KOREASCHOLAR

The Portuguese tourism sector has grown steadily in recent years and will continue to generate a series of opportunities and challenges for which answers will be needed to ensure a structured growth path for the sector. Research on CSR in tourism is still sparse (Dwyer and Sheldon, 2007). In an attempt to address this issue, this study analyses whether the CSR consumer perceptions and consumer engagement are significant variables supporting the success of a long-term relationship in the tourism sector as a brand love. Knowing the role of the perceived community, environmental and consumer’s aspects of CRS image, the levels of personal involvement in tourism play an important role in the relationship between the social concerns of tourists, their responsible behaviour and the relationship that they establish with the place. A quantitative methodology was employed for this research. It was used a survey to measure relationships between constructs on a theoretical model. The questionnaires were administered to tourists (nationals and internationals) in the main tourist’s points in the Porto city during the month of October 2017. A sample of tourists produced 958 useable questionnaires. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrapping method was conducted to test the validity of the model and the formulated hypotheses. The results obtained in the estimation of the proposed conceptual model show that in respect to the corporate social responsibility image all the variables considered to explain that image are statistically significant. The tourists CSR image of the city of Porto leads to an increase of brand love and the consumer engagement with the city of Porto leads to an increase of brand love too. This is the first time that this evaluation has been carried out for the Porto city and it proves to be necessary information for the various stakeholders who work in the sector, including local organizations, companies and industry leaders, among others.

• Paula Rodrigues(Universidade Lusíada – Norte)
• Ana Pinto Borges(European Business School and Research Group of ISAG (NIDISAG))
• Elvira Vieira(ISAG – European Business School and Research Group of ISAG (NIDISAG); IPVC- Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo and UNIAG - Applied Management Research Unit)