A importância dos serviços ofertados pelos convention & visitors bureaux : uma avaliação dos organizadores de congressos

Abstract

This work has as its principal object the services offered by the Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), evaluated both from the perspective of its administrators and from professional congress organizers (PCOs). As promoters of the destination, and intending to increase the flow of tourists, CVBs make use of strategies that include the attraction of professional events. For this reason, these organizations direct their efforts to publicize the tourist potential of the region, aiming thereby convincing the planners of these events and their intermediaries - group in which the congress organizers have a prominent place. To achieve greater efficiency, it is understood that is relevant good alignment between the desires and needs of buyers with the offer proposed by CVBs. Taking this assumption as a guiding principle, it was decided to investigate the value attributed to the services offered, by both OPCs as by the CVBs. The primary of this research it was generating an array of services considered most important by these middlemen buyers of tourist destinations, ordered from highest to lowest value obtained. Second aim was to compare the perceptions of the two groups , seeking to highlight similarities and differences in valuation services. It was opted for the use of a descriptive research methodology, with the process of gathering information through structured forms that included questions measuring opinion by means of intensity scales. The application of the research was carried out with representatives of both organizers, as CVBs. It was set up a sampling delimited geographical area (southern Brazil) - which represented more than 20 % of the universe of Brazilian CVBs - and intentionally selected OPCs. Data analysis was quantitative and it was used statistical methods. The results allow us to realize a good alignment on the allocation of value between the two groups, though, have been shown a poor relationship and some gaps in the effective provision of these services, in which there have been activities with high value attributed and rare offer.