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J. L. Braga and M. Dionísio
Tourism in Manor Houses started as an experience in 1978 in 4 locations: Ponte de
Lima, Vouzela, Castelo de Vide and Vila Viçosa (Pereiro 2018; Silva 2010; Martins
2013). Its creation was aimed at:
1. Reducing the disparity between Portuguese inland and coastal regions, and
2. Offering differentiated hotel capacity in areas where it was scarce.
In 1982, by Order no. 102/82, the Tourism in Manor Houses Program was introduced under the designation of Turismo de Habitação (i.e. Housing Tourism) (Silva
2009). In accordance with the Portuguese legislation currently in force (Decree-Law
no. 80/2017 of June 30th), HT enterprises are family-owned establishments installed
in privately owned real estate, which, because of their architectural, historical or
artistic value, are representative of a particular epoch and are namely palaces and
manor houses that can be located in both rural and urban spaces.
This chapter aims at understanding the current situation regarding hosts of HT
facilities. Furthermore, we intend to grasp the main concern of the owners of Manor
Houses that host tourists and to identify the main strategies used by them to solve
the problems they face in the HT activity.
The methodology used to meet these objectives was grounded theory (GT). In this
chapter, we will demonstrate the potential that this approach has in revealing what
is happening in the houses of HT. According to Birks and Mills (2011), the use of
GT methods is more useful when:
1. Little is known about the area under study,
2. One wants to generate a theory with explanatory power,
3. An intrinsic process is incorporated in the research situation, which can be
explained through the GT methods.
In this way, this qualitative research strategy allows one to examine HT from the
point of view of its participants. The understanding of what happens in that substantive area revolves around the main concern of the owners – which is constantly
processed by them. GT is not based on findings, but on an integrated set of conceptual hypotheses (Glaser 1978). It comes down to probabilistic assertions about the
relationship between concepts. In the GT of HT, the integrated set of hypotheses
explained a significant part of the behaviour learned in manor houses (Braga 2016).
These assumptions are plausible.
This chapter develops a typology of guests that is explained in depth in Sect. 6. In
Sects. 2 and 3, we analyse, respectively, the concept of rurality, namely in Portugal,
the need to plan rural tourism development in a sustainable way in order to minimize
negative impacts and maximize positive impacts, and also the economic diversification which is taking place in rural areas that have become multifunctional. The main
characteristics of hosts of HT, according to the existing literature, are examined in
detail in Sect. 4, and then we explain how the adoption of GT methods enabled us
to generate a theoretical code: a typology of hosts in HT. We conclude by drawing
on the results of this study to set forth some recommendations for hosts to improve
their management and relational skills.
J. L. Braga and M. Dionísio
Tourism in Manor Houses started as an experience in 1978 in 4 locations: Ponte de
Lima, Vouzela, Castelo de Vide and Vila Viçosa (Pereiro 2018; Silva 2010; Martins
2013). Its creation was aimed at:
1. Reducing the disparity between Portuguese inland and coastal regions, and
2. Offering differentiated hotel capacity in areas where it was scarce.
In 1982, by Order no. 102/82, the Tourism in Manor Houses Program was introduced under the designation of Turismo de Habitação (i.e. Housing Tourism) (Silva
2009). In accordance with the Portuguese legislation currently in force (Decree-Law
no. 80/2017 of June 30th), HT enterprises are family-owned establishments installed
in privately owned real estate, which, because of their architectural, historical or
artistic value, are representative of a particular epoch and are namely palaces and
manor houses that can be located in both rural and urban spaces.
This chapter aims at understanding the current situation regarding hosts of HT
facilities. Furthermore, we intend to grasp the main concern of the owners of Manor
Houses that host tourists and to identify the main strategies used by them to solve
the problems they face in the HT activity.
The methodology used to meet these objectives was grounded theory (GT). In this
chapter, we will demonstrate the potential that this approach has in revealing what
is happening in the houses of HT. According to Birks and Mills (2011), the use of
GT methods is more useful when:
1. Little is known about the area under study,
2. One wants to generate a theory with explanatory power,
3. An intrinsic process is incorporated in the research situation, which can be
explained through the GT methods.
In this way, this qualitative research strategy allows one to examine HT from the
point of view of its participants. The understanding of what happens in that substantive area revolves around the main concern of the owners – which is constantly
processed by them. GT is not based on findings, but on an integrated set of conceptual hypotheses (Glaser 1978). It comes down to probabilistic assertions about the
relationship between concepts. In the GT of HT, the integrated set of hypotheses
explained a significant part of the behaviour learned in manor houses (Braga 2016).
These assumptions are plausible.
This chapter develops a typology of guests that is explained in depth in Sect. 6. In
Sects. 2 and 3, we analyse, respectively, the concept of rurality, namely in Portugal,
the need to plan rural tourism development in a sustainable way in order to minimize
negative impacts and maximize positive impacts, and also the economic diversification which is taking place in rural areas that have become multifunctional. The main
characteristics of hosts of HT, according to the existing literature, are examined in
detail in Sect. 4, and then we explain how the adoption of GT methods enabled us
to generate a theoretical code: a typology of hosts in HT. We conclude by drawing
on the results of this study to set forth some recommendations for hosts to improve
their management and relational skills.