The Information and Promotion of Rural Tourism in the Globalised Era: The Case of Madeira Island

Abstract

This paper debates the information and tourism promotion of rural tourism, particularly the Country Homes in Madeira Island, focusing on the link between information and tourism promotion and the profile of this visitor. Through the interconnection of the visitor profile, in the context of demand and travel arrangements, and the current tourist promotion of Madeira’s Country Homes, it was our intention to demonstrate the fragility and the crucial relevance of innovation in the sphere of information and tourism promotion of the rural tourism in the digital tourist era. In the absence of studies of this nature on the island of Madeira, we used the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, in order to pursuit our goals. Those methods consisted in launching questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, field work and bibliographical and documentary research. This research allowed us to conclude that the rural tourism should focus heavily on innovation, improving information and tourist promotion through the use of new information and communication technologies and networking, in order to contribute to its sustainable development.