The internet has changed not only the way tourist products áre distributed, enabling tourists to buy online without intermediaries such as travei agents, but also the relationship between travei agents and the global distribution systems (GDS).This article aims to analyse this new way of communicating that developed between travei agents and the GDS AMADEUS after the introduction of the internet. Of particular interest is the travei agents' reaction to the use ofthe internet and the products made available by the GDS through the World Wide Web. The method applied consists of an interview with a manager from AMADEUS Brazil and a questionnaire made available in the GDS' website.A total of 10 6 travei agents from Brazil participated in this research.

This paper analyses the tourism potential mobilization towards regional development of Algarve, Lisboa e Vale do Tejo and Madeira.The analysis is based on tourism structural characterization and its evolution during the 90's, and also on its strategic position and contribution to the economic structure of the regional economies.The results suggest that those regions are the most important turistic áreas, both in terms of supply and demand indicators.They concentrate 80% of the total number of beds and 84% of the permanency nights. The regions of Algarve and Madeira are strongly dependent on visitants from a reduced number of countries. Also the only product demanded in these regions increases that dependency.The analysis depicts the efforts for regional convergence, through the investment in the most dynamic economic sectors and the development of specific sectors by taking advantage of locational advantages.However that strategy nas also contributed for the fragilization of the regional economic structure, in particular, in the regions of Algarve and Madeira.

Tourism is one of the most important powers in the world.It plays a decisive role concerning the development of certain regions where no other alternatives are found to achieve such aim.In this article, some economical impacts of tourism are analysed both individually and collectively, namely those concerning national income and Employment in the Balance of Payments and in the Governments' Revenue.An approach of the multiplying of tourism is also made; this technique is used to estimate the continuous impacts of the tourism expenses in Economy.Same aspects related to the importance of tourism in the regional growth and development are going to be mentioned. So, it was confirmed that tourism may increase the natural, historical and cultural potentialities of themost depressed áreas.However, it was added that it is not tourism itself which increases the development of certain country or region; it is the levei of development of the country or region which turns tourism into a favourable or non favourable activity to such process.Finally, the question related to the role played by tourism in the regional economical development of the developed countries, through the redistribution of national income for the benefit of touristical regions, was also mentioned.Concerning this subject, the classical view of the "convergence", which defends that tourism contributes to a standardization of the economical development among countries, was critically analysed.It was concluded that tourism is important for the development, however, this does not only depend exclusively on it, but also on the development levei of the other economy sectors.

Managing tourism organisations, namely hospitality industry, requires the assurance of a higher performance from human resources, often recruited for the season, traditionally receiving low wages and submitted to a large turnover rate. The aim of this study is to discuss the dimension of turnover. Besides, the study also aims to assess how thisturnover is related or not with the existence of Human Resource Management practices.Two hypothesises were established, namely, how Human Resource Management practices are correlated with turnover and second how unit dimension explains the existence of Human Resource Management practices.

The Strategic Framework for Sustainable Tourism Development in Lisbon was designed to support the initiatives of the Lisbon Tourism Association, by encouraging the conciliation of the environmental, social and economic components of tourism development. In essence the framework offers a strategic and integrative instrument towardsmore sustainable practices. The empirical and participative studies that were developed to support the design of the framework include an analysis of the tourism resources of Lisbon, concerning environmental and socio-cultural resources, and also of an analysi s of the environmental performance of tourism activities in Lisbon led by different organizations. This conducted to an attempt to suggest environmental and sustainability benchmarks based on the best performances identified. The success of the actions proposed in the framework will depend on the active andresponsible involvement of ali organizations in view of a future sustainable tourism in Lisbon.

Rural tourism has been identified as an opportunity for diversifying Portugal's tourism supply and destination image, capable of attracting "new tourists" to "new destinations" and stimulating correspondingly regional development. However, the degree to which this tourism form is actually capable of corresponding to the diverse and highexpectations depends, apart from the real potential of the destination, on the capacity to attract and satisfy a heterogeneous and demanding market.In this context market research is paramount, permitting an understanding of the destination's visitors, their behaviours, motivations, perceptions and frustrations. The relevance of this data for defining marketing strategies at the destination levei will be discussed, based on results of a market study undertaken in rural áreas in North Portugal.

Based on the results of a multiple-case study, this paper explores the marketing strategies used by hoteliers in Goa, a '365 days on a holiday spof.Particular attention is paid to evidences of the practice of relationship marketing and managerial suggestions are presented.

Being the sector of lodging one of the main components of the tourism system and, evidencing the existence of some world-wide trends to the levei of the diverse sources of the lodging industry, the Security, Hygiene and Health assume a central stage in this article, because they represent one of the biggest forces of change, thus contributing withsignificant challenges for this industry. The analysis and framing of the sector in Portugal, as well as the analysis of the demand, with the intent of perceiving its behavior and its new requirements, allow to demonstrate that the tourist demand is particularly sensible to the problems of Security, Hygiene and Health, influencing negatively the occupation taxes in the lodging sector. In this way, measures based on those world-wide trends are proposals that cancontribute to prevent and to improve the Security, Higiene and Health in Portugal lodging sector. The fact of evidencing, that some of those are still not contemplated in the national law, recommendations had been made it to be in the future, with the intent that it will proceeds to the reinforcement of legislative and prescribed measures to the sector in these áreas, thus resulting in an increase of its occupation taxes.

In the sequence of another and more detailed study produced in November 2003 to the Portuguese National Tourism Board (DGT - Direcção-Geral do Turismo), the author intends to forecast the evolution of the externai tourist demandin a médium and long time perspective. In the present paper, this subject is presented in the form of a synthesis of the specific methodology used, with particular emphasis to the description of the macroeconomic forecasting model and to the evaluation of its consistency facing to real data.