02297nas a2200229   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653003900043653002500082653001600107653002600123100001500149700001400164700001600178700001500194245012700209856015700336300001000493490000700503520153700510022002002047                                       d10aEuropean Capital of Culture (ECOC)10aImage of destination10aMega-events10aTourists  perceptions1 aL. Vareiro1 aJ. Santos1 aP. Remoaldo1 aJ. Ribeiro00aEvaluating the Guimaraes 2012 European Capital of Culture: national and international tourists  behaviors and perceptions.  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84964663591&doi=10.3727%2f152599516X14538326025152&partnerID=40&md5=c247e3905cccb622d37a95dd7ad21d39  a81-970 v203 aIn 2012, Guimarães hosted the European Capital of Culture (ECOC). An evaluation of this event was needed because public, private, and community funds were involved. This analysis considers tourists as external and independent stakeholders who assessed the cultural activities developed during the event as well as the attributes of the city. The main objectives of the research conducted were to assess the visitors  motivations during the hosting of the Guimarães ECOC 2012, their perceptions towards the city, and if national and international visitors kept different perceptions of it. For 2 months, in the summer of 2012, a survey was applied to 390 visitors. The results revealed that hosting the 2012 ECOC was a major contribution towards attracting new visitors to the city (though many of the visitors stayed only for a short period of time). Based on tourists  perceptions, the tangible heritage was clearly detached from the set of attributes associated to Guimarães, whereas the intangible heritage was less noted. The Portuguese tourists seem to be more prone to value the tangible heritage than the foreign tourists. Overall, Guimarães received a very positive evaluation relating to the city s image and, as stated by tourists, visiting it was declared to be highly recommended. Following the obtained empirical results, the need for changing the city s promoted image emerges, which has been too centered on its tangible heritage. In doing so, it is believed that there will be longer overnight stays by visitors.  a15259951 (ISSN)