Gastronomic tourism has become a dynamic segment within the tourism sector, serving as a vital tool for the economic, cultural, and environmental growth of regions that emphasize culinary experiences. This study examines the motivations of young food-motivated tourists (“foodies”) and their impact on travel choices and destination development. Using a quantitative methodology, data were collected from 170 respondents (131 valid answers) in Portugal. The data were collected through the PTFoodies survey, a tool specifically designed by the authors to analyze tourist motivations and their connections to destination attributes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified five key factors—endogenous products, local gastronomy, quality and innovation, authenticity and tradition, and diversity—revealing a balance between sustainability, local authenticity, and openness to innovation in tourist preferences. Additionally, correlation analysis highlighted significant relationships between motivations, such as the strong association between an interest in culinary routes and event participation and between local product appreciation and the preference for organic food. These findings contribute to both theory and practice by refining motivational theories specific to gastronomic tourism, offering insights into destination development strategies and emphasizing sustainable practices that resonate with tourists’ preferences. The study provides destination managers with actionable strategies to attract food-motivated tourists and foster sustainable community growth through gastronomic tourism.

A quality assessment scale in tourism was constructed in five dimensions: economic, development, human resources, marketing and product. We presents the research findings for the economic dimension, aiming to understand the perception of Portuguese public decision makers at the local level. Using survey methodology, a sample of Portuguese municipalities was used for data collection. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed, and three factors supported quality assessment regarding economics: development strategy (F1), economic factors of demand (F2), and financial incentives (F3). Results focus on the validation of the psychometric properties of this measuring instrument, identifying key issues for future research.

This paper aims to fill a gap in the existing research about the internationalization of tourism destinations through a systematic review of the literature focusing on publications presented between 2007 and 2017. The research followed the assumptions of the non-probabilistic snowball sampling technique. In addition, the computer programs VosViewer, for bibliometric analysis, and NVivo 10, for content analysis were used. Tourism destinations’ internationalization is a combination of: (i) integration of organizational interest with stakeholders’ interests; (ii) understanding that what moves these elements are endogenous and exogenous business opportunities; (iii) integrating external opportunities in the destination by aligning them with its territorial identity; (iv) achieving coherence between the previous three components through the implementation of a governance model; (v) a governance model that facilitates the destination’s organization by conciliating interests, resources and opportunities; (vi) and the DMOs that coordinate the dynamics generated between the elements of this system, making it possible to organize the supply following its territorial identity. The internationalization process of tourism destinations highlights factors different from the internationalization of companies. In the first scenario, politics, planning, and territory internationalization strategies should target different kinds of reflections according to the level of intervention (local, regional, national or international). In the second, it is essential that supply is aware of investment opportunities abroad, financial packages to support businesses, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The current period exposed the fragility of the tourism sector and how external threats can influence it. Thinking about the internationalization of tourism destinations shows how important it is to organize the tourism offer in accordance with the challenges the sector faces, at the same time as explaining the role of DMOs. Until now, this theme has been mainly studied from the perspective of demand, creating a gap in the existing knowledge about the organizational systems.

Tourism product competitiveness depends on innovation and quality levels and on its capacity to reflect the destinations’ identity. For these reasons and inspired by the EC and UNWTO recommendations we developed a tourism quality scale, adapted to the Portuguese reality, which is supported by 5 subscales. This paper focuses on the validation of the tourism product subscale, which was tested among local public stakeholders, specifically Portuguese municipalities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed and three factors supported quality measurement regarding the tourism product: (1) services; (2) resources and attractions; and (3) accessibilities and infrastructures. Results demonstrate there are theoretical and practical implications and the conclusions provide useful insights for future research.

This chapter presents a qualitative study, resulting from a systematic literature review using a text analysis technique through the NVivo software, version 10.0. This technique involves grouping words that reveal semantic similarity to each other and results indicate that considerations around soft and hard skills in tourism have been different over time. In short, it might be said that it is hard skills that lead people to job interviews, but it is soft skills that allow them to be recruited for employment. Hence, it is the combination of the two skill types that enables people to have a job in the tourism industry, manage a career, and contribute to the differentiation of tourism companies in the tourism global marketplace that tends to be increasingly competitive.