Child visitors in cultural tourism: insights for designing inclusive heritage experiences

Onur Icoz; Eren Gonul

doi:10.25145/j.pasos.2026.24.062

Autores

Onur Icoz Aydin Adnan Menderes University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0775-1451
Eren Gonul Aydın Adnan Menderes University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4668-5490

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2026.24.062

Palavras-chave:

Turismo cultural, turistas infantis, experiência turística, turismo inclusivo, património cultural

Resumo

Este estudo investiga as experiências de crianças no turismo cultural, oferecendo uma perspetiva inovadora sobre um grupo demográfico pouco explorado na investigação turística. Adotando uma abordagem fenomenológica, interpreta os significados presentes nas narrativas infantis em vez de procurar resultados generalizáveis. Trinta e cinco crianças participaram num circuito cultural e documentaram as suas experiências em cadernos de observação não estruturados. A análise qualitativa de conteúdo identificou quatro dimensões principais — estética, emocional, de aprendizagem e de qualidade do serviço — e vinte temas associados. Os resultados revelam que as crianças percecionaram o turismo cultural de forma positiva, destacando o apelo estético dos sítios patrimoniais, a riqueza da informação histórica e a importância dos serviços interativos e responsivos. O estudo aprofunda a compreensão das crianças enquanto construtoras ativas de significado no turismo e oferece implicações práticas para a conceção de experiências de turismo cultural inclusivas e centradas na infância. Os seus contributos podem orientar profissionais do turismo, educadores e responsáveis por políticas públicas no desenvolvimento de experiências patrimoniais mais participativas e eticamente fundamentadas.

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