Article: The importance of religious tourism segmentation for tourism destination management: the case of the island of S. Miguel, Azores Journal: World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development (WREMSD) 2013 Vol.9 No.2 pp.166 - 178 Abstract: The number of tourists visiting tourism destinations during religious festivities have been steadily increasing over the years. They are very important for destinations managers' officers (DMOs) in many places developing aggressive marketing and management strategies targeting religious festivities. Therefore, for destination management purposes it is important to identify the different characteristics of the different types of tourists that attend these festivities and the appropriate marketing strategies used to attract them more efficiently. This paper analyses the segmentation of tourists that attend the Ecce Homo religious festivities (EHF) in the island of S. Miguel, Azores. The island of S. Miguel is one of the nine islands of the Azores, an emergent tourism destination in Portugal. The research findings have some policy implications, particularly those related to the tourists' loyalty, the maximisation of tourism spending in the destination, the decrease in seasonality and the implementation of the right marketing strategies. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: The importance of religious tourism segmentation for tourism destination management: the case of the island of S. Miguel, Azores

Authors: Carlos M. Santos; Vitor Ambrósio; Antónia Correia; Rita Peres

Addresses: Universidade dos Açores, Apartado 1422, 9501 801 Ponta Delgada, Açores, Portugal ' Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril, 2769-510 Estoril, Portugal ' Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas 8005-239 Faro, Portugal ' Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril, 2769-510 Estoril, Portugal

Abstract: The number of tourists visiting tourism destinations during religious festivities have been steadily increasing over the years. They are very important for destinations managers' officers (DMOs) in many places developing aggressive marketing and management strategies targeting religious festivities. Therefore, for destination management purposes it is important to identify the different characteristics of the different types of tourists that attend these festivities and the appropriate marketing strategies used to attract them more efficiently. This paper analyses the segmentation of tourists that attend the Ecce Homo religious festivities (EHF) in the island of S. Miguel, Azores. The island of S. Miguel is one of the nine islands of the Azores, an emergent tourism destination in Portugal. The research findings have some policy implications, particularly those related to the tourists' loyalty, the maximisation of tourism spending in the destination, the decrease in seasonality and the implementation of the right marketing strategies.

Keywords: tourist segmentation; tourists; tourism destinations; destination management; destination marketing; San Miguel; Azores; Ecce Homo religious festivities; EHF; sustainable development; sustainability; religious tourism; tourist loyalty; tourist spending; seasonality.

DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2013.052357

World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2013 Vol.9 No.2, pp.166 - 178

Published online: 30 Jan 2014 *

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Title: The importance of religious tourism segmentation for tourism destination management: the case of the island of S. Miguel, Azores

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