Measuring the quality of tourist destinations: a Portuguese case

Research on the quality of tourist destinations has been developed from tourists’ perspective, particularly focusing on their experiences. However, considering the composite nature of a destination, other studies have pointed out that a more holistic point of view is necessary for integrated destination planning. This implies not only cooperation among multiple stakeholders, organized into a network and oriented towards values such as trust and transparency, but also the sustainable use of touristic resources. In this context, the purpose of this study is to establish a conceptual model that allows the measurement of the quality of tourist destinations, taking into consideration the concepts of governance and sustainability, besides the tourist experience. In this sense, this study proposes a holistic index, aiming to evaluate the quality of destinations from their multiple perspectives. According to the proposed index, the performance of a destination depends on these three main dimensions, each one measured by a set of sub-dimensions and indicators. Based on an international panel of experts, all the dimensions and sub-dimensions were weighted. Secondary data, as well as questionnaires administered to tourists, residents, and managers from the public sector, provided input for the selected indicators. This composite index was empirically tested using data from the region of the Algarve, the main Portuguese destination. This region performs well in the tourist experience dimension but reports problems regarding governance. Based on the results achieved, guidelines for transfer of knowledge to the main destination stakeholders are proposed. The findings allow the proposal of a set of practical recommendations and topics for future research.