Rui Alexandre Castanho

University of Johannesburg | uj · College of Business and Economics

In the industry of global tourism, a pressing issue surfaces—the need to comprehend the transformative convergence of cultural exploration, gastronomic wonders, and adventurous escapades. As the world undergoes a shift in how travelers engage with diverse destinations, scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts are confronted with a profound challeng...

This study investigates inter-island accessibility in the Azores Islands (Portugal), a region marked by unique territorial fragmentation and significant distances between islands. Recognizing the pivotal role of sea and air transport in fostering the socioeconomic development of the archipelago by enhancing resident mobility and attracting tourism,...

Geo-tourism, an emerging field that focuses on the natural and cultural heritage of a region, offers a unique opportunity to promote sustainable tourism and foster local economic development. This study aims to assess the geo-tourism potential Danube region in Serbia, a natural diverse and culturally rich region of Serbia, Western Balkan, and South...

This book systematically examines historical perspectives, meticulously unveiling the nunced narratives embedded within cityscapes across epochs, providing a comprehensive chronicle of architectural evolution. It conducts a thorough exploration of cultural heritage and transformation, illuminating the dynamic interplay of diverse traditions that br...

This study intends to verify how the alteration of the landscape configuration, represented by different metrics of configuration and diversity, is related to the intensity of human disturbance. The objectives of the study are: (1) to quantify the change in land use/land cover (LULC) patterns and the degree of human disturbance in Serbia between 20...

In the field of economics education, neoclassical economics serves as the foundation for Orthodox thought, drawing upon a theoretical and methodological framework that centres around the concept of a 'sovereign power' relationship. This framework informs the traditions and frequently held practices within the field. The term 'dismal science', origi...

During the 20th century, European cities experimented with industrialization processes and the mechanization of agriculture that triggered the rural-urban exodus. A primarily young population left their rural territories of origin to work in cities in the industrial and service sectors. These massive migratory movements catalyzed the depopulation a...

This article has the objective of study the inter-island aerial accessibility in the Azores Islands (Portugal). As a space with a particular territorial fragmentation and, furthermore, distant between the different islands, air transport is of vital importance for the socioeconomic development of the Archipelago, promoting the mobility of residents...

This research aims to evaluate the effects of “branding” on client satisfaction and loyalty within the framework of marketing management studies. As a result, brand image and destination brand loyalty were used as two mediators to examine customer happiness and loyalty. The premise is that the success of the lodging industry (i.e., four- and five-s...

a ORCiD: https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-6999-9583 b ORCiD: https://orcid.org/ 0000-0001-5829-9402 c ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5560-5101 Abstract:-This research delves into the alignment of service dimensions with customer expectations in Latin countries, exploring the presence of homogeneity within this diverse group. Utilizing unidirectiona...

The study's primary goal is to understand and address gender disparities in STEM education and careers in Malaysia. The methodology entails an in-depth review and analysis of existing policies, academic literature, and statistical data from previous reports. The study reveals that the gender discrepancy in STEM education and careers has significant...

This chapter reflects on the significant developments in environmental awareness and action over five decades. It discusses the evolution of global perspectives on environmental challenges, tracing the journey from the inaugural Earth Summit in Stockholm in 1972 to the present day. This brief chapter highlights the progress, the challenges, and the...

From the pandemic scenario to the current environmental problems, we present the issue of the indiscriminate and criminal use of pesticides in Brazil and their impacts on the soil. Its reflex on the groundwater, which supplies more than 50% of the Brazilian population, makes them inappropriate for human consumption; even so, they continue to be sup...

The main challenge of Internal Control is to give dynamism to Administrative Management to adapt to modern needs. The research aimed to propose an Internal Control directive to strengthen administrative management at the Lambayeque Regional Headquarters with a descriptive study. , non-experimental design, quantitative research, using the survey inf...

One example of cross-border cooperation is between the two neighboring Balkan countries of Slovenia and Croatia. Recently, the quality and intensity of this cooperation have been significantly affected by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. In this context, this article examines the quality of balanced cross-border cooperation between Croatia...

This study analyzes risk management and sustainable urban development in the context of Ecuador, specifically in the Metropolitan District of Quito, which has been affected by various natural disasters, and the Informal and Consolidated Human Settlements approved within the jurisdiction of the Tumbaco Zone Administration. The importance of the New...

The primary objective of this Special Issue of Water is to explore the interesting interplay that exists between port structures, maritime transport, and tourism [...]

The offer of a wide range of services has given consumers several options to meet their needs. Therefore, in coherence with the competition between companies, they need to adopt processes and measures that they can perceive as consumers’ needs to offer a service that is adequate for their requirements. This study aims to understand the impact of co...

Travel is the ideal outcome for online diffusion. Unlike buying in most industries, the travel trade implicates the exchange, not physical inventory; however, it demands information. The tourist must select from many imaginable products, services, and fees that may differ with the minor adjustment of any parameters. Suppose, for example, a one-way...

Since 2008, government and private hospitals, recognizing the growth potential of specialization in certain medical procedures, started to promote Portugal as a medical tourism destination. As a result, the country is internationally recognized in areas such as oncology, neuroscience, immunology, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine, and as havi...

A fundamental shift in thinking is necessary to address an enormous challenge like climate change. In order to transition from an irresponsible, unsustainable method of production, transportation, and consumption to a more sustainable, renewable one, a fundamental redesign of our way of life is required. To do this, accurate data is needed, and gat...

In order to combat climate change, the OECD emphasized the need to minimize the environmental impact of material use, as well as promote resource efficiency and accelerate the creation of a circular economy. The present study objects to promote a new debate about Canadian environmental quality and resource efficiency. In other words, this paper aim...

This research aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on businesses operating in the tourism industry in the Azores. The objective of this survey, conducted in 2021 and 2022, was to investigate the preventive and management measures implemented by the tourist firms, in this outermost region of Portugal, in response to the pandemic, along with the ef...

Nowadays, the need for sustainable development and growth is considered as a maximum. Therefore, in Mediterranean territories, this issue is not dissociable as well. Nevertheless, this concept of sustainability, when applied to the environmental sphere, is not always fully considered and understood-as is the case of the landscape's sustainability....

Guest Editors Introduction - Special Issue "ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY: LESSONS FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC"

Bangladesh's deltaic geography makes it highly subject to natural disasters, with the southwest region being especially vulnerable to cyclones, storm surges, waterlogging during the monsoon, and soil salinity during the dry season. Despite being primarily an agricultural country, frequent natural disasters have severely impacted crop production and...

The global transition to net zero is largely based on the existential threats of carbon emissions to humanity and global sustainability. Policymakers have committed to finding pathways that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted. To get insights for policy making, this study aims at investigating the effect of financial stability and energy pr...

Border areas are highly sensitive, mainly regarding its territorial success - the 'line' between suc- cess and failure is extremely tenuous; thus, a deep knowledge of all the factors and actions that can influence their success should be analyzed and studied. In this regard, an analysis of the land use in the socio-economic development of these reg...

Cybersecurity, an increasingly pertinent topic in today's globalized world, is the central focus of this paper, which provides a comprehensive guide to the cybersecurity landscape in the Dominican Republic. The authors delve into the country's cyber threats and vulnerabilities, its current cybersecurity policy, the interplay between cybersecurity a...

The current preliminary study analyzes the Azores Region's Touristic Companies Entrepreneurs’ perception about how their activity meets the rural tourists’ expectations. The study has an explanatory focus and employs methods of descriptive statistics. Most entrepreneurs in the tourism sector who participated in the present preliminary study operate...

After 2010, refugees through the World peaked at the highest level since WW II. Most of this increment was realized between 2011 and 2015 years in the effect of the Syrian conflict and the Arabic spring, and refugee problem that is an important problem for the world emerged. This problem was analyzed in the macroeconomic dimension, in the health di...

This research paper focused on tourists' experiences after engaging in a rural tourism experience, the activities developed during that period, and the relevant factors they considered when planning the holidays. We collected data in the Azores, a region known to implement rural tourism. Therefore, the collected data were analyzed using mainly summ...

The Nature Park "Šargan-Mokra Gora" is the natural, resource, and tourist values of the researching area, especially the protected area from exceptional importance (category I). The development of tourism in Mokra Gora (municipality of Užice) intensified with the reconstruction of the narrow-gauge tourist railway "Šarganska eight". Tourism represen...

COVID-19 has made significant changes at the global, regional and local levels in the economy, health and politics, and especially unprecedented crisis in the tourism economy. In Serbia, the consequences of Covid 19 threaten to become long-term and show the possibility of long-term changes in this sector. The paper analyses the impact of COVID-19 o...

Resumen Las universidades son consideradas un ámbito de convergencia de actores expedientes y jóvenes capacitados para desarrollar acciones de cambio. La educación terciaria de Corea del Sur es considerada ejemplar por su adaptabilidad a las demandas de un mundo mientras que ha logrado incorporar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en el alumnad...

Health and wellness tourism is growing worldwide, triggering a resurgence of competition in this segment and a clear need for the supply to develop new products and services, increasingly creative and exclusive, capable of attracting tourists. Thermal waters in Portugal are considered very rich in terms of chemical composition, which makes their us...

he current health situation, generated by the COVID-19 outbreak, has led to substantial impacts on local food systems on a global scale. Its consequences are marked by inequalities, variations in food prices, and instabilities in production and consumption that affect family food security (FFS) and cause situations of social vulnerability. Within t...

Border regions are very particular and intricate areas to understand deeply. Nevertheless, their governance is very delicate. In this sense, in recent decades, these borderlands' interactions and synergies have achieved unparalleled levels. This evidence is not only due to their vast potential for regional integration but additionally regarding the...

Walkability is a modern concept that has become important in recent years due to the doubtless effects it has on aspects such as health and wellbeing, sustainable development, climate change, and tourism. It is necessary, therefore, that urban development strategies aim to achieve walkable cities. The main objective of this study is to define a met...

E-learning has recently gained considerable interest among stakeholders, including educators, students, and policymakers. During the pandemic, organized online learning is critical to an effective e-learning system because it helps both teaching and learning. Thus, the current study intends to explore the factors contributing to e-learners' satisfa...

Borderlands have been neglected and suffered from the lack of attention and efforts of regional development due to specific inherent characteristics. They are considered geographically and socio-economically disadvantaged territories as barriers between citizens, cultures, and languages. The flows of people and goods have emerged new opportunities...

Biophysical land planning aims to choose the land uses according to soil suitability, contributing to integrated and economically sustainable land use. Suitability is a measure of how well the qualities of a land unit match the requirements of a particular form of land use. The process of land suitability classification is the evaluation and groupi...

Incorporating risk analysis into physical planning is increasingly necessary to anticipate and take appropriate measures to prevent and defend against disasters. This paper extends the concept of carrying capacity by studying two models: an ecosystem-bringing capacity model and a territorial model of construction on rural land. A climate change var...

Using Fourier-based ARDL and Fourier Toda Yamamoto causality methods, this study aims to detect the impact of financial risk on environmental sustainability in Poland while controlling economic growth, primary energy consumption, and renewable energy consumption from 1990Q1 to 2019Q4. The outcomes of the Fourier ADL cointegration test indicate all...

This research work aims to give an answer to three preliminary research questions: (RQ1) Are the land-use changes the footprint of the regional public policies conducted over a territory? (RQ2) Could rural and creative tourism be the catalyst for the regional sustainable development of island territories? (RQ3) Assessing the land-use changes dynami...

Biochar increases crop yield, soil reliability, and carbon sequestration. This study examined how biochar affected soil properties and tomato yield in saline soil. The experiment was conducted in areas surrounding Khulna Agricultural University and in farmers’ fields close to Khulna, Bangladesh. The experiment’s layout was a randomized complete blo...

Energy has never been used in the same way or to the extent that it is today. The CO2 level in the atmosphere surpassed the previous record established in 1958 in May 2019 when it hit 415.26 ppm, and the climate system has reached a tipping point. New corporate initiatives are required to create more sustainable eco-market opportunities and enhance...

The current need for territories and societies to grow is based on the Sustainable Development Models as well as the United Nations (UN) Agenda for 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In that case, such new forms of tourism development imply creating and upgrading critical infrastructures, facilities, equipment, or differentiated activities...

This study, based on the analysis of the existing bibliography, as well as the result of the appreciation of a low-density and remote case studies located in the Azores Archi- pelago, seeks to identify a theoretical nexus regarding rural and creative tourism and regional sustainable development in the post-COVID-19 scenario. In this regard, the aut...

Maize farmers in Bangladesh are unaware of the benefits of maize cultivation due to a lack of information and concept generation. The objectives of this study were to estimate the cost and return of maize cultivation; assess the input use efficiency of maize cultivation for marginal, small, and medium maize production to address the problems; and s...

The thematic literature demonstrates that some tourism typologies, such as, rural or creative tourism, have a more prevailing function in obtaining regional development. Thus, this article examines creative tourism as a potential catalyst for regional economic development in ultra-peripheral territories by analyzing pilot-projects of creative touri...

Social innovation is the process by which new ways of doing things are created to respond to the needs of society. This can be technological, for example embracing online or open-source technology, or it can be social, fostering local entrepreneurship. The objective of this chapter is to explore social innovation initiatives that have been carried...

Nowadays, most of our information and data for consequent treatment comes from Spatial Data Infrastructures and web services. Also, much of the research developed serves to feed those spatial data infrastructures as well as several web services and vice-versa. In this regard, it becomes essential to understand the basic concepts of some of the invo...

The Circular Economy is a new paradigm that has brought together different contributions from various fields of knowledge, including sustainability. Upcycling is a concept that falls into this category. The term ‘upcycling’ (also known as creative reuse) can be defined as the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless or unwanted...

The literature provides plenty of evidence that innovation is a key driver of corporate competitiveness. However, R&D involves many financial resources. Thus, a way to overcome firms’ financial constraints is to form partnerships and collaborations with universities, usually funded by public capital, to achieve strategic corporate objectives. There...

Artificial intelligence, in a larger sense, refers to computers that have human intelligence-specific capabilities such as obtaining information, perceiving, seeing, thinking, and making decisions. At first glance, artificial intelligence, often known as "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) in the literature, causes everyone to associate something distin...

Urban planning intends to promote urban living conditions through reasonable land use, always maintaining harmony between urban planning and nature. The cities are the focus of growth within states; their industrialization and growth in housing large populations worldwide have caused a disordered and chaotic development. The objective of planning i...

The increased consumption of fossil fuels worldwide has resulted in unprecedented historic environmental degradation and global warming. According to the United Nations, this is both the defining crisis of our time and a race the world could win given the right policy attention. Researchers seek to find critical pathways to provide policy recommend...

As the main island of the Madeira Archipelago, Madeira is faced with a clear demand for more precise and specific planning policies, in order to respond to regional requests. Bearing in mind the urgency of this issue linked to the concept of sustainability, planning strategies must be based on and strengthened by several studies, with the most varie...

The overuse of natural resources by humanity in recent decades has resulted in noticeable changes environment quality. Global environmental research is particularly interested in the topics of land use change and land cover. The Republic of Serbia has a diverse spectrum of landforms, with agricultural use taking up the largest portions, followed by...

The aim of the study was to see if the tourism sector in Croatia, in terms of revenue, would return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023. Another objective is to examine the possibility of reaching the EU average in terms of gross value added from tourism by 2026. Tourism in Croatia until 1990, when Yugoslavia collapsed, brought in the largest share of t...

An examination of population growth in Iran during the past three decades shows that the sharp increase in the rate of birth in the 1980s significantly expanded the base of the age pyramid of the Iranian population in that decade. Throughout time, this expanded surface has gradually transitioned to the higher levels of the pyramid and has now reach...

With the fall of the Communist Regimen in the Western Balkans Region, governance politics regarding urban and spatial planning processes led to significant changes in several territorial aspects. In this regard, several scientific studies and researches have put forward significant regional differences in urban development between cities of the Bal...

Various factors determine and affect economic growth, one of which is exports. Trade theory also states that exports increase the growth of the domestic economy in various ways. For this reason, the effect of exports on economic growth is a long-term area of research. In addition to the studies examining the effect of foreign trade on economic grow...

The island of Porto Santo belongs to the Madeira Archipelago and is often described as an idyllic paradise for its warm waters and its iconic sandy beach, though it faces vulnerabilities such as insularity; a small economy; geographic remoteness; and scarce population, area, and available resources. Nevertheless, these disadvantages have a silver l...

Several authors have shown that some tourism typologies-i.e., rural tourism, nature-based tourism, or creative tourism-have a more predominant role in attaining regional sustainability. In this regard, this paper explores the impacts of five pilot projects of creative tourism on the sustainable development of the insular Autonomous Region of the Az...

This paper tests the cointegration and causality between mortality rate, terrorism, economic growth, and environmental pollution in China, India, Russia, and Türkiye in the period from 1990 to 2021 by using the Fourier bootstrapping auto-regressive distributed lag (FBARDL) test and Granger causality with Fourier (FGC) test. The FBARDL test determin...

If we look at tourism activities from a social and economic impacts point of view, it is easy to understand its immense scope and horizontal consequences. In fact, here lay a considerable part of why tourism has become such a relevant sector. For Hall, Williams, and Lew (2014), the circumstance of financial dilemma provides a window where the touri...

Currently, research on gesture recognition systems has been on the rise due to the capabili- ties these systems provide to the field of human–machine interaction, however, gesture recognition in prosthesis and orthesis has been carried out through the use of an extensive amount of channels and electrodes to acquire the EMG (Electromyography) signal...

Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) is at an all-time high. From this perspective, the need to identify decisive factors to attain territorial success in terms of a sustainable development of border areas and regions through CBC projects is vital, so that the quality of life of the resident populations can improve in turn. Contextually, the main goal of...

The blue economy contributes significantly to the creation of the Atlantic Area's identity. In addition, the search for outdoor experiences after the COVID-19 lockdown suspensions has renewed the popularity of nautical tourism in this area and in the world. Despite the negative effects of the economic crisis on tourism, evidence suggests that some...

The role of FDI as a vehicle for economic growth is debatable in practice. On the other hand, the size of the company and the technological groups can influence the occurrence and magnitude of FDI externalities. Thus, this article investigates the impact of firm size on the occurrence of foreign direct investment externalities in the Portuguese ind...

Since the arrival of the pandemic in Brazil, with the first case confirmed on 26 February 2020, several actions have been taken by governments to reduce the transmission of the disease and prepare the health system to receive the most severely infected. Among these actions are the social distancing, closure of non-essential economic activities, ado...

Risks associated with climate change can have an injurious impact on the economy as well as the financial system as a whole. There is a possibility that certain risks, such as losses to financial intermediaries and disruptions in the functioning of financial markets, can aggravate vulnerabilities in the financial system under certain conditions, in...

En la actualidad es imposible deslindar el concepto de desarrollo sin un planeamiento con enfoque ecológico, dado que los asentamientos humanos conllevan procesos como la movilidad y el transporte, el uso de la energía, la recogida y tratamiento de residuos, la reducción de emisiones o la preservación de la naturaleza, todo ello implica nuevas form...

Climate change has been recognized as one of the most serious environmental , social, and economic challenges facing the world today. Contextually, the Intermunicipal Plan for Climate Change Adaptation in Alentejo Central (PIAAC-AC) has already identified the tendencies and future scenarios of climate change in Alentejo Central until the end of the...

The current work aims to examine the efficient management of natural and cultural heritage resources for the sustainable development of cross-border tourism. Therefore, the authors of the chapter examine what measures should be taken to ensure that the cultural, natural, and residential space in the programme area can be used in a sustainable way i...

European borderlands characteristics are determined by the interaction of differences in geography along with various conflicts in demographic and socioeconomic factors. These regions are more isolated than the other areas due to the barriers that restrain the opportunity to interact with cross-border areas. Most cases of border areas are isolated...

Resumo: Atualmente o Alojamento Local (AL) tem assumido um lugar de destaque no mercado turístico da Região Autónoma dos Açores, particularmente na ilha de São Miguel. Neste sentido, evidencia-se a necessidade da formulação de um guia de boas práticas para estes empreendimentos. Contudo, a questão assenta em que tipo de guia elaborar. Neste sentido...