OriginalScientificArticle
SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
inthePortugalCentralRegion
RuiAugustodaCosta
UniversityofAveiro,Spain
rui.costa@ua.pt
InêsMoleiro
UniversityofAveiro,Spain
i.moleiro@ua.pt
MariaFernandaBrasete
UniversityofAveiro,Spain
mbrasete@ua.pt
Tourism and sports are both the fastest and largest growing sectors, and sports
tourismhasapositiveimpactonthedevelopmentoftourism.Consideringtheover-
allpotentialofsportstourism,thisresearchaimstounderstandtheimportanceof
High-PerformanceCentresasasupportforthedevelopmentandgrowthofsports
tourismindestinations.Aqualitativemethodologywasdeveloped,structuredinthe
followingstages:(i)acharacterisationoftheHigh-PerformanceSportsCentres,(ii)
a swot analysisanda tows analysisofthistypeofinfrastructure,followedby(iii)
sixinterviewscarriedoutwiththemanagersofsevenHigh-PerformanceCentresof
theCentralRegionofPortugal.Itispossibletoseethattourismhasapositiverolein
theCentralRegionintermsofemploymentandinimprovingthelivingconditionsof
thelocals,contributingtoincreasedemploymentintheregionwhich,consequently,
leadstoanincreaseinpercapitaincomeandanimprovementinthequalityoflife
ofthe population. The mainconclusionshave shown thatsportstourismcan be a
differentiatingproductthatmeetsthenewneedsofthevisitorthatnolongerwants
onlypassiveholidays,butdemandsactiveones,seekingtobeemergedindifferenti-
atedexperiencesduringatrip.Inthisway,itiscrucialthattourismstakeholdersbe
awareofthenewvisitor’sprofile,adaptingitsservicestomeetthetouristneeds.
Keywords:tourism,High-Performance-Centres,tourismdestinations,Central
RegionofPortugal
https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.15.111-121
Introduction
Tourism and sport have been intertwined in history
formanycenturies(Redmond,1991)sincetheOlympic
Games of Ancient Greece or the games held in the
Roman Empire. However, as it is understood today,
sports tourism had its genesis in the mid-twentieth
century and currently holds very significant impor-
tance. Sports tourism emergedat the time when the
points of contact between sports and tourism grew
significantly.
Thus, tourism and sport ended up intersecting
with common activities, contexts,and practices,and
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
from this connection sports tourism was then born
(Redmond, 1991), a term which began to be used in
sports-related travel (Carvalho & Lourenço, 2009;
Gibson,2008).
Sportstourismhasapositiveimpactonthedevel-
opment of tourism (Soedjatmiko, 2015). Sport influ-
encesthelifecycleofdestinationsandcanbeaform
of rejuvenation of tourist destinations, and the same
occursinrelationtotourismwhichinfluencesthelife
cycleofsports(Hinch&Higham,2001;2011).Tourism
andsportsactivitiesareimportantsourcesofincome
andemploymentformanycountries.Sportgenerates
tourismflowsinthedestination(Higham,1999),gen-
eratesincome(Yu,2010),createsemploymentoppor-
tunities(Nezakatietal.,2013)andgeneratesdynamics
at the territorial level, namely through the improve-
mentofthedestinationtourismofferintermsoffacil-
ities or infrastructure (Nordin, 2008; Nezakati et al.,
2013;Quintasetal.2021).Sportstourismusestheex-
istingfacilitiesandinfrastructuresinthedestinations,
likeHigh-PerformanceCentres(hpcs)thatcanthem-
selvesgenerateattraction,contributetovisitorloyalty
andincreasethecompetitivenessofdestinations.
Therefore,to develop the sports and tourismsec-
tor, various studies should be performed within the
scopeofsportstourism.Thisresearchaimstounder-
standtheimportanceofHigh-PerformanceCentresas
a support for the development and growth of sports
tourismindestinations.Toachievetheintendedgoal,
a qualitative methodology was developed. Six inter-
viewswerecarriedoutwiththemanagersoftheHigh-
PerformanceCentresoftheCentralRegionofPortu-
gal,tounderstandtheimportanceofthesetypesofin-
frastructures in visitor attraction, seasonality reduc-
tion, income generationand increase in the compet-
itivenessoftourismdestinations.
Thispaperisorganisedineightsections.Afterthe
introduction,thesecondandthethirdsectionreview
theliteratureaddressingthemaintopicsunderanaly-
sis,namely,sportsandtourismandhigh-performance
sports. The fourth section presents the definition of
High-PerformanceCentresanditsimportancetothe
developmentofdestinations.Thefifthsectionisded-
icatedtothemethodologyusedinthecollectionand
treatment of information. The sixth section analy-
sestheHigh-PerformanceCentres,theirgeographical
distributionand swot analysis.Theseventhsection
discusses the results obtained, and finally, the main
conclusionsarepresentedintheeightsection.
SportsandTourism:ConceptualFramework
andDimensions
Untilthe1990s,sportwasonlyaddressedasageneral
orevenincidentalcontextintourismresearch,rather
than as its central focus (Hinch & Higham, 2001).
Tourism and sport have walked side by side in his-
toryformanycenturies(Redmond,1991),forexample,
theOlympicGamesinAncientGreeceortheRoman
Games. But the origin of this concept is associated
with the mid-20th century. Pigeassou et al. (2003, p.
6)arguethatsportisacomplementaryactivitywhich
differentiatesthetouristsupply,thusbecomingbene-
ficialfortourism.
However,thepointsofcontactbetweensportsand
tourism have grown dramatically and it has become
essentialtocreateaconceptthatconceptualisestheir
junction (Redmond, 1991). Thus, we have witnessed
theemergenceofSportsTourism,whichcomestofill
theneedforamoredetaileddescriptionofthesport
practicedinleisuretravel(Gibson,1998;Kurtzman&
Zauhar, 2003; Pigeassou, 2004), whose demand has
been increasing over the years (Hinch & Higham,
2011).
Gibson(1998)definessportstourismasthetravels
that people make from the place of their permanent
residencetomonitororparticipateinsportsactivities.
Theconceptofsportstourismthusimpliesadynamic
flowoftravelthathashithertobeenlargelyignoredby
thoseinterestedinthefieldoftourismandsports.But,
inturn,itdoesnotgounnoticedbythepublic,norby
theindustrywhichmustrespondquicklytoeveryde-
mand(Hinch&Higham,2001).
As noted, sports tourism is a broad concept, and
thereisstillnoconsensualdefinitionofsportstourism
(Sofield,2003).Table1systematisestheconceptsmost
used.
AccordingtoCarvalhoandLourenço(2009,p.
123),fourfactorscanbelistedthatareessentialtoun-
derstand the importance in society of the synergies
between sports and tourism: (i) the increase in the
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
Table 1 DefinitionsofSportsTourism
Definition Author
Travellingawayfromhometowatchor
participateinasportsactivity
Hall()
Wherethetouristisatemporaryvisitor,
whostaysforatleasttwenty-fourhours
aroundasportsevent,withthepurposeof
participating
Nogawaet
al.()
Thetouristcomeswiththeintentionof
practisingsportforleisureorfortraining
withouttheintentionofcompeting,ina
placewherephysicalavailabilityischarac-
terised
Goidanich
&Moletta
()
Asetofactivitieswheresportisthebasisof
thetourismproject
Pigeassouet
al.()
Allsportsactivitiesinwhichtouriststake
part,eitherasparticipantsorspectators
Lourenço
()
Aleisure-basedtripthattemporarilyre-
movesindividualsfromtheirlocalcommu-
nitytoparticipateinphysicalactivities,to
attendphysicalactivitiesortovenerateat-
tractionsassociatedwithphysicalactivities
Weed(;
)
durationofleisuretime;(ii)theconcentrationofpop-
ulations around urban centres; (iii) the evolution of
meansoftransport;and(iv)theincreasein purchas-
ingpower.
SportsTourismasaSupportfortheDevelopment
andGrowthofTourisminDestinations
Overtime,therehavebeenmoreandmorestudiesand
researchaboutsportstourism.Thisgrowinginterest,
in the opinion of Kurtzman and Zauhar (1993) and
Gammon and Robinson (2003), is essentially due to
five reasons: (1) increased popularity of major sports
events;(2)greaterawarenessofthebenefits,interms
ofhealth,linkedtoactiveparticipationinsportsactiv-
ities;(3)thevaluegivenby governmentandtourism
authoritiestosport,foritspositiveimpactontheecon-
omy and international relations; (4) a more varied
sportscalendar,withatouristofferofeventsthrough-
outtheyear,freeforparticipantsandspectators;and
(5)easeofcommunicationandtravelofpeople,dueto
theadvancementofnewtechnologiesandinfrastruc-
tures.
Although sports literature does not focus on des-
tinations, it has nevertheless explored sustainability
issues, which at the local level can be categorised in
a holistic three-prongedapproach,incorporatingen-
vironmental, socio-cultural, and economic impacts
(Andersson&Lundberg,2013).Focusingonthesocio-
culturalrealm,namelytheformsofsustainabilitythat
can beaddressedbysportdevelopmentprogrammes
(Lindsey, 2008, p. 2), suggeststhatsustainability ‘has
becomeubiquitousinthepoliticsandpracticeofsport
development,’suchasintheroleofparticipatorysport
programmesincommunitypromotion(Schulenkorf,
2012).
This ability of sport to be a way to counteract
theseasonalitypatternsoftouristdestinationsisfun-
damental since it can create heterogeneous demand
flows in tourist destinations (Garau-Vadell & Borja-
Solé, 2008; Higham, 2005; Hinch & Higham, 2001;
2011). Through strategies it is possible to counter-
acttheseseasonalfluctuationsindemand,andsport,
forHigham(2005,p.159),canbeawaytochange
or improveseasonalitypatterns.Furthermore,sports
tourismhasthecapacitytobringtouriststomorein-
landareasofthecountry.Forexample,naturesports
tourismattractstouriststolesspopulatedareas,but
with footpaths and other factors of interest to prac-
titioners. This allows less developed areas, through
sports tourism, to grow and become more attractive
todomesticandforeignvisitors.
Sportstourismmayalsoconstituteameansofus-
ing alreadyexisting facilities and infrastructuresand
may contribute towards visitor loyalty which is an-
other positive impact to be highlighted and which
leads to an increase at destination competitiveness
level(Podovšovnik&Lesjak2016).Muchoftheimage
and atmosphere of a destination results in part from
thetangibilityassociatedwiththedestinationandthat,
inturn,stemsfromthepresenceofinfrastructuresthat
canthemselvesgeneratetheattraction.
To be recommended, a destination must build a
favourableimage,offeringinfrastructuresandservices
that, at first, facilitate access to it and, subsequently,
enhance the experience of differentiated experiences
(Carvalho&Lourenço,2009;Waśkowski,2016).This
isinlinewiththeopinionofHigham(1999,p.83)when
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
he statesthatsportstourismcan stimulate theimage
ofadestinationandpromotetheterritoryasatourist
destination,especiallyduetothemediacoveragethat
manyofthemmanagetoaccomplish.
Thus,sporthascometoplayaleadingroleinterms
ofmarketingandisusedinadvertisinginwhichvisi-
torscanbeseenwatchingorplayingasportatthedes-
tinationaswellasvisitingtouristattractions(Hinch&
Higham,2001;2004;Redmond,1991).Sportstourism
canalsocontributetotheidentityofthedestination.
Severalauthorsagreethatsportisoneoftheelements
thatconstitutethecultureofanationandhelpstoform
itsidentity,reflectingandinfluencingthecultureofa
countryandactingincertaincasesasasymbolofthat
culture(Hinch & Higham,2001; 2004;2011; Torkild-
sen,2005;Yu,2010).
In relation to negative impacts, it is worth men-
tioningthecoststhatitbringsormaybringtothe
destination. Some individuals also address the issue
of managing and safeguarding the destination’s re-
sources,bothnaturalandforlocalcommunities,pre-
servingitsauthenticityandattractiveness,inlinewith
thatindicatedbyHinchandHigham(2001,p.55),who
argue that the dependence of sports on the destina-
tion’sphysicalresourcesmustbetakenintoconsider-
ation, as well as the impact of sports tourism on the
touristlandscape.
High-PerformanceCentres
AHigh-PerformanceCentreis‘anoperationalunit
whichcombinesaspecificanddiversifiedsetofsports
facilitiesandmultidisciplinarysupportservices,whose
purpose is the improvement of sports performance,
providinghighperformanceathletesorthosewhoare
part of national teams with adequate conditions for
sportspreparation’(Marcolino&Baganha,2011,p.5).
Itsmissionisprimarilytomeettheneedsofsportsfed-
erations and it aims to pursue objectives such as de-
tectingandenhancingsportstalent,enablingintern-
ships,evaluating,controllingandoptimisingtraining,
scientific research and monitoring results (Fundação
doDesporto,n.d.).
Böhlke and Robinson (2009, p. 81) argue that the
resultsderivedfromtheHigh-PerformanceSportsof
a country are in line with the sports system of that
samecountryaswellasappropriatetoitsspecificre-
ality. This is because a top sports model can only be
definedwiththepresenceofinfrastructuresandpro-
cessestoidentify,developandtrainathletesforinter-
nationalsportssuccess.
TheEuropeanCharterforSport(ConselhodaEu-
ropa, 1992, p. 7), mentions that ‘since the practice
of sport depends in part on the number and diver-
sity of facilities and on their accessibility, it is up to
public authorities to make their overall implementa-
tion,takingintoaccountnational,regionalandlocal
requirements, as well as existing public, private and
commercial facilities.’ Infrastructure investment and
criticalconsiderationofcivicinvestmentinsportsfa-
cilitieswillcontinuetobeimportant(Scherer&Sam,
2008). To achieve the differentiation of the national
tourist supply, investmenthas been made in the cre-
ationofspecialisedinfrastructureswithexcellentcon-
ditionsforthepracticeofsportsforsegmentsofHigh-
PerformanceSport.
The existence of High-Performance Sports Cen-
tres,withrecognisedquality,isassociatedwithin-
ternational travel and stays. The implementation of
sportseventsinnationalterritoryattractsparticipants,
but also tourists who are fans of the sport in ques-
tion.Thisleadstoaflowofpeoplederivedfromsports
tourism.Dwyeretal.(2000,p.185)considerthatthe
intangible economic impacts are the long-term pro-
motional benefits, such as awareness of the destina-
tion and the creation of a positive image. The pres-
enceofHigh-PerformanceSportsCentres,associated
with sports systems of recognised quality, motivates
tripsandstaysofinternationalsegments,whetherfor
the implementation of sports internships, aiming at
themaintenanceand/orimprovementoftheirperfor-
mances,orforthecompetitioninherenttothepartici-
pationinsportsevents.Sportseventshavebeenwidely
usedasastrategictoolfortheeconomicdevelopment
ofcitiesandregions(Jones,2005;Ritchieetal.,2009;
Ziakas&Costa,2011).
Methodology
Thisresearchhasasitsmainobjectivetounderstand
the importance of sports tourism and High-Perfor-
mance Centres for the growth and development of
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
tourismindestinations.Tothisend,aqualitativemeth-
odology was developed, structured in the following
stages:(1)Aliteraturereviewwascarriedoutbasedon
theimportanceofsportstourisminthedevelopment
and growth of tourism in destinations and its future
implications. The development of the empirical part
was based on (2) a characterisationof the High-Per-
formanceSportsCentresinPortugal,and(3)a swot
analysis and a tows analysis of this type of product
andtheexistinginfrastructuresintheCentralRegion
ofPortugal.Furthermore(4)sixinterviewswerecar-
riedout with themanagersof theHigh-Performance
CentresoftheCentralRegionofPortugal.
AnalysisofHigh-PerformanceCentresinPortugal
GeographicalDistribution
In Portugal, there are 14 High-Performance Centres,
distributedfromtheNorthtotheSouthofthecountry.
There are already sixteen sports disciplines in High-
Performance within the national High-Performance
Centres: Athletics; Badminton; Canoeing; Cycling;
Equestriansports;Fencing;Gymnastics;Judo;Swim-
ming;ModernPentathlonRowing;Surfing;Taekwon-
do; Tennis; Table tennis and Triathlon. Six of the 14
High-PerformanceCentresinPortugalarelocatedin
the Central Region, which shows that the region is
committed to developing infrastructures that enable
sportstobeplayedatthehighestlevel.
swot Analysis
A swot analysis was conducted and is presented in
Table2.ThemainstrengthsoftheHigh-Performance
CentresinPortugalaretheinfrastructuresandequip-
ment; the variety of the offer, as they cover different
sports; and the country’s capacity, in terms of hos-
pitality and safety, which allows for attracting vari-
ousmarkets.Regardingtheweakpoints,wecanhigh-
light:thedifficultyininternationalisationoftheHigh-
Performance Centres, which is described in several
aspects, from communication to the lack of knowl-
edgeaboutthem;andtheoutdatedinfrastructure.The
opportunitiesareessentiallyrelatedtothestrongrep-
utationofPortugal;thenationalachievementsrelated
tosport;andthegrowthofsportseventsandactivities
held in Portugal, due to the country’s strong capac-
itytohostthem.Thethreatsareessentiallyrelatedto
competitionfromotherHigh-PerformanceCentresat
worldlevel,withmoremoderninfrastructures.
From the perspective of the High-Performance
Centres, with the aim to understand the importance
theyconsidertohaveinthedevelopmentoftheCen-
tral Region, several interviews were conducted with
someofthedirectors/managersofHigh-Performance
CentresoftheCentralRegionofPortugal.Theques-
tionsaimedatunderstandingthedifferencesbetween
thevariousHigh-PerformanceCentresintheregion,
but mainly to analyse their role in the development
andgrowthoftheterritories.
IntheCentralRegion,thereseemstohavebeena
positiveevolutionintermsofattractivenessgivenits
growing prominence. However, there are still several
marketswhereitisnecessarytoinvestinthepromo-
tionofthedestination.Thus,itispossibletoconclude
thatthisdestinationcanstillincreaseitsattractiveness
inseveralkey-marketsegments,whichwillcontribute
in a positiveway to theevolutionof theCentralRe-
gion’simageandtotheincreaseofitscompetitiveness.
Thecapacityforinnovationanddifferentiationofthe
supplyofatouristdestinationiscrucial,sincethisdif-
ferentiationisvitalfortheattractivenessofagivendes-
tination.Atouristdestinationmustbeabletoinnovate
anddifferentiateitstourismproductstoattractother
market segments to the destination and invest in an
improvementofitstourismsupplythroughdifferenti-
ation.Itispreciselythroughtheimportanceofdiffer-
entiation within the competitiveness of tourist desti-
nationsthattherelevanceofsportasatourismprod-
uct is highlighted since, as indicated by Ritchie and
Crouch (2003), it can strengthen the tourism indus-
tryandincreasethecompetitivenessoftouristdesti-
nations.
DiscussionofResults
Thissectionwillanalyseanddiscussthequestionsthe
issuesaddressedintheinterviews,basedontheopin-
ionsofthemanagersoftheHigh-PerformanceCentres
regardingtheimportanceofthistypeofequipmentin
attractingvisitors,generatingincome,andincreasing
thecompetitivenessofthedestinations.
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
Table 2 swotAnalysis
Strengths Weaknesses
• Infrastructuresandequipmentofthe hpc PortugalNetwork;
• Multidisciplinarityofthejointofferresultingfromtheherdofthediffer-
entHigh-PerformanceCentresofthe hpc PortugalNetwork;
• Complementarityresultingfromthemodalitiesofferedbythedifferent
hpcNetworkCentres;
• Existenceofaleadingorganisationresponsibleforthejointpromotionof
alltheHigh-PerformanceCentresinthe hpc PortugalNetwork;
• Geographicallocationofthe hpcs;
• Useofmaritimeandriverresourceswithhighaddedvalueforwater
sports;
•Safety;
•Hospitality;
• Accessibility;
• Presenceofinternationallyrenownedathletesbasedatthe hpc Portugal
Network hpcs.
• Financialsustainabilityofthe hpcs;
• Lowinternationalawarenessofthe hpcs;
• Reducedpromotionandadvertisingof
the hpc inexternalmarkets;
• Lackofadequatemarketingstrategiesto
promotethenational hpcs inforeign
markets;
•Littleknowledgeofforeignmarkets;
• Heterogeneityofthesupplyofservicesdi-
rectedtowardsHigh-PerformanceSport;
• Deterioratedoroutdatedequipment;
• Scarcehumanresourceswiththeneces-
saryqualifications.
Opportunities Threats
• GrowingnotorietyofthePortugalbrand;
• Portugalasatouristdestinationofexcellence;
• Portugal’sculturallinkswithvariousnations,namelythe cplp;
• Socio-economicstabilityofthecountry;
•Modernhealthsystems;
• Location–gatewaytoEuropeandmarketsinSouthAmericaandAfrica;
• NotorietyofnationalsportforhavingwontheEuropeanFootball
Championship;
• Possibilityofintegratingalargenumberofqualityinfrastructuresand
complementaryequipmentwithpotentialforinternationalisation;
• Naturalheritageofexcellence;
• Climaticconditionsverypropitioustothepracticeofsports;
• HighnumberofinternationalsportseventsheldinPortugal;
• Availabilityofvarioussupportand/orcomplementaryinfrastructuresto
sportsactivities,ofhighquality,namelyaccommodation,restaurantsand
variousservices;
•Growthofactivitiesrelatedtothesportseconomy;
• Complementarityofsportwithtourismactivities.
• Internationalcompetitionfromstrong
andwell-positionedmarkets;
• Europeanandglobalsocio-economic
instability;
• Proceduralandbureaucraticbarriersto
accessinternationalmarkets;
• Rapidtechnologicalevolution,making
national hpc infrastructuresandequip-
mentobsoleteandoutdated;
•Difficultyinprovidingnationalhpcs
withstate-of-the-artequipment;
• Buildingof hpcs inothercountries,
namelyintheMediterraneanbasin;
•Instabilityinthedevelopmentofthe
economycausedbyadversesocio-
economicconditions.
ImportanceoftheHPCsfortheGrowthoftheSports
Tourism Sector
Thesportstourismsectorisgrowingbothworldwide
andnationally.Itisanincreasinglyvisiblesectorboth
by the increase in the number of sports practition-
ers, and by the potential associated with the vari-
ous aspects of tourism. The hpcs are recognised as
fundamentaltothisgrowth,‘by providingperiodsof
stay that usually extend beyond one night, [and] by
the need for services associated with these stays in
the territories,’ argues hpc 1. Allied to the practice
of sports, there is also the mass of fans who, most
of the time, seek in the regions the necessary ser-
vices to be able to follow the sports activity. For the
regions, this is an opportunity to attract new mar-
kets.Thisvisionisalsosharedby hpc 2,whichsum-
marisesit ‘asthe primaryfocusofattractingathletes
andsportsfansingeneral,beingabletopromotethe
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
territoryasa“sportstourism”destination’throughout
theyear.Inshort,andsharingtheideaof hpc 3,the
qualityserviceofferedby hpcs ‘willbeafactorofat-
traction of national and international tourists to the
destination.’
TheIncreaseinDemandfortheHPCAssociated
withtheGrowthinTourism
Although the growth of tourism boosts the demand
forsportsandspecificallyforthe hpcs,therearesome
particularities when analysing the answers of the in-
terviews. The individual characteristics of each hpc
allowustosaythatthereisagrowinginterestin the
useoftheseinfrastructures.Thisfact,combinedwith
thequalityandspecificityofthe hpcs,allows hpc 2
tostatethatasitis‘afacilitywithcharacteristicses-
sentiallydevotedtohighperformanceand,therefore,
infullconditionsforthepracticeofhigh-performance
sport,thereiscurrentlyagreatdemandfromathletes.’
Similarly, it is clear that the level of demand of ath-
letesisincreasingandthefacilitieshavetomeettheir
requirements, which, according to hpc 3, is also re-
latedtothe‘wannabes(peoplewhopaytohaveacer-
tainlifestyle)’thatplayamajorroleinthedemandfor
hpcs.
However, hpc 1hasadifferentandquiteinterest-
ing perspective, pointing out that the growth in de-
mandforthe hpc leadstothegrowthoftourism,ar-
guing that ‘the growth of internationalisation of the
hpc,relatedtotheimpulseofthedigitalconnectiv-
ity era where the sharing of experiences and access
to information are instantaneous, has triggered the
demand for tourism in the areas surrounding these
SportsCentres.’
StrategiesforthePromotionofSportsTourism,
andinParticulartheHPC
The need for support from public and private enti-
ties for the promotion of the hpcs is at the base of
all the strategiessuggestedby the interviewed hpcs,
eitherby‘contributinginanorganizedwaytoanim-
provement of the existing supply,’ according to hpc
1, or by ‘responding to several modalities, where the
distancesbetweenthemarereduced,allowingtheeffi-
cientmanagementoftherequiredtechnicalresources,’
emphasises hpc 2.Thislackofdiversityofservicesis
pointedoutforimprovementduetotheimpactitmay
havebothineconomicandsocialterms.Fromanother
pointofview, hpc 3mentionstheneedto‘createspe-
cificlegislation,whichallowstheregulationofteach-
ingandpracticeofsomemodalities.’
EconomicImpactoftheHPContheNational
andRegionalEconomy
The hpcs haveapositiveimpactonthenationaland
regional economy and, as stated by hpc 1 ‘the fact
thatmostofthe hpcs havebeenimplementedinar-
easotherthanthelargemetropolitancentres,hasin-
creased their impact on the regions where they are
located.’ It is clear that the implementation of events
and competitions in these infrastructures allow for
increasing ‘the flow of consumers of all kinds of ser-
vices [...] benefiting local trade, but also generating
opportunities for various service providers, individ-
ual or collective, which operate or consequently ap-
peared in the region.’ Likewise, and as indicated by
hpc 3, these infrastructures are ‘centres of job cre-
ation, [and] qualification of employees.’In short,and
referringto hpc 2,‘withtheinternationalisation[...]
inthenationalhigh-performancecentres,itispossible
tocapturenationalandinternationalinternshipsand
internationalsportseventsand,ultimately,tocapture
sportstourism.’
HPC’sPerspective:SWOTAnalysis
Withtheanalysisoftheinterviews,whereeach hpc
respondedindividually,itispossibletoverifythateach
onecanidentifyitsstrengths,weaknesses,opportuni-
tiesandthreats.However,itispossibletofindasim-
ilarfactorinallofthem:thenaturalfeaturesexisting
ineachregionwherethe hpc islocated,areforallof
them,astrength.
Atthesametime,theyallseethegrowthintourism
demand as an opportunity, but on the other hand,
hpc 3 mentions ‘more supply and with quality [...]
isathreatforthe hpcs.’Theweaknessmentionedby
hpc 1, the ‘lack of coordinated interdisciplinarity in
decisionmakingregardingtheoperationandservice
supplyofthe hpcs’isinlinewiththeneedforspecific
legislation,mentionedabove.
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
HPCs’DifferentiatingFactors
Each High-Performance Centre can clearly identify
thefactorsthatdifferentiatethemwithinthetourism
supply,eitherbytheirqualityinfrastructures,bythe
diversityofdisciplinesorbythefundamentalnatural
resources for the practice of sports. However, com-
montoallofthemis theimportanceof theinterna-
tionalrecognitionthatthe hpc hasforattractingath-
letes.Withacompletelydifferentsupply,allthe hpcs
canidentifythattheinternationalmarketbringsthem
great visibility and translates into a tool to promote
new markets. At the same time, the diversity of the
supplyismentionedby hpc 1,which‘respondstofive
sports, all with different competitive calendars,’ and
alsoby hpc 3,whichhas‘aclearfocusonotherwater
sports,whichhasallowed[us]todiversifythesupply.’
HPCs’StrategiesforConstantDemand
Afactorinfluencingdemandisseasonality,andfrom
thepointofviewofthe hpcs,itisessentialtocomeup
withstrategiesthatallowtheinfrastructuretooperate
all year round. The main strategies include promot-
inginternationaltrainingcamps,promotingactivities
with local clubs, and attracting markets that do not
haveconditionsforsportspracticeincertaintimesof
theyear.
ProspectsandStrategiesforGrowingtheRole
oftheHPCinTourism
Finally,forthe hpcs itisessentialtoimplementsome
strategies that allow their development for local and
regionaltourism. These strategiesinclude, according
to hpc 1,‘combiningstaysinthecentreswithtourist
itineraries that allow visitors to get to know the re-
gion in cultural, historical, gastronomic, and scenic
terms.’Thereisagreaterdemandforcomplementary
services to the stay in the hpc, which should also
be used by municipalities to promote their tourism
products. This promotion should also consider ‘the
development of promotional material and presence
in newspapers and magazines of national and inter-
nationalrelevance,’argues hpc 2.Aspreviouslymen-
tioned,itwouldalsobeessentialtoinvestinlegislation
capableofmakingentitiescohesive.Inthesameway,
thevisionisunanimousthatthehpcs shouldbeopen
tothelocalcommunity,monitoringthegrowthoffu-
ture high-performance athletes, from school sports
onwards,aswellashavingthesupportoflocalentities
for a greater diversity of supply. In conclusion, and
makingreferenceto hpc 3,‘hpcs shouldbeconsid-
eredasa partnerand aplayer formunicipalities and
all local and national agents in the development of
strategiesforthesector.’
Consideringtheresultsobtainedfromtheanalysis
oftheinterviews,a tows analysiswasdeveloped(Ta-
ble 3), supported by the swot analysis, allowing us
to construct strategies for the development of sports
tourismindestinations.
Tourismseemstorevealitselfasoneofthesectors
thatpresentsahighlevelofpotentialinthedestination
underanalysis,beingconsideredastrategicsectorin
theregionandeveninthecountry,whichrevealsthat
itisseenasakeyindustryinterritories.Itispossibleto
seethattourismhasapositiveroleintheCentralRe-
gionintermsofemploymentandinimprovingtheliv-
ingconditionsofthelocals,contributingtoincreased
employmentintheregionwhich,consequently,leads
to an increase in per capita income and an improve-
mentinthequalityoflifeofthepopulation.Itisper-
ceptible that there is already an evolution in this di-
rectionwithanincreaseinthelevelofarrivalsandin-
come;however,itcanbeperceivedthattheregioncan
furtherincreaseitscompetitivenessatthislevel,espe-
cially regarding tourism expenditure, and should re-
thinkitsstrategy.RitchieandCrouch(2003),intheir
study, address the issue of destination image in key
marketsegments.
IntheCentralRegion,thereseemstohavebeena
positiveevolutionintermsofattractivenessgivenits
growing prominence. However, there are still several
marketswhereitisnecessarytoinvestinthepromo-
tionofthedestination.Thus,itispossibletoconclude
thatthisdestinationcanstillincreaseitsattractiveness
inseveralkeymarketsegments,whichwillcontribute
positivelytotheevolutionoftheregions’imageandto
theincreaseofitscompetitiveness.
Theabilitytoinnovateanddifferentiatethesupply
of a tourist destination is crucial, since this differen-
tiationisvitaltotheattractivenessofagivendestina-
tion.Atouristdestinationmustbeabletoinnovateand
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RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
Table 3 towsAnalysis
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Maxi-maxistrategy Maxi-ministrategy
• Takeadvantageoftheinfrastructureofthe hpcs
tohostsportseventsofgreatnationalimpact;
• Combineexcellentnaturalconditionswiththe
abilitytogeneratevalueinwatersports,through
attractionstrategiesintheseareas;
• Takingadvantageofthegrowthintourismin
Portugal,tostimulatethegrowthofactivities
relatedtosportstourism.
•AssociatethehpcswiththePortugalbrand,for
theinternationalmarket;
• Enhancetourismactivitieslinkedtothe hpcs,to
createbetterfinancialsustainability.
Threats Mini-maxistrategy Mini-ministrategy
• Takeadvantageoftheinfrastructurecapacity,
hospitality,safetyandaccessibilityofthe hpcs to
keepupwithinternationalcompetition;
• Benefitfromtheexistenceofanorganismrespon-
sibleforthepromotionofallthe hpcs,toover-
cometheproceduralandbureaucraticbarriersto
internationalmarkets.
• Investinthepromotionanddisseminationofthe
hpc inexternalmarkets,throughtheconstruc-
tionoftheseincountriesintheMediterranean
Basin;
• Tostudyknowledgeofforeignmarketsby
analysingtheinternationalcompetitionofthe
hpcs;
• Promotethefinancialsustainabilityofthe hpc in
ordertoempowernational hpcs withstate-of-
the-artequipment.
differentiateitstourismproductstoattractothermar-
ket segments to the destination and invest in an im-
provementof its tourism supply through differentia-
tion.Itispreciselythroughtheimportanceofdifferen-
tiation within the competitivenessoftourist destina-
tionsthattherelevanceofsportasatourismproductis
highlightedsince,asindicatedbyRitchieandCrouch
(2003), it could strengthen the tourism industry and
increasethecompetitivenessoftouristdestinations.
MainConclusions
One of the major conclusions of this research shows
that sports tourism can be a differentiating product
thatmeets the new needs of the tourist demandthat
nolongerwantsonlypassiveholidays,butactiveones,
seekingtobeimmersedindifferentiatedexperiences
duringatrip.Itiscrucialthatthetourismsupplyhas
informationaboutthenewvisitor’sprofile,adaptingits
servicestomeetthetouristneeds,namelyinthesports
supply,somethingthatisalreadypossibletobeveri-
fied by the tourism supply in the sports area. In this
sense,theimportancethatsportstourismhasforthe
tourismsectorandforthecompetitivenessoftourist
destinationsisvisible.
Thus,thesupplyofsportstourismhas,infact,been
growing in the Central Region, which already has a
specific supply of sports activities, with sport being
seen as an importantelement in the region’s tourism
supply.However,itisimportanttofocusontheorgani-
sation,development,andpromotionofsportstourism
andtoincreasethenumberofsportsexperiencesand
activitiesintheregion,sincealthoughthereisasport
offerintheCentralRegion,thenumberofsportsex-
periencesoractivitiesofferedisreduced.Itisalsorel-
evantthatthedestinationseekstoofferexperiencesto
audiencesofanyagegroup,adaptingitssportstourism
offer and diversifying the types of sports offered to
meet the needs of any visitor who seeks sport at the
destination,eitherasthemainmotivationforvisiting,
orasasecondaryone.
Thegrowthoftourismstimulatesthedemandfor
the hpcs, and the development and investment in
hpcs canalsobeakeyfactorforthegrowthoftourist
destinations.Thisevidenceshouldalsoserveasanin-
AcademicaTuristica,Year15,No.1,April2022 |119

RuiAugustodaCostaetal. SportsTourismandHigh-PerformanceCentres
centivetomunicipalitiestodevelopastrategysideby
sidewiththeHigh-PerformanceCentres,whichaims
not only to collaborate with the financing of infras-
tructures,butalsowiththeirpromotioninthenational
andinternationalmarket.Withdifferentstrategiesfor
different audiences, the High-Performance Centres
needlegislation thatstimulates them to comply with
fundamentalrequirementsthat,later,willbeusefulfor
planningnewactions.
In an increasingly competitive market, both na-
tionally and internationally, the High-Performance
Centres in Portugal must pursue the technological
advances of other countries and, for that, it is fun-
damentalthattheyhavethefinancialcapacity.Ineco-
nomic terms, it will be more profitable if all the lo-
cal entities cooperate in planning strategies for the
hpcs.Atthesametime,witheconomicgrowth,these
infrastructures will be able to compete with inter-
national markets by investing in high quality ma-
terials and innovation. Considering the growth of
the sports sector, it becomes preponderant that Por-
tugal, and more specifically the Central Region, in-
vestsinthedevelopmentofinfrastructureandthenin
hosting events/competitions that promote sport be-
causeitisasectorthatattractsmanyparticipantsand
spectators.
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