Animation and tourism: The role of animation in the tourism offer of the city of Peso da Régua

Abstract

This work deals with the theme of animation and tourism in the city of Peso da Régua. This city in the Vila Real district, is part of the Upper Douro region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its mixed heritage - natural and cultural. Its central location, next to the Douro River, gave him the central status of the region and its beauty attracts more and more tourists. In fact, tourism in the Douro has been proving to be a vital reality for this city. The municipality of Peso da Régua, has many natural resources, and all the tourist activity associated with them considered a booster that generates income through the various actors providing services in this locality. Given the importance of tourism strategy and the role that the activities hold, it has become a favorable sector for economic, social and cultural development of the territory where they develop. Thus, in this research, our objective: to know what the role of tourist activities in the city of Peso da Régua; the type of tourism available; existing activities, who organizes the activities, as well as a reflection on the role and profile of the tourist animators. In terms of methodology for this study resorted to a mixed approach, which included the following data collection tools: a) a questionnaire with 18 closed questions directed to 46 entities linked directly to tourism, seeking to better understand the reality that intended to investigate; b) individual interviews with 15 questions addressed to 4 existing tourist enterprises in this city.