Factors that affect the perception of the tourist destination of Braga

Abstract

This study aims to understand the tourists’ perception about the city of Braga (Portugal), bearing in mind four explanatory dimensions for choosing a destination – Destination’s Loyalty; Destination’s Identity; Destination’s Competitiveness and Destinations’ Image. This approach introduces a multidimensional concept of a tourist destination as a relationship between tourists and the places they visit.
A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the administration of a structured questionnaire to a sample of 220 non-resident tourists in the city of Braga. Hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares and confirmed the four explanatory dimensions as variables impacting in the visitors’ perceptions of this tourist destination. Results suggest that some demographic variables have a statistically significant effect on the perception of this touristic destination. This study brought to the discussion four explanatory factors of tourist destinations, focusing on the city of Braga. It provides clear insights on what to consider when strategically planning on how to make or keep Braga as an interesting place for tourists to visit and keep coming back.