Family Tourism for Low- Income Families – A Pre-covid19 Reality for Future Perspectives

Abstract

There are still many doubts about the benefits that tourism may have for tourists. This gap in the tourism research is more obvious if considering family tourism and its potential benefits for the whole family and for its elements individually. This research gap is even more evident if considering studies that analyse the benefits of family tourism for low-income families. Family tourism offers opportunities to spend time together in new environments, to and to participate in new activities, with new people. The recognition of these benefits and the growth of tourism in recent decades, don’t prevent the existence of several constraints to the practice of tourism, of which the low income is seen as major constraint to tourism. To extend knowledge in this field, this study, based on empirical evidence, intends to examine the benefits that can arise from family tourism to the low-income families and reflects about the implications that these findings may have on the challenges faced by social tourism initiatives targeted to this segment in the future. To accomplish these aims, a qualitative methodology approach was chosen. In-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with 15 Portuguese low-income families (at least one parent and one children of each family). The results obtained from the interviews were analysed using content analysis. Results obtained reveal that the majority of the families reported benefits mainly related with escape from the everyday routine, more time with the kids, without the pressures of work and daily problems and in different situations. A better communication with the kids and the strengthen of the families’ bonds are two other important effects. In terms of constraints, the economic constraint appears as the most important one. However, families with different socio-demographic characteristics seemed to perceive different constraints and benefits from tourism. This presentation ends with a reflection on the results aiming to identify some important issues to consider by social tourism programmes also in a (post)Covid-19 era.