SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL AND NAUTICAL TOURISM: CULTURAL AND TOURIST ENHANCEMENT NARRATIVE(S)

Abstract

In recent years there has been a strong growth in cultural and nautical tourism in Portugal. cultural tourism and nautical tourism have proven to be one of the main drivers of territorial development. In this study, it is important to observe the pressure caused on the cultural and nautical resources existing in the cultural and tourist destination, namely, the social, environmental, economic conditions and the quality of life of the resident population. The growing expansion of tourism due to the high flow of visitors, encourages the need to manage it according to sustainability parameters, that is, from the point of view of the responsible use of the resources that are explored. As a theoretical framework, this study, which will encompass cultural tourism and nautical tourism, intends to highlight sustainability from the conservation and enhancement of existing cultural references through the carrying capacity of resources, anchored in the definition of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), without which implies a change in the physical environment, a reduction in visitor satisfaction or the creation of adverse effects on the resident population. Given the importance of cultural tourism and nautical tourism in Portugal and, therefore, in the central region of the country, this study aims to understand the management involved in these two sectors of tourism in relation to the capacity of the spaces where activities are carried out. cultural and nautical tourism, opting for an exploratory methodological approach incident on the stakeholders. The results of this study point to the sustainable management of cultural and nautical tourism in a context of conservation and enhancement of existing resources combined with multimedia and the dynamics of the natural landscape in a perspective of cultural empowerment for the development of the territory.