Sustainability Communication in Rural Tourism: Website Content Analysis, in Viseu Dão Lafões Region (Portugal)

Abstract

In the last few years, the relationship between tourism and sustainability has been consolidated. In the context of rural tourism, this connection is even stronger given the environmental specificities and the natural framework of this type of tourism. To achieve sustainability behaviors, it is crucial that rural tourism lodgings communicate their essence, as well the products and experiences available for tourists. This because it is a common practice for visitors to look for more information on the internet about where they will be staying, before booking their tourist experience. The main objective of this study is the analysis of the information provided by rural tourism lodgings, through their websites, regarding sustainability issues. The territory selected for the development of this study is the Portuguese Viseu Dão Lafões Region, located in the center of Portugal. Based on other studies, the methodology includes a content analysis, conducted on 39 rural tourism lodging websites. The results show that some improvements are needed, to clarify and emphasize the message about sustainable practices, in these rural lodgings. Some practical recommendations are provided, that can be adapted to these rural tourism lodgings, or others.

The Role of Pro-Environmental Behavior, Environmental Knowledge, and Eco-Labeling Perception in Relation to Travel Intention in the Hotel Industry

“…To achieve sustainability in the tourism industry, the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental aspects should be included in tourism planning and development because they will balance the development and consequently result in well-being in the destination [34,35]. In this process, the communication of sustainability is an essential factor for tourism business entities because it enables them to signal their sustainability efforts to their target market by promoting sustainable practices they implement and eco-certification programs they participate in [34]. Eco-certificates are one of the essential tools for communicating sustainability to third parties and, consequently, achieving sustainability in tourism [34].…”

“…In this process, the communication of sustainability is an essential factor for tourism business entities because it enables them to signal their sustainability efforts to their target market by promoting sustainable practices they implement and eco-certification programs they participate in [34]. Eco-certificates are one of the essential tools for communicating sustainability to third parties and, consequently, achieving sustainability in tourism [34]. There are many eco-labels available to tourism business entities [11], with Blue Flag, Green Key, EU Eco-label, and Ecocamping being some of the best-known eco-labels in the world.…”

Development of GIS-Based Rumah Gadang Tools as a Tourism Data Integrator for Halal Tourist Villages in West Sumatra, Indonesia

“…There is an opportunity to continue research on tourist villages, especially Information and Communications Technology (ICT) adoption, to improve performance and tourist visits [17]. In this case, ICT is precisely the website used as a promotional medium [24]- [28]. With a website, far-away tourist spots can be known by people from different parts of the world.…”

Matkailuyrityksen vakuuttava vastuullisuusviestintä

“…Nämä teemat, ja erityisesti asiakkaiden asenteisiin, käyttäytymiseen ja ostopäätökseen vaikuttaminen, ovat olleet tutkimuksen keskiössä myös matkailualan vastuullisuusviestinnän tutkimuksissa, joissa on keskitytty erityisesti vastuullisuusviestinnän kanaviin sekä viestin muotoiluun (esim. Babakhani ym., 2017;2020;Hardeman ym., 2017;Pato & Duque, 2021;Ponnapureddy ym., 2017Ponnapureddy ym., , 2020Villarino & Font, 2015;Wehrli ym., 2017). Sen sijaan viestien sisällöistä, etenkin kaikki vastuullisuuden eri osa-alueet huomioivasta näkökulmasta, ei ole riittävästi tietoa (Tölkes, 2018).…”