Tourists’ demand for outdoor sport-related activities has been growing in the last decade, leading to the recognition of the outdoor tourism potential of the development of rural and urban areas where the activities could take place. While the literature has recognized this potential, its features and the existing conditions for its practice are often not fully comprehended, mainly due to the lack of measurement systems and performance indicators. This study addresses this gap by proposing a wide-ranging assessment matrix of nine outdoor-related activities, employing northern Portugal as a study area. Based on an exploratory qualitative analysis employing semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (public, private and third sector), the main contribution of this study lies in the development of the outdoor tourism assessment matrix (OTAM) to collect data. The OTAM matrix aims to identify and assess the conditions, namely the infrastructure and resources, for the practice of outdoor and sport tourism-related activities within the sustainable development pillars. The nine matrices comprising the OTAM allow the identification of the places where the outdoor activities can be practiced, and the conditions under which they can contribute to the definition of the development strategies of outdoor tourism.

Restaurants increasingly prioritize promoting sustainability within their kitchen’s operations, focusing their offers on valuing raw materials as a central point of gastronomy, thus highlighting the importance of local, responsible consumption and respect for nature and the environment. The Circular Economy (CE) emerges as a new sustainability paradigm, uncovering valuable opportunities for organizations and customers, in harmony with the environment. This study aims to characterize good sustainable and circular practices in the restaurant sector, understanding how endogenous products can enhance food waste reduction. Through a qualitative methodology, nine semi-structured exploratory interviews were carried out with restaurant experts, to gain in-depth knowledge into sustainable and CE practices used in restaurants. By conducting a thematic analysis, three main themes emerged 'Positioning and Branding,' 'Circular Economy,' and 'Product and Food Waste'. 'Positioning and Branding' covers the evolution of an eco-conscious mindset in organizations, from the inception of sustainable thinking to the imperative for change. It emerges from the categories: ´Organization, actions, and partnerships’, ‘Challenges and success factors’, and ‘Awareness’. The theme 'Circular Economy,' presents circular practices within daily restaurant operations, their understanding of circular concepts, and the progress made in adopting these behaviors. It arises from three categories: ‘Circularity’, ‘Resource Management’ and ‘Transition’. The 'Product and Food Waste' theme addresses concerns related to product and food waste, including supplier selection, innovative gastronomic offerings, and food waste minimization strategies. It is based on the categories: ‘Suppliers and Raw Materials’, ‘Food Waste Minimization”, and ‘Gastronomic Offer’.The findings reveal a growing awareness of the need for sustainability and circular practices in the restaurant sector. Organizations are actively seeking ways to reduce food waste, optimize sourcing, best operating procedures and offer more sustainable menus representing significant progress toward a more sustainable future in the restaurant business.

Residents’ perceptions of tourism’s impacts (either negative or positive) are of utmost importance as, ultimately, they will influence their support for the industry. This paper aims to present the results of a study focusing on tourism development and its impacts based on residents’ perceptions and how tourism affects their lives and places of living, applied to specified areas within the northern region of Portugal. A comparative analysis of the historic centre of Porto, the historical centre of Guimarães, and two parishes of the Peneda-Gerês National Park is presented. Tourism is a relevant economic activity with significant volume despite the perceived range of intensity levels and related impacts. Notwithstanding the acknowledged benefits, these areas are associated, to some extent, with tourism pressures, potentially generated among the historic centre of Porto, the historical centre of Guimarães, and two parishes of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. These regions presented negative impacts that provoke antagonistic feelings from residents. Thus, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted among people living in these areas. The results reveal that residents generally recognise the benefits of tourism, despite some concerns about its negative impacts on the local culture and infrastructure, particularly the overcrowding effect in smaller historic town centres and natural areas.

This study examines intercultural competence among students participating in an Erasmus mobility program at higher education institutions across Europe (primarily Portugal, Spain, and Finland). The study adopts a quantitative approach based on an intercultural competence scale. It explores how intercultural competence varies according to both personal characteristics (gender, nationality, field of study, and travel frequency) and students’ perceptions of their attitudes across multiple domains via Mann‒Whitney and Kruskal‒Wallis tests. Moreover, the study seeks to examine correlations between intercultural competence and integration experiences, as well as between intercultural competence and the impact of the Erasmus program on the host community, using Spearman's tests. Statistically significant differences across groups and correlations between variables are identified whenever they exist. The findings are particularly valuable for educators, policymakers, and tourism professionals when designing programs and initiatives to foster intercultural learning and exchange.