Maria João Carneiro

Bio: Maria João Carneiro is an academic researcher from University of Aveiro. The author has contributed to research in topics: Tourism & Rural tourism. The author has an hindex of 20, co-authored 78 publications receiving 1231 citations.

The dimensions of rural tourism experience: impacts on arousal, memory, and satisfaction

Abstract: Rural tourism is driven by the search for unique and memorable experiences in particular settings, but knowledge on visitors’ experiences in rural destinations is still scarce. This paper analyzes ...

Landscape and the rural tourism experience: identifying key elements, addressing potential, and implications for the future.

Abstract: Rural tourism is an important development strategy for some rural areas. Landscape is central to the visitor's tourism experience. While the literature suggests that some rural landscape features are likely to attract visitors, research on the impact of landscape on the rural tourism experience is rather limited, and often confined to studies supported by visual stimuli (e.g. photos), ignoring the impact of the direct contact of visitors with the territory. This study overcomes some of these limitations by assessing visitors’ perceptions of the rural landscapes based on two villages in Portugal, while visitors were still in the villages. Vegetation type and colour, and built heritage, emerge as key experience elements for tourists, but they were followed by a complex group of largely non-visual stimuli, including sounds, smells, tastes, people contact, “nature” in its wider sense, and the past. The potential for sustainable tourism development based on this rich array of key elements is addressed, along w...

Host–guest relationships in rural tourism: evidence from two Portuguese villages

Abstract: Rural tourism is receiving increasing interest, but not all areas have the same tourism potential, whereas evidence also reveals negative impacts on tourism. It is therefore important to analyse the tourism phenomenon at the local scale and understand a most important dimension of the rural tourism experience – social interaction. This is sought and appreciated, for distinct reasons, by both tourists and local communities, but little is still known about concrete interactions taking place, how these are interpreted, and may become more satisfactory for all involved. These questions are discussed based on results of an in-depth, qualitative approach on rural tourism in two Portuguese villages, comparing perspectives of hosts and guests, as well as of two distinct destination realities.

Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste

Abstract: By Pierre Bourdieu (London: Routledge, 2010), xxx + 607 pp. £15.99 paper. A combination of social theory, statistical data, illustrations, and interviews, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judg...

Globalizing regional development: aglobal production networks perspective

Abstract: Recent literature concerning regional development has placed significant emphasis on local institutional structures and their capacity to ‘hold down’ the global. Conversely, work on inter-firm networks – such as the global commodity chain approach – has highlighted the significance of the organizational structures of global firms’ production systems and their relation to industrial upgrading. In this paper, drawing upon a global production networks perspective, we conceptualize the connections between ‘globalizing’ processes, as embodied in the production networks of transnational corporations, and regional development in specific territorial formations. We delimit the ‘strategic coupling’ of the global production networks of firms and regional economies which ultimately drives regional development through the processes of value creation, enhancement and capture. In doing so, we stress the multi-scalarity of the forces and processes underlying regional development, and thus do not privilege one particular geographical scale. By way of illustration, we introduce an example drawn from recent research into global production networks in East Asia and Europe. The example profiles the investments of car manufacturer BMW in Eastern Bavaria, Germany and Rayong, Thailand, and considers their implications for regional development.

The Competitive Destination: a Sustainable Tourism Perspective

Abstract: As the title of this book identifies clearly, the authors combine the concepts of competitiveness and sustainability, which some may feel are difficult to reconcile, to provide guidance to enhance the management of tourism destinations. The contents of this book are not novel for it does not contain new insights on the topics that are covered or fresh case studies. However, it is innovative in that it introduces, within the same document, competitiveness and sustainability, embellishes these concepts and uses them to develop a conceptual framework. The explication of this framework is both the objective and content of the book. The focus is upon tourism destinations. The emphasis is on places with multiple attractions and accommodation establishments but the framework has applicability to countries and larger regions; states counties and smaller places; and there is also much of utility to the individual operator. The authors are devotees of Porter whose seminal works underpin their thinking, albeit with modifications to fit tourism.