The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated in Lisbon that the Azores are one of the first tourist destinations to have a management support system supported by data generated online and offline by tourists.
 
"This system is not only a tool to support decision-making in the management of the destination itself, but also a tool designed to inform certified establishments about their online reputation and their position in the sector," said Marta Guerreiro. The government official spoke Thursday at the presentation of the results of the study "Azores - Certified by Nature - Performance and Online Reputation 2017" at BTL - Lisbon Travel Market.
 
The Secretary for Tourism stressed that the "transverse nature of the programme facilitates the contribution of tourists to the responsibilities assigned to the Regional Government, from planning, inspection and promotion of the destination to the competitiveness of economic agents."
 
Marta Guerreiro stated that the main goal of this tool is "to encourage the competitiveness between agents and complete the cycle of quality management for the benefit of tourists, the reputation of each agent and the reputation of the Azores brand."
 
"It is a fundamental programme to provide public and private sector partners with valid information on the expectations of tourists, allowing them to adapt, shape, reformulate and innovate their offer," said the Regional Secretary. In this regard, she added that this "tool will certainly support us in the path of success that we are following in the regional tourism sector."
 
Marta Guerreiro acknowledged "the importance of digital marketing today" in a sector such as tourism and the importance of having tools like this one, which "measures the reputation of the Azores Destination through the digital footprint of tourists."
 
The government official pointed out that it allows us, on the one hand, to analyse "the evaluation of the experiences shared by visitors on about 175 websites and in 45 different languages, covering several areas such as accommodation, restaurants and recreational activities." On the other hand, it allows us "to identify the behavioural characteristics and personality traits of visitors, through a psychographic study."