Cláudia Ribeiro de Almeida holds a PhD and a Post-Doctoral degree in Tourism from the University of Aveiro, a Master’s in Total Quality Management from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and a BSc in Marketing from the University of the Algarve. She is an Integrated Researcher at CinTurs - Research Centre of Tourism, Sustainability and Well Being and a Coordinating Professor at the School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism of the University of the Algarve, where she has been teaching since 1996.
Her teaching includes Tourism Operations, Transport and Accessibility in Tourism, and Tourism System Dynamics. She has served as Director of the Tourism degree and has been a member of the coordination of the Master's in Tourism since 2017.
Her research focuses on air transport and tourism dynamics, tourism sustainability, second-home tourism, short-term rentals, tourism operations, tourism trends, and artificial intelligence in tourism. She has published extensively in these fields, including books, book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers, and acts as a reviewer for several scientific journals.
She has also been involved in numerous national and international funded projects, including Best Med (Interreg Med), Creainnovation, TOURMedAssets, COST TU1305, Access4All, HC Tourism, and Share Economy.
Cláudia Ribeiro de Almeida, calmeida@ualg.pt
Hugo Pinto, hpinto@ualg.pt
Ana Rita Cruz, arcruz@ualg.pt
Carla Nogueira, cfnogueira@ualg.pt
Jennifer Nicole Elston, jnelston@ualg.pt
Ana Cláudia Campos, acalves@ualg.pt
The Short-Term Rentals and Tourism Dynamics Research Group examines short-term rentals (STRs) as a key driver of transformation within contemporary tourism systems. Focusing on European destinations, particularly in the Mediterranean region, the group analyses how STRs reshape tourism development, spatial patterns, and destination sustainability.
The rapid growth of STRs, largely enabled by digital platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, has significantly altered traditional accommodation markets. In Mediterranean destinations, where tourism intensity and seasonality are high, these changes generate both opportunities for economic development and challenges related to housing, social cohesion, and territorial balance.
The group adopts a systemic and interdisciplinary approach, linking STRs with broader tourism dynamics, including air transport, tourism flows, second-home tourism, and destination evolution. A key research line focuses on data and measurement challenges, promoting the use of harmonised datasets and innovative methodologies to improve the analysis and comparability of STR activity across destinations.
The research also addresses the socio-economic and spatial impacts of STRs, including housing affordability, gentrification, and the professionalisation of supply. In parallel, the group examines governance and regulation, conducting comparative analyses of policy frameworks at local, national, and European levels.
Additionally, this research group explores the role of digitalisation, platform economies, and artificial intelligence in shaping tourism markets and destination competitiveness.
Using mixed-methods that combine spatial analysis, big data, econometric modelling, and qualitative approaches, the group aims to produce policy-relevant research that supports more sustainable and balanced tourism development in Europe.
Ribeiro de Almeida, C., Renda, A. & Bezruchonak, A. (2025). The Role of Harmonised Data Collection in Evaluating Short-Term Rentals: A Case Study of Portugal, pp.105-136. In Ribeiro de Almeida, C.; Renda, A. & Echavárri, J. (2024). Short-Term Rentals and their Impact on Destinations. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 105-136. ISBN: 9798369360507/EISBN: 9798369360521. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-6050-7.ch004
Pinto, H., Marzano, M., Cruz, A. R., & Elston, J. (2025). Overtourism and short-term rental effects in Florence and Lisbon: The Perspective of Residents’ Associations. In Short-Term Rentals and their Impact on Destinations. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 201-236 ISBN: 9798369360507/EISBN: 9798369360521. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-6050-7.ch007
Osada Saurí, D. & Ribeiro de Almeida, C. (2024). Viviendas turísticas y transformaciones demográficas: un estudio sobre el turismo masivo en el Algarve. Cuadernos de Geografía, 111, 7-32. DOI: 10.7203/CGUV.111.26174
Ribeiro de Almeida, C. & Bezruchonac, A. (to be published). Short-term rentals in the Algarve: Reshaping the tourism landscape. Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being.
Cruz, A.R. & Gato, M.A. (To be published). Rural Touristification and Short-Term Rentals Reshaping Tourism Geographies: Algarve’s Spatial Transformations. Tourism Geographies.