Sports recreation in tourist context: Alentejo coasts resorts case study

The new sporting era in which we are living has new forms, new contexts and values, and a growing demand for evasion, wellbeing and health, and new experiences. In this leisure environment, favorable to sports practice, there has been an increase in the number of resorts in Portugal offering a range of sport services to its customers in accordance with their wishes. In this context, the main goal of this research is centered on the general characterization of the sports animation services offered by resorts in the Alentejo Coast. A qualitative research approach was used, in which content analysis was the chosen data analysis method; a semi-structured interview was the tool for data collection. The results show that the services of sporting activities in resorts located in this region are still underdeveloped. The majority of such resorts has a small amount of services, equipment and human resources. The search for these services is meager, despite their gratuitousness nature. In spite of the reduced offer of the sports animation services, the resorts' managers state that in a recent future there won't be new investments in the area, since the offer now satisfies the actual level of demand. (C) 2017 Varna University of Management. All rights reservedNational Funds by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology [UID/SOC/04020/2013]