Business Tourism Development in the Fashion Industry

One of the main objectives of a country's fashion industry is to enable the consumer to identify the country as an indicator of how good the products are, because, from that perspective, they will prefer that country's products and there may be the possibility of not paying more for a product that they believe to be of high quality. In this perspective, the fashion industry had great relevance for the national economy and therefore national marketing strategies should develop and promote a positive image of the country and of its products to increase the volume of exporting. Thus, in an increasingly competitive and demanding market, fashion business tourism has become essential for the fashion industry to be known by its potential consumers, associated with a high degree of quality, technological improvements as well as sustainable practices in its production. However, fashion business tourism is not properly valued by the tourism industry, so this research aims to deepen scientific knowledge about this segment. The general objective of this study is to understand the role of fashion business tourism in the northern region of Portugal, in general, and in the city of Vila Nova de Famalicao as the Portuguese capital of the textile industry. The research applied a qualitative methodology, with data collection through semi-structured interviews with representatives of textile factories and of textile associations. The results provide relevant data for the valorization of the sector and the region, through cooperation and regional promotion strategies, relevant to the desirable notoriety of the fashion industry promoting business tourism.