A study on the tourist experiences in the Peneda-Gerês National Park: impact on satisfaction, loyalty and recommendations

Abstract

This study aims to validate the multidimensional concept of a tourist destination by correlating the tourist's relationship with the lived experience. It is intended to evaluate the experience lived in the Peneda-Gerês National Park through five tourist sensorial dimensions: i. perception; ii. feeling of place (identification); iii. destination image; iv. equity and v. loyalty to destination. For this purpose, an online survey was carried out with a sample population of 265 non-residents in the Peneda-Gerês National Park territory. A multivariate analysis was performed to the collected data; it made it possible to validate the experience lived in the Peneda-Gerês National Park through the 5 sensory factors considered in the research. Results prove that some demographic variables have an important impact on the toruists’ experience and, consequently, in the image of the Peneda-Gerês National Park., This work allowed validating the importance of the five sensory factors in terms of building the image of a tourist destination, as well as identifying, through the tourist's experience, which are the most relevant aspects that allow systematizing a set of endogenous factors associated with an interesting tourist destination for future visits and/or suggestions for other visitors.