Who is consuming the countryside? An activity-based segmentation analysis of the domestic rural tourism market in Portugal

As a result of a well-debated set of transformations, rural areas are increasingly perceived as consumption rather than productive places, mainly associated to leisure and tourism. This paper aims to analyse the heterogeneity of domestic tourism consumption of rural areas. Based on a cluster analysis derived from a sample of the Portuguese population (N = 866) four clusters based on activities carried out in Portuguese rural areas were obtained - The Active Visitors, The Passive Nature Observers, The Inactives and The Summer Family Vacationers. These clusters of domestic market show diversity in the ways rural areas are perceived and consumed. They also differ regarding familiarity with rural areas, travel behaviour and sociodemographic profile. Results reveal the importance of offering different rural tourism products to these groups, thereby improving rural destination management and marketing.