Tourism and Management of Railway Heritage Resources

The recognition that railway heritage resources are an opportunity for territorial tourism development has contributed to increasing the railway tourism segment. The main objective of this article is to understand the degree of importance that the railway station of Tomar, a city located in the center of Portugal, has for increasing its cultural and tourist attractiveness through rail mobility. The methodology adopted is based on a survey (n = 233). To this extent, this study constitutes a relevant contribution to reinforcing the importance of managing the existing railway heritage resources in the territory. The results reveal that the existing railway heritage resources in the territory contribute to increasing the attractiveness not only of the city but also to a more integrated exchange with the national railway museum on the railway route via train between the city and the museum.