O IMPACTO DO PERSONAL BRANDING NA TOMADA DE DECISÃO DO CONSUMIDOR EM TURISMO – O CASO DA MADEIRA

Title: The impact of the personal brand on consumer decision on tourism - the case of Madeira The tourism sector has grown exponentially in Europe and Portugal due to the polítical instability that has been felt in some tourist destinations in the last few years. According to the indicators of the World Tourism Organization, by the end of 2017 the number of visitors would exceed 21 million, a number higher than the year 2016 that presented a total of 19.1 million visits. Madeira is a mature destination and one of the regions with the highest tourist demand at national level, with tourism being responsible for about 15% of employment at regional level and considered as the main engine of the region's economy. The entity responsible for promoting tourism in the region in charge of the Madeira Promotion Association, through the elaboration of several strategies that aim to associate the wooden image with a positive image of the destination. Through the adjusted methodology we will try to understand the image that the tourists have of Madeira, and can serve as a basis for future techniques of image management Madeira. The objective of this study is to understand the impact of the personal brand on the image of a tourist destination, using as a case study the Madeira destination. An empirical study was carried out through questionnaires applied to 142 tourists in various places of the island in Madeira. A set of hypotheses was elaborated that later were verified and validated.From the obtained results it can be concluded that the personal brand influences the behavior of the consumer in relation to the purchase of a tourist destination, just as the personal brand influences the image of a tourist destination. The bet on the authenticity of destinations can be an important factor to be taken into account by the entities responsible for promoting tourism in the destinations, wih the finality to provide tourists authenticity, and unique experiences that differentiate them from the other tourist destination