Facilitators and constraints in leisure travel participation: the case of the southeast of Portugal

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analyse facilitators and constraints of Portuguese south-eastern residents face when making decisions for leisure travel participation.

Design/methodology/approach – The inquiry anchors on a case study research, supported by a theoretical sampling and data triangulation. The main findings result from an interpretative and comparative analysis of 48 long interviews.

Findings – The research findings suggest that the main determinants of leisure traveling decisions of Portuguese south-eastern residents are motivations, travel companion, time and money. The study finds 35 other factors, most of which classified as structural factors. It also suggests that the decision to take leisure travels derives from the tourist's causal historical wave, and that most of the factors which influence the decision are aggregate ones rather than individual.

Research limitations/implications – The study limitations derive from the geographical and sampling scope of analysis, restricted to 48 Portuguese south-eastern interviewees; but, it raises some interesting ideas which, if applied to a more extensive sample, may contribute to give insights of the usefulness of the ecological systems theory to explain tourist consumer behavior.

Originality/value – The study is the first to explore the decision for travel leisure participation from an ecological perspective in Portugal.