Hiking tourism and rural development: The case of the Mondego Walkways, Portugal.

Abstract

This article examines tourism’s contribution to rural development, as perceived by both visitors and local stakeholders / residents, with reference to the Mondego Walkways. The study is based on data collected through quantitative and qualitative methods, namely a survey carried out in situ with walkways’ visitors (n = 299) and a set of 16 semi-structured interviews conducted with local stakeholders / residents in 2023. First, the results show that most of our interlocutors believed that the Mondego Walkways are already having a positive impact on local development through increased tourism and related economic activities. Second, they considered that the increase in the flow of visitors is also causing some adverse impacts. Third, visitors stated that the walkways are also capable of fighting rural depopulation, whereas local stakeholders / residents expressed a contrary opinion.