A importância da sustentabilidade ambiental na decisão de escolha de produtos e serviços turísticos

Abstract

The theme of this dissertation is the importance of environmental sustainability in the decision to choose tourism products and services. Tourism, a social phenomenon of significant global relevance, has shown constant and impactful growth on the world stage. Sustainability has become a crucial issue, given the significant influence that tourism has on destinations, both positively and negatively. The massification of tourism has brought with it a series of environmental challenges, such as pollution, degradation of natural resources and negative impacts on biodiversity. The need for sustainable practices is imperative in order to balance tourism development with environmental preservation, ensuring that destinations can be enjoyed by future generations without compromising their natural and cultural resources. Thus, the choice of this topic is justified by the growing relevance of enviromental sustainability in the tourism sector. Given the importance of tourism to the global economy and its impact on the environrnent, the aim is to understand the influence of sustainability on tourist behavior, specifically in the choice of tourism products and services. This study adopted a descriptive design by applying an online questionnaire to a non-probabilistic convenience sample of tourists. The main conclusions point to: tourists attach greater importance to environmental sustainability in nature activities and sports/adventure activities; they show a positive attitude towards sustainable practices and are willing to pay a little more for services that promote sustainability; they consider themselves well-informed about environmental issues and believe that sustainable destinations provide a more satisfying experience.

Date of Award	20 Feb 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ana Maria Pinto Lima Salazar (Supervisor)