A century of tourism regionalization: dynamics of portuguese regional tourism management

Abstract

For about a century, Portugal has been experiencing a regionalization of the tourism territory management. Crossing three political regimes since its origin, the approach to regional management has changed according to the political regime, but also with the evolution of tourism demand. Thus, between 1920 and the present, we witness seven moments of change in regional management policy, not all of which represent a real rupture with the past. The different approaches adopted have developed in a winding way, leading to a multiplication of local and regional entities, and taking to an overlapping of responsibilities, creating difficulties in the management of the territory. More recently, the elimination of the numerous dispersed governmental entities has permitted the responsibility for regional management to be focused on one entity per region, something unprecedented. Thus, this essay allows us to know through an analysis of the legislation, the evolution of nearly a century of regional tourism policies, the events that catalyzed them, and the fruits of these transformations.

Keywords
Regional management; Regional Tourism Entities; Initiative committees; Tourism Areas; Tourism Development Areas