Abstract

MENDONCA, Abraão Ribeiro; CARVALHO, Maria Leonor da Silva  and  HENRIQUES, Pedro Damião de Sousa. Challenges for the development of tourism in Timor-Leste. Rev. de Ciências Agrárias [online]. 2023, vol.46, n.3, pp.41-50.  Epub May 04, 2023. ISSN 0871-018X.  https://doi.org/10.19084/rca.31692.

Timor-Leste is a country with a rich natural and cultural heritage, with great potential to develop tourism to support the country's economic development. The touristic infrastructures are deficient and the touristic attributes are deficient, so the number of visitors is relatively small. The question that arises is “How to overcome these limitations to the development of the tourism sector?”. This study sought to identify the motivations and expectations of visitors as well as their satisfaction with the Timor-Leste destination. For its implementation, primary data were collected through a questionnaire survey among visitors to Timor-Leste. The study concluded that most of the interviewees, visitors, came from Australia, followed by Portugal and that the purpose of the trip was mostly professional. The attributes constituted by the climate, tranquillity and hospitality were valued in a satisfactory or very satisfactory way by the visitors; in the group regarding direct usufruct, satisfaction and a lot of satisfaction were always superior to dissatisfaction, although with some warning signs in dissatisfaction; in prices charged, the degree of dissatisfaction was around 40%, and the quality of the infrastructures showed the greatest signs of dissatisfaction on the part of visitors. The proposals for improvement and recommendations were: not leaving litter on the beaches, improving sanitation, road conditions, tourist information and guides, accommodation and ecotourism conditions, public transport in Dili and in the Districts, entertainment, tourist attraction and traditional gastronomy.

Keywords : Timor-Leste; tourism; visitors; tourist activity; infrastructures.

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