Return Migration and Rural Tourism Development in Portugal

ABSTRACT The theoretical research of this study contributes to improving the state of the art of studies that, from the second half of the 1980s onwards, addressed the issue of the impact of return migration on rural development in Portugal by introducing the variable tourism development. To this end, 5,157 Portuguese emigrants were surveyed with the aim of assessing the impact of their return on tourism development in rural areas of Portugal. Results showed that those between the ages of 29 and 39 who have a house in their place of origin would like to return, invest and have employment in the area of tourism, as well as have a rural lifestyle in Portugal. Considering that traditional agriculture is also a characteristic of the Portuguese rural landscape, the same emigrants could contribute to its maintenance, since they would also like to practice agriculture, as a complementary activity and mainly for self-consumption.