly, some studies focus

on modes of transport that have environmental

impacts and less travel (alternatives to air and car

travel). The second emphasizes better tourism

experiences, where visitors engage in a more

slow is not a simple answer to the broader issue of

predicted growth in global travel and middle-class

consumption in emerging economies [13].

[27] Molz argue that whether fast is seen as a

valuable attribute of the productive citizen or slow is

seen as a more centered or sustainable mode of

travel has less to do with speed itself, and more to

do with the way experiences and representations of

pace are shaped by race, class, gender, and

harness pace to make sense of ourselves, our travel

companions, and the world. In this context, the slow

tourists may choose a physically slower mode of

transport to facilitate the necessary deceleration or

may take solace in a flight that detaches them from

the stresses and strains of daily life and instead

offers an opportunity to become reconnected with

their thoughts [28-29].

According to Hernández-Mogollón et al. [30] the

lack of economy of scale [10]. If we are what we

eat, then the same could be said of our travel choices

[31]. Slow tourism has inspired new ways of doing

business. However, it is not easy to quantify the

economic impact of this type of tourism since it is

an emerging market [32]. In any case, Miretpastor et

al. [32] argue that the numbers of slow movement

members, its variety and its rapid international

growth, does augur essential opportunities for the

tourism supply seeking a position in this market.

well as the factors that, in the past, have prevented

this development in Portugal will be discussed. In

this scope, the geographic areas under study are

emigrant's place of origin or rural areas. According

to the metadata of the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development and Portuguese

Statistical Institute, rural areas are communities'

areas with a population of 2000 inhabitants or less.

However, considering that it is not the purpose of

this study to differentiate rural areas' typologies, the

massive increase in unemployment, emigration,

desertification, adverse impacts of the restructuring

of agriculture, and the loss of cultural identity are

just some of the most common problems that those

areas face at the international level [33-35]. In this

scope, the Organization for Economic Cooperation

and Development [36] states that emigrants can

bring with them training, work experience, financial

capital, and entrepreneurship, and have social

capital obtained during emigration. Though, the type

due to the lack of migration policy to take care of

the human and professional enhancement of

emigrants, return policy to report about the local

socio-economic alternatives of rehabilitation, and a

regional development policy that could stimulate

them [37-39]. Besides, cautious risk management

and the limited entrepreneurship capacity had

constituted additional barriers [38-40]. As Neto &

Neto [41] have already reported, most of the

research on Portuguese emigrant’s return impact on

sustainable development is scarce and belongs to the

80`s decade. In 2013, theoretical research conducted

by Santos [42] addressed the impact of Portuguese

introducing a new variable, namely the development

of sustainable tourism. In section 5.1, the results

procedures and tools. Therefore, the authors

dedicated much time and focused on the design of a

methodological section. The methodological section

was divided into two main sub-sections: (i) the

return migration impact on the development of

sustainable tourism; and (ii) defining the

demographic distribution of Portuguese population

by municipalities and the evolution of land uses

determined by the Corine Land Cover (CLC). We

were finalizing with the crossing of public territorial

The authors collected the data by reviewing

previous studies [42-44], and former analysis was

also carried out over the selected territory.

Moreover, GIS tools were applied allowing to get all

the land-use changes in Portugal mainland from the

period 1990-2018.

4.1 Return Migration and Tourism

Development in Portugal

Facebook Page (available at

www.facebook.com/emigrantesportugueses) [42].

The Page was disclosed, several times a day,

through International and Africa channels of

Portuguese media, namely radio and television [43].

In addition, the disclosure was also possible through

regional and international newspapers and through

e-mails sent to the General Director of Consular

Affairs and Portuguese Communities,

Consulates/Embassies, as well as associations and

tourism development in their places of origin

(section 5.1), and the outcomes of the land-use

changes in Portugal mainland and the demographic

distribution of Portuguese population by

municipalities (section 5.2).

5.1 Return Migration and the Development

of Sustainable Tourism in Portugal

In section 2, it was emphasized that slow tourism is

a path to sustainable tourism development.

Nevertheless, despite its low environmental and

production because are locals who return and not

just their savings and consumption models.

Additionally, the opening of business is very

dependent on external funds (Jenkins & Hall, 1998),

and the potential return of emigrants can also

contribute positively to entrepreneurship in rural

areas. A study conducted in Portugal, through the

application of an inquiry to 5157 Portuguese

emigrants, testifies this argument [42].

related evidence also shows the intention of those

Portuguese emigrants, aged between 29-39 years

and with a house in a rural area of Portugal, to

return to their places of origin, invest and have

employment in the area of tourism (see tables 2-5).

development. For this reason, data of this study

remains current and valid [43].

Table 2. Municipality of house in Portugal

tailed).

Source: Authors, 2013

Table 4. Municipality of house in Portugal vs. Most

important factors for returning and settle in Portugal

Have a house in the place of origin; H: Be able to

exercise a paid activity, on their own, in the tourism

sector; I: None

Source: Authors, 2013

Source: Authors, 2013

Given the fact past evidence of the Portuguese

not occur (see section 3), the aim of the next

sections will consist of analyzing public policies

considering the expectations and perceptions of

Portuguese emigrants towards the so-desired

territorial sustainable tourism development. The

Geographic Information Systems will be the

privileged method to support it.

This section explains the demographic distribution

of Portuguese population by municipalities (Figures

1 and 2) and the evolution of land uses determined

by the Corine Land Cover (CLC) (Table 7) for the

Portugal Mainland in the period 1990-2018 (Tables

8 to 10). Therefore, to obtain valuable data for this

typology of research, through the use of GIS tools,

the authors developed the cartographic maps

regarding the demographic distribution of the

Portuguese population by municipalities (Figure 1).

In figure 1, it is possible to understand the few

municipalities that have overpopulation, and they

are solely located in the regions of the two major

Portuguese cities: Lisboa (Portuguese Capital City)

and surroundings; and Oporto and surroundings.

Source: Authors

Source: Authors