Surfing as Tourist Product integrated in the Azores Destination, Portugal

Abstract This paper helps to understand that there is still a long way to go in relation to the organization of surfing in the Azores. The aim of this paper is to develop a strategic framework, considering the main keywords collected through interviews with experts and leaders of the surf industry. The approach of this research is qualitative and inductive based on the specific Azores’s Surf as a tourist activity region. The sample was selected among experts in surfing area as well as people specialized in the management of surfing as a tourist activity. The information collected in the interviews was encoded by key terms. According to the respondents, it was possible to verify that the tourist offer of surfing in the Azores is not integrated, that tour operators are not organized and that many of the surf schools are not properly certified. The experts know quite well the region and the activity of surfing in Portugal and abroad. Their opinions are certainly a great contribution to the sustainability of surfing in the Azores and a call to action for the needed changes.This article was published by Journal of Tourism and Management Research at http://www.ottomanjournal.com