Outdoor tourism demand segmentattion: a case study from North of Portugal

This research aimed to segment the market of visitors who practise outdoor activities in the North region of Portugal based on their motivations. An online survey was conducted between June to September of 2021, with a sample of 200 tourists who realised the region's outdoor activities during this period. The data collected allowed determining factor analysis and the clusters. Two factors: services/hospitality and nature experiences, and three clusters: soft practitioners, radicals, and enthusiasts were delimited. The results show that these groups differ in motivations and practised activities. Segmentation of outdoor tourism demand in North of Portugal should set out marketing and promotion strategies in different destinations, attracting demand from outside the region, and according to their preferences.This project is being carried out within the scope of the TURNOUT Project Development of Outdoor Tourism of Northern Portugal, POCI-01-0145-ERDF-032289, financed by the European Investment Fund Regional Development (FEDER) through the Operational Program of Competitiveness and Innovation (POCI) and the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. (OE). UNIAG, R&D unit funded by the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for the Development of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education; “Project Code Reference: UIDB/04752/2020”.