The slow tourism movement is gaining popularity as more destinations focus on the local environment and heritage experience. The approach to slow tourism usually occurs either when traditional destinations exhaust their life cycle with an evident reduction in sustainability, or when newly emerging destinations decide to develop in this way. The case of Madeira is different; the island has several decades of tourism development without excessive pressure or overcrowding, and in planning for the future it wants to sustain these conditions. Seeking to understand Madeira’s perception of the development model, we surveyed entrepreneurs in Madeira’s lodging, restaurant and bar, shopping, transportation, intermediation, and tourist activity industries, as well as its public sector. Even without having encountered the popularized the ideas of slow tourism, Madeira’s tourism entrepreneurs show significant alignment with the values of quieter tourism. In contrast to its mature counterparts (i.e., Europe’s other popular sun and beach destinations), for Madeira it is not a question of destroying or rehabilitating, but rather of continuing sustainable development processes. Our results suggest that although slow tourism is typically a reaction to a very advanced phase of the life cycle, it can be the result of an endogenous impulse, as is true for Madeira.

This study contributes to the knowledge of decision-makers on how tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises, return migration, and cooperation strategies can contribute to growth and sustainable development in rural areas. More specifically, it uses the Portuguese case to answer the following question: can the expectations and perceptions of emigrants provide directions for sustainable tourism development and common planning in order to contribute to rural development? The results obtained in a study developed in Portugal, through the application of a questionnaire survey of 5157 Portuguese emigrants, confirm the validity of this question. It is concluded that there are the emigrants at an active age (29–39 years old) and with a house in a rural area that have a greater propensity of returning, investing, and gaining employment in the area of tourism in Portugal, and they also have more training and professional experience in this area. Similarly, considering the experiences and migratory characteristics of these emigrants, it is argued that there is a strong probability that the return of emigrants from Southern European countries will contribute to the development of tourism in the rural areas of these countries. Besides, the study enables the identification of recommendations and directions for sustainable common planning in the political–strategic, financial–economic, resource sustainability, and sociocultural fields.

The theoretical research of this study contributes to improving the state of the art of studies that, from the second half of the 1980s onwards, addressed the issue of the impact of return migration on rural development in Portugal by introducing the variable tourism development. To this end, 5,157 Portuguese emigrants were surveyed with the aim of assessing the impact of their return on tourism development in rural areas of Portugal. Results showed that those between the ages of 29 and 39 who have a house in their place of origin would like to return, invest and have employment in the area of tourism, as well as have a rural lifestyle in Portugal. Considering that traditional agriculture is also a characteristic of the Portuguese rural landscape, the same emigrants could contribute to its maintenance, since they would also like to practice agriculture, as a complementary activity and mainly for self-consumption.

Open access peer-reviewed chapter

Nowadays, the need for sustainable development and growth is considered as a maximum. Therefore, in Mediterranean territories, this issue is not dissociable as well. Nevertheless, this concept of sustainability, when applied to the environmental sphere, is not always fully considered and understood—as is the case of the landscape’s sustainability. Contextually, the present chapter intends to provide evidence of what way migrants and tourism businesses can change Mediterranean territories into sustainable landscapes. A Portuguese case study of 5,157 inquired migrants revealed that a significant percentage of them wish to return to their home country of origin to manage a tourism business and practice agriculture for self-consumption. This is owing to their tradition of practicing agriculture, where they generally do not employ insecticides and use simple techniques, as well as to the rural organization of the house and other cultivated lands they have scattered in their place of origin. Their similar experiences and migratory characteristics also lead us to argue there is a strong probability that migrants from Southern Europe and Mediterranean countries can also contribute to tourism development and sustainable landscapes in those countries.

Social carrying capacity is an additional dimension of tourism carrying capacity. This paper aims to provide further understanding beyond physical values describing carrying capacity for a touristic site on an island destination, namely, the Laurisilva of Madeira. This UNESCO site is the major tourist attraction on the island. The component of social carrying capacity was added to assess satisfaction levels registered in 481 completed questionnaires and find relevant factors reflecting social values and enjoyment while visiting the site. Nonparametric tests were performed to study the relationship between sociodemographic variables and satisfaction measurements. Statistically, cleanliness and natural conditions, trail amenities, trail conditions, environmental conditions, and pollution levels were the five dimensions relevant to gauging satisfaction related to visiting the natural heritage site. Social carrying capacity showed an average satisfaction of 71%, but mean scores concluded visitors to be only slightly satisfied and differences in satisfaction levels regarding the education level of respondents. These are essential dimensions for good site management and for planning management actions for the island destination. This method of analysis is feasible for site management and is complementary to the corresponding physical thresholds.