Analysing the Public Administration and Decision-Makers Perceptions Regarding the Potential of Rural Tourism Development in the Azores Region

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation UNWTO [25] defined tourism as "(…) the activities of persons traveling and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes." Based on this definition, three characteristics should be included: (i) transportation outside; (ii) reason for traveling; and (iii) the maximum number of days stayed [26].

Contextually, tourism development improves tourism facilities or activities to attract visitors, including the sustainability of these activities with the benefit for tourists, community members, and the tourism destination. The resilience of a tourism destination should be advanced [27].

2.1 Rural tourism and regional development

Among the several tourism typologies, there are some more connected with rural tourism activity. Therefore, considering this research's scope, agritourism, ecotourism, nature-based tourism, or wine tourism deserve a closer look.

In this regard, agritourism can be defined as an activity, which inspires travelers to visit farms [28]. Different forms of agritourism exist, specifically farm, farm-based and rural tourism [29]. Sonnino [30] defines an agricultural producer’s and their family’s hospitality actions that link to any form of farming. Barbieri and Mshenga [31] identified agritourism as the operation developed to draw visitors to an operative farm. In some cases, these visitors are from urban areas rather than rural areas in which the farm is located [27]. Most of these individuals farm as substance farming. Here we exclude commercial farming, which is on a wider scale. Examples of agritourism include wine tourism, farmers’ markets, or fruit picking, are just some examples.

Ecotourism aims to generate knowledge, generate capital for conservation, improve attention of cultures, and lastly, better regional communities, economic inclusion, and political power [27-29]. This kind of tourism brings tourists to a region that encompasses the fauna, flora, and culture. In this sense, we also have geotourism, a tourism type that means recognizing the physical environment that cultivates conservation through education and other procedures [32]. As examples of geotourism activities, we have geo–trails, protected area visits, or guided tours [27-29].

Wine tourism includes more than only the consumption of wine [27]. In fact, authors as Mitchell and Li [33] differentiated among primary wine tourism, which is for wine tasting and procurement, and secondary or ‘peripheral’ wine tourism motivations - i.e., festivals and gastronomy. Also, wine consumption close to the area where the wine was made is identified as wine tourism or enotourism [27, 28].

2.2 Rural tourism and regional development

Besides all the already knew benefits of developing tourism in a region as economic profit, the growth of a tourism destination could bring a sense of pride for local communities - i.e., cherishing culture and history [26].

Furthermore, event tourism raises the attention and encourages local relationships; also, well–organized events could create a positive image of a tourism destination [34].

According to authors as Smith [35], government authorities on a national, regional, and local level significantly impact tourism development through their policy implementation. Moreover, though the relationship between the development of the tourism industry and socio–economic progress has been investigated and accepted as an existing association, this relationship's impact has not been studied to the degree that it is meaningful [35]. Preservation of the environment could likewise be made feasible by tourism activities creating an income [27]. According to Rizzi and Graziano [36, 37], the tourism industry popularises resources and creates new destination images in terms of regional and local economic development.

2.3 Sustainable development and rural tourism in the Azores region

Nowadays, in the Azores Autonomous Region, tourism management models and those for regional socio-economic development include the basic principles of sustainability, centering on preserving and conserving the islands’ endogenous resources. Technical documents as the Regional Sustainable Development Plan for the Autonomous Region of the Azores (PREDSA), the Tourism Spatial Development Plan for the Autonomous Region of the Azores (POTRAA), the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization in the Azores (RIS3 Azores), or the Strategic and Marketing Plan for Tourism in the Azores (PEMTA) completely stress these problems, addressing them proper benchmarks of regional development [38].

Scholars as Couto et al. [39] state that "the Azores have received several international awards and distinctions in recognition of the islands' sustainable development and sustainable tourism." Unique classifications and labels – i.e., Biosphere Reserve, OSPAR Convention, RAMSAR Convention, Natura 2000 Network, and World Heritage, have also been assigned to some natural areas and heritage sites. Lately, the Azores was designated the "Best Sustainable Destination in the Atlantic," a significant achievement for the Region's tourism and an acknowledgment of the quality of tourism on the islands, since the Azores' governing bodies continue to strengthen the destination's position regarding sustainability issues. Contextually, the process to approve the Region as a "Sustainable Destination" according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria is currently underway. Should it be granted, it will be an unprecedented certification of destinations in the archipelago, strengthening the Region as a benchmark destination and bringing with it new competitive advantages [38].

Nature-based tourism strengthens the Azores as a tourism destination, not only regarding the contemplative aspects and ecotourism but also through action and engaging activities. A tourist can quietly contemplate the islands' landscape, be very active, experience unforgettable emotions, and enjoy memorable experiences [40]. Thus, nature-based tourism, particularly the active segment, was selected as the Azores' tourism development priority product. As the core product in the region's strategy guides the destination's positioning and its promotional actions. In order to diversify the offering, nautical tourism, cultural and landscape touring, and health and wellness tourism were selected as complementary sectors [38].

Generally, the Azores' strategic planning as a tourist destination has been carried out with particular care regarding sustainability, despite some flaws. Due to the need to protect the region's competitive advantages – i.e., its natural assets and high levels of sustainability – a suitable model must be followed, at the same time as new products are developed, in order to increase the value of the experiences in the region and to boost the destination's ability to evolve. NEAT (Nature, Eco, and Adventure Tourism [41]), imbued with sustainability principles, can be critical products in this paradigm. These are the ideals that underlie the PEMTA, which has chosen active nature-based tourism as the destination's priority.

The results listed below are given by direct analysis by the performed interviews.

The interview starts collecting the sociodemographic aspects of the participants (Table 1). Of the 45 participants in the study, 44.4% are female, and 55.6% male. The respondents were divided into three age groups: 18-35, 36-50, and 51-65. The most representative group was the 36–50-years-old group (44.4%), followed by 18-35 (37.8%), with the least representative age group being the 51-65 years (17.8%). The participants' academic degree most representative was University education (80.0%), and the least representative was basic education (0.0%). Also, 97.8% of the participants were natives from the Azores Region.

In Table 2 are shown the three main aspects that respondents associate most with Rural Tourism, which are: (i) Bed and breakfast in a rural context (option marked by 80.0% of respondents and corresponds to 32.4% of the answers given); (ii) Country house (71.1% of respondents; 28.8% of responses); and (iii) Rural Hotel or Guesthouse (44.4% of respondents; 18.0% of responses).

Table 1. Sociodemographic aspects of the participants

Table 2. Associations with rural tourism

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Table 3. Closed-up questions (i)

After, closed-up questions (i – Table 3 and ii – Table 4) were made to assess the participants' rural tourism experiences. Both tables presents two questions each (Table 3, questions A and A1, and Table 4, questions B and B1). More than half (56.8%) of the Decision-makers and Public Administrators respondents reported that they had already had some (at least one) experience of Rural Tourism in the Azores. Of these, 60.0% rated the experience lived in this context as “Very Good,” 20.0% as “Excellent,” 16.0% as “Good” and 4.0% as “Satisfactory,” thus, leaving the possibility of improving the experience/offer of Rural Tourism in the Azores Region (Table 3).

In this regard, through the analysis of Table 4 it is possible to understand that the vast majority believe that rural tourism has increased in the Azores Region's last decade (90.2%). Regional development has been positive and has positively impacted the local population (97.6%).

In order to understand which activities and themes contributed the most to the Azores Region's development in the last years, an open question was made, and the answers were grouped by thematic options (Table 5). The decision to group the answers by themes was due to the considerable number of different answers collected – once, this was an open question in the interview. In the opinion of the respondents, it is possible to verify that the investment on tourism was the option that most contributed to this development.

Table 4. Closed-up questions (ii)

Table 5. Activities that contributed the most for the development - grouped options

Table 6. Main aspects that lead tourists to choose the Azores to carry out their experience of Rural Tourism

In this sense, the participants were also asked about the main aspects that lead tourists to choose the Azores to carry out the Rural Tourism experience (Table 6). In the perception of respondents, the main aspects that lead tourists to choose the Azores to carry out their experience of Rural Tourism are the Landscape (100% of respondents), Classification of the destination on the Internet and in books/guides (88.9%), On the recommendation of others / Based on the experiences of others (86.7%), Culture (70.5%) and Gastronomy (68.9%).

Furthermore, it was carried out an Ascendant Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (AHCA) of the items of Table 6. These items assessed the aspects that lead tourists to choose the Azores to carry out their rural tourism experience. Therefore, this analysis was carried out based on the Ochiai coefficient (Table 7) and in the aggregation criteria Single-Linkage, Complete-Linkage, and Average-Linkage [42].

According to the values of the global statistics of levels, STAT (e.g., [43, 44], the best partition (STAT = 4,1713) is the following partition into 4 clusters (level 4), obtained by all used aggregation criteria:

• Cluster 1: {2- Classification of the destination on the internet and/or in books/guides, 6-Landscape, 7-On the recommendation of others / Based on experiences of others, 4-Culture, 5-Gastronomy};
• Cluster 2: {1- Adventure related activities};
• Cluster 3: {3-Weather};
• Cluster 4: {8-Other}.

Figure 2 shows the dendrogram provided by Singe-Linkage method. It should be noted that the first cluster contains the five main aspects that lead tourists to choose the Azores to carry out their experience of Rural Tourism, and that the remaining three clusters are singletons. Thus, the preservation of the landscape, culture and gastronomy must be a strong bet, as well as the updating, creating or / and maintaining high quality web sites and books / guides. On the other hand, the offer of Adventure related activities may also be a differential factor in terms of choosing the Azores for the more adventurous.

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1- Adventure related activities; 2- Classification of the destination on the internet and/or in books/guides; 3-Weather; 4-Culture; 5-Gastronomy; 6-Landscape; 7- On the recommendation of others / Based on experiences of others; 8-Other

Figure 2. Dendrogram using Average-Linkage (Between groups) method

Table 7. Proximity matrix containing the values of the Ochiai coefficient between pairs of items

Table 8. The most relevant aspects for a Rural Tourism activity's success in the Azores Region

Also, a question about which was the most relevant aspects for a Rural Tourism activity's success was asked (Table 8). In this regard, the aspects that respondents (Decision-makers and Public Administration) most values for the success of an activity related to Rural Tourism are the Attractive Landscape, the Condition of Infrastructures, Location and quiet and calm surroundings, and Easy, safe, and secure booking process - transparent. On the other hand, the aspects that they least value are the aspects included in the “Other” category, Proximity to sports infrastructures, Proximity to places of entertainment (Bars, discotheques, etc.), as well as the Frequency and quality of Events taking place in the area.

Contextually, and based on the critical factors identified by Castanho et al. [45] for territorial success in peripheral territories, the participants were asked to address their importance to each one of those factors for the success of the ultra-peripheral region of the Azores (Table 9). About the success of the Rural Tourism activity in the Azores, respondents (decision-makers and public administration) assign greater importance to the following factors, considered critical for success and territorial sustainability: “Protection and conservation of Nature” and “Greater commitment and political transparency.” On the other hand, they attribute less importance to factors in the “Other” category.

Moreover, a question was made to the participants to understand which is in their perception the best channel to divulgate the Rural Tourism (Figure 3). The majority (55.6%) of respondents believe that the most crucial channel in disseminating Rural Tourism activity is the one referring to booking pages/websites. In the perception of the decision-makers / Public Administration surveyed, the second most important channel is the one related to social networks (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, ...), as shown in Figure 3.

Besides, the interview has two questions regarding which factors could influence negatively (Table 10) and positively (Table 11) the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores. In the perception of the respondents, the factors that can most negatively influence the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores are Accessibility and transport (option marked by more than half of the respondents (53.3%); corresponds to 18.5% of the answers); Resistance to change by the population (28.9% of respondents); Regional policies (28.9%); Monopolization of the Rural Tourism activity (28.9%); and the economic power of the consumer (an option highlighted by almost ¼ of the respondents (24.4%).

In the perception of respondents, the factors that can most positively influence the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores are Marketing (option marked by 66.7% of individuals), Skilled labor (60%), Accessibility and transport (53.3%), Regional policies (26.7%) and Local policies (22.2%). Also, it should be noted that the workforce qualification (low or high) can negatively or positively affect the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores, as well as the accessibility and transport (bad or good), can negatively or positively affect the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores.

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Figure 3. Distribution of respondents according to the Rural Tourism activity dissemination channel that they consider most important

Table 9. The critical factors for the success of the ultra-peripheral region of the Azores, in the perspective of the respondents

So, the study also analyzed which is the modality that contributes the most to the development of the Region Rural Tourism (Table 12). in the perception of 73.7% (approximately 74%) of the respondents, the modality of Tourism that most contributes to the development and socioeconomic strengthening of the Region is Rural Tourism.

Contextually, two questions were made regarding identifying the main benefits of this typology of tourism, from the participants' point of view, for the Region (Table 13) and the local communities (Table 14).

In the perception of the respondents (Decision-makers and Public Administration), the main benefits of this type of tourism for the Region are, in order of importance, the "Job creation" (option marked by 60% of respondents; corresponds to 20% of the total of valid answers), the "Attraction of new tourists" (option marked by 44.4% of the respondents), the "Development of trade, services, and activities" (42.2%) and "Strengthening of the regional economy" (40%).

In the perception of respondents (Decision-makers and Public Administration), the main benefits of this type of tourism for local communities are Job creation (option marked by 68.9% of respondents), Strengthening the local economy (68.9%), To counter local desertification (42.2%) and the development of trade, services and activities (40%).

Table 10. The factors that could influence negatively the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores, in the respondents perspective

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Table 11. The factors that could influence positively the activity of Rural Tourism in the Azores, in the respondents perspective

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Table 12. The modality that contributes the most to the development of the Region Rural Tourism, in the participants' perspectives

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Table 13. The main benefits of rural tourism for the Azores Region from the participants' point of view

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Table 14. The main benefits of rural tourism for the Azores Local Communities from the participants' point of view