The Dunas de Natal State Park is the first regulated Conservation Unit in the state of RN, linked to the National System of Conservation Units, in the category of Integral Protection, twenty-three years after its regulation. Located in Natal, the park is in an urban area and is surrounded by two Special Areas of Social Interest, an Area of Special Tourist and Landscape Interest, military areas and, as a result, lives with a range of conflicts arising from the association between an Integral Protection Conservation Unit and an urban area. The main aim of this research is to "analyze the conflicts arising from the extemporaneous linking of "Park" type Conservation Units, located in urban areas, to the National System of Conservation Units - SNUC, based on the case of the Natal/RN Dunes Park". To this end, three specific objectives were contemplated: 1) To contextualize the creation of Conservation Units in Brazil, since before the SNUC was enacted, making an association with the urban planning instruments available in both periods (before and after the SNUC); 2) To characterize the creation of the Natal Dunes Park in relation to the insertion of RN in the development policy of tourist megaprojects for the Northeast Region; and, 3) To analyze the suitability of the Natal Dunes State Park for the category of Integral Protection, in the light of the National System of Conservation Units. This is a qualitative study, considered to be the most appropriate way to respond to the problem, which is interdisciplinary. A case study was defined as a strategy; in the case of this research, Parque das Dunas was characterized as a single critical case, defined by its centrality in relation to the research problem. Data collection was based on secondary data, made up of official documents (Management Plan, Operation Plan, Procedures Manual, among others identified along the way), minutes of meetings of the UC Management Council, Natal Master Plans, and related documents, which were analyzed using Content Analysis, respecting the stages of pre-analysis, exploration of the material and treatment of the results, defined by Bardin. Support was sought in the literature dealing with regulatory instruments for Conservation Units and urban planning. The results obtained point to the need to re-evaluate the legislation governing Conservation Units, especially at state and municipal level, to the need for possible adjustments or requalification of the UCs that were extemporaneously linked to the SNUC, as well as a review of the Parque das Dunas Management Plan.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is a form of tourism management generally developed in the territory of indigenous peoples and traditional communities under the principles of self-management, social equity, solidarity, cooperation and interculturality. The majority participation of women in TBC initiatives is widely recognized by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). The role of women in TBC initiatives, however, does not lead to an automatic process of female empowerment and gender equality. In this sense, the study aims to analyze the role of women in the development of Community-Based Tourism in the Catu dos Eleotérios indigenous community, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and its possible effects on female empowerment and indigenous social dynamics. As specific objectives, the work aims to: reveal the indigenous social dynamics and the sexual division of labor in the Catu dos Eleotérios community; identify the results generated by Community-Based Tourism and the challenges for its development, from the perspective of catuzeira women; and verify whether Community-Based Tourism triggered processes of female empowerment and changes in the social position of women in the indigenous community. The research used the ethnographic method as inspiration, with the application of participant observation techniques and semi-structured interviews, making it possible to explore the perspectives, experiences and meanings attributed by women to their involvement in CBT. As a result, there is an initial process of female empowerment of catuzeira women in the psychological, social, economic and political dimensions. In the psychological dimension, the increase in self-esteem, active participation, self-confidence and greater autonomy of indigenous women is notable. In the social dimension, women are positioned more independently, gaining visibility, speaking and decision-making power, strengthening the social position of women within the community. In the economic dimension, women now have an alternative source of income through tourism, providing greater financial autonomy and influence in family dynamics, with prominent roles as entrepreneurs and artisans. With regard to political empowerment, women began to participate more in community decisions and represent the community in external organizations, however, they still do not exercise leadership roles. Despite advances, some challenges persist regarding gender inequality, such as the overload of women in domestic activities and machismo based on patriarchal structures, obstacles rooted in the social structure of the community, which still need to be overcome.

The Cariri Paraibano region, marked by the Caatinga landscape framed by flagstones, has seen an increase in tourist activity in recent years, driven, among many factors, by geomorphological and archaeological attributes, cinematographic productions, crafts and gastronomy. Tourism presents itself, at least within the scope of discourse, as an important vector for local development and improving the quality of life of communities. In 2017, Sebrae/PB launched the “Rota dos Lajedos” project, to promote activities such as geotourism, ecotourism and experiences within communities. However, tourism development requires an inclusive approach that involves the active participation of local communities in decision-making. In this area, there is a form of tourism, commonly known as Community-Based Tourism (TBC), which values participatory management and the protagonism of local subjects as central agents in the tourism development processes in their respective territories. Thus, the research has the general objective of analyzing how the rural communities of Marinho and Bravo, located in Cariri Paraibano, are socially organized and integrated into the tourism production chain, revealing the factors that explain their different forms of community organization and proximity to the development of Community-Based Tourism. The research is characterized as exploratory, with a qualitative analysis approach. The information was collected in fieldwork in the two target communities of the study, using two research techniques: participant observation and semi- structured interviews with community members and leaders and external agents involved with local tourism. The results demonstrate that the presence of certain social organizers in communities led to different forms of management and involvement with local tourism. Furthermore, it was observed that external actions, such as partnerships and connections with different projects and experiences, promoted the development of local tourism, becoming a differentiating factor for community engagement.

Tourism is a complex activity whose commercial approach encourages destinations to invest in different strategies in order to stand out from the competitive market. One of these strategies is the formulation of destination brands, which communicate directly with the local tourist public. The branding manages to create a deeper relationship with tourists by humanasing the destination. In this way, tourists visualise the place they are visiting with emotions, personalities and other characteristics attributed to people. As these tourists often turn to tourist guides to define their experience at the destination, the aim of this dissertation is to: Understand how tourist guides perceive the tourist brand of the destination Natal, based on the Brand Personality Scale. This method analyses the destination's brand based on 42 variables divided into 5 dimensions. The quantitative data was analysed using SPSS software. The analyses were validated using Cronbach's Alpha. The results show that tourist guides see the city as sincere, family-orientated, healthy, cheerful, cool, charming and friendly. The main audience for the guides are families from nearby towns, which may explain this positioning. However, when it comes to the Brand specifically, similarities are pointed out between ‘Viva Natal’ and other successful brands, leading to questions about the ‘touristification’ of the destination, i.e. the creation of experiences, and in this case, brands, which make little use of the local identity, being similar to other cases. To deepen the discussion, future studies suggest reapplying the method with tourists, preferably with a larger sample.

Different dimensions of violence, exploitation, exclusion and inequality mark contemporary tourism, so there has been increasing attention to research that deals with these phenomena and their effects on tourism. In the case of violence, these studies focus on the analysis of the impacts of these practices under the eyes of visitors and tourists, and there are few studies that relate violence and tourism for residents and workers in the sector. In the latter case, the work environment in tourism, especially in the hotel industry, has been characterized as a locus of hierarchical and, at times, abusive and precarious relationships, but which, however, has little to do with the practices of violence. Thus, the problem identified in this analysis concerns the lack of studies that investigate in depth the ramifications of violence during working hours in the hotel industry. In this sense, the main purpose of this research is to analyze the dynamics of violence that occur during working hours in hotels in Natal-RN. It considers the social inequalities arising from tourist development based on the reports and experiences shared by workers and former workers of the sector. The approach used to investigate the topic is, predominantly, qualitative. The strategy adopted to address the research problem was a single case study. To collect primary data, it was used the snowball sampling technique, together with the data collection techniques: netnography and semi-structured interviews. The research results show that despite its development in contemporary society, the hotel industry constantly deals with structural challenges, which involves work overload, the employment relationship of these professionals, the incidence of violence in the work environment, as well as the complaints made or the resolution of these cases. Social inequalities, therefore, coexist in the work relationships developed between employers and employees, and it is a direct reflection of economic neoliberalism and globalization within society. Workers submit to poor conditions imposed by managers and owners, because they need the job, which further reinforces the scenario of precarious working conditions. Furthermore, the violence observed in the work environment of the hotels in Natal consists of the presence of abusive practices related to moral and sexual harassment, racism, homophobia, among others, especially, addressed to the gender perspective. These practices, therefore, project themselves onto gender and other convergences such as sexual orientation, race and social class, reaching even more significant dimensions.

As a result of digital transformations and changes in educational processes that support a more autonomous and liberating education, the concept of online learning (e-learning) emerges as an alternative to promote training, development and education actions for people. E-learning places the student as the protagonist of the training process, but these modern methods will not be fully effective if users are inclined to not accept these technologies. Although studies have been dedicated to investigating the adoption of e-learning in formal educational institutions - basic to higher education - research that has focused on the factors of its acceptance in the corporate environment, especially tourism, is rare. In this context, this thesis aims to integrate theories from the areas of organizational management, psychology and education to analyze the acceptance factors of e-learning in the hotel industry, namely: Competitive Values Framework; Psychological Empowerment; and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Therefore, the central objective is to investigate the relationships between organizational culture and psychological empowerment for the acceptance and use of e-learning in the hotel industry. This is a hypothetical-deductive research, with a quantitative approach, descriptive and explanatory. The field of study was made up of hotel chains that promote online training and operate in the Brazilian context, while the responding subjects were employees from different functions in the hotels. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, from a sample of 312 employees who had online learning experiences in the workplace. Data processing and analysis occurred via descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), supported by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed that the organizational culture profile that predominates in the hotel industry is Clan and Innovative, with no statistically significant differences between them. Competence was the most prominent dimension of empowerment, showing that people have enough self-efficacy to complete the courses. Furthermore, Effort Expectancy also stood out among the e-learning acceptance dimensions, which shows that people see online learning platforms as easy to use. After testing hypotheses, the research resulted in a structural model of relationships that explains 57% of the antecedents of hotel employees' intention to use e-learning. The path taken from Social Influence, through Clan Culture and Empowerment proved to be the most effective in the hotel context. Finally, it is possible to conclude that there are cause-effect relationships between organizational culture, empowerment and acceptance of e- learning in the hotel industry and the proposed model can help managers in making decisions regarding the effective implementation of e-learning practices.

Tourism in protected areas is made up of three main aspects: rationality about the integration of local communities, neoliberal environmental conservation and the spatialization of tourism use, all of which bring together tensions within the poverty-stricken population. In this context, protected areas are a focus for understanding tourism because they encompass power relations where everyday actions and external processes are concentrated, such as the actions of various agents in restructuring the territory. The thesis aims to understand the dynamics of tourism and narratives of poverty, considering the ideology of development linked to the context of protected areas in Mozambique, especially in Limpopo National Park, seeking to analyze tourism and the narratives associated with poverty; the context of the creation of conservation areas and their connection with the actions of various agents; It also problematizes the neoliberal ideology and its basis in the restructuring of conservation areas, as well as the political agenda of tourism, and investigates the process of citizen participation and social transformations in indigenous communities, with a view to the internal organization of their territories. From a methodological point of view, based on a qualitative approach, the aim is to carry out bibliographical research on the subject under study and documentary research, analyzing Mozambican policy documents, such as national plans and management plans linked to tourism, poverty and conservation. Empirical research was carried out with the help of in- depth interviews, in order to gather the feelings and reasoning of the people involved in the dynamics of the Limpopo National Park. In addition to collecting information from locals and community leaders to obtain testimonies about the lives of the people involved, interviews were conducted with government tourism and conservation bodies, as well as with the main partner Non-Governmental Organization in order to identify their thoughts and concrete actions. Tourism plays a fundamental role in the actions and practices of everyday dialogic structuring, revealing itself as fundamental in the formation of narratives. This complex phenomenon is influenced by various factors, including the mechanisms and purposes of international politics in tourism relations. Ideologies linked to the actions of the state also play a significant role, leaving their mark on the construction of tourism and the context of political representations in the face of diverse social realities. As these are communities of small groups, articulation is flexible, but the decision-making process is somewhat questionable, given that the fragility of citizen participation, access to information and crucial decision-making for their destinations depend on historically constructed power relations, from the family to the constitutional context.

Although the competitiveness of tourist destinations has gained prominence among the themes that make up the agendas of academics and government officials in recent decades, generating the proposition of robust reference models and contributing to their definition and theoretical delimitation, when transported to the field of application to different contexts, or that of a specific tourist attraction, as is the case of Conservation Units (CUs), require the adaptation of their criteria and attributes to the specificities of the attraction itself. In order to contribute to this adaptation, this research is concerned with proposing a reference structure for analyzing the competitiveness of conservation units as tourist attractions, capable of capturing both attributes that condition competitiveness already consolidated for destinations, and those that can translate the context and specificities of the UCs tourist attraction. The research is conducted using a qualitative methodology in two stages: the first was dedicated to the office deck for analysis and compilation of models already consolidated on the topic, from which the conceptual framework of the competitiveness attributes applied to the UCS proposed in the thesis was built, constituted of 4 dimensions 13 attributes and 24 indicators. In the second stage, the framework is validated by applying it to 3 UCs in Mozambique, characterizing the multi-case study. The techniques used were document analysis, compilation of data from secondary sources, field research, through in- person visits to collect data on site, interviews with managers, legislators and other UC actors. Data reading and interpretation were based on techniques such as content analysis, through the interpretation of primary and secondary data extracted from the survey, individual case studies - Màgoé, Gorongosa and Limpopo, in Mozambique, Africa. The results made it possible to draw some conclusions regarding the theme and context of the competitive conditions and sustainability of the UCs studied. Fremework proved to be adequate in preposing attributes that contributed to measuring the tourist competitiveness of conservation units and that reflect the premises of sustainability and the specificity and complexity of UCs. It allows evaluating the evolution of the situation of UCs in meeting the attributes, comparison between themselves and individually, in the face of international destination competitiveness criteria, map the difference in situations or realities in the UCs analyzed in terms of their current capacity for tourist competitiveness as well as reveal the potential and trajectories towards more robust competitive positions in terms of destination competitiveness , in this context, Gorongosa Park was found to have a strong competitive situation, Limpopo Park to have a more vulnerable competitive situation and finally Màgoé Park to be further away from the criteria or less competitive. Therefore, it is considered a theoretical model valid for a destination such as UC.

The present study, of an exploratory-descriptive nature and quantitative approach, aimed to identify the relationship between leadership and hotel performance in Mozambican hospitality. Two instruments were used for the research: one on leadership containing 28 indicators, answered by employees without managerial or supervisory positions, adapted from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) 6S Form developed by Bass and Avolio (2004); and one on hotel performance adapted from the instrument developed by Medeiros (2003), containing 36 indicators, including occupancy rate, average daily rate, average length of stay, overall performance, and the quality of services provided, which was answered by managers. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques of factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. A total of 124 employees from various operational areas and 23 hotel managers from the three main Mozambican cities, Maputo, Beira, and Nampula, were interviewed. As the main results, seven latent dimensions of leadership were identified, with a total explained variance of 79.7%. A causal relationship was also found showing that two latent dimensions of leadership explain (R2) 28.7% of the business performance of the hotels surveyed, with the individualized consideration dimension negatively influencing hotel performance (β = -0.38), and the idealized influence (charisma) dimension positively influencing hotel performance (β = 0.36). It is concluded that the predominant leadership style in Mozambican hospitality is charismatic leadership (idealized influence), explained in 41.6%, and that leadership styles influence the business performance of hotels in Mozambique.

The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the existence of integration between the solidarity economy and local activities, in the Tourist Territory of the Municipality of Inhambane (TTMI). The research method applied is hypothetical deductive in the analysis of the relationship between tourism, integrated planning and solidarity economy. The approach adopted was qualitative, following bibliographic, documentary and online research techniques. The universe of field research included the application of a questionnaire to catering establishments, local music and dance makers and members of the local community and the application of interviews to solidarity economy enterprises (farmers, potters and fishermen), representatives of the public sector and from the Inhambane Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism; and privately from the Inhambane Provincial Hotel and Tourism Association, community leaders, small traders and local market vendors and a non-participant and systematic/structured observation grid. To ensure the analysis of information, systematization of ideas, preparation of the report and conclusion, discourse analysis was adopted, which will be supported by the use of descriptive, explanatory and statistical methods. The theoretical content of the research explores issues related to cooperation, shared management and the "collective self" as fundamental terms to discuss the solidarity economy. It addresses tourism planning from an integrated management perspective and the process of designing and implementing public tourism policies. All reflection is carried out with a view to analyzing the essential elements for the creation of solidarity economy initiatives. The majority of research participants are women, and solidarity economy enterprises are mainly made up of adults and elderly people, who have low education. The agents of the local economy are mostly young, with a significant presence of people with primary and secondary education levels, in addition to a considerable percentage of individuals with higher education. In TTMI there are some local activities integrated with the principles of solidarity economy, however, there are still some obstacles to overcome. The participation of the local economy in tourism planning is weak, the public policy development process does not allow for its active integration, and the low level of training also constitutes a major challenge, therefore, the management model adopted in the TTMI does not ensure the integration of local economies into TTMI tourism planning. In this way, the results obtained made it possible to validate the second hypothesis of the research, which states that a “weak level of training and knowledge of different tourism management instruments, the fragility of solidarity economy enterprise initiatives on the part of local communities contributes negatively for the development of local economies, based on tourism. To improve this process, greater involvement and commitment from both the public and private sectors is necessary, to improve the planning models applied and ensure the formation of the community for empowerment.

Historically, tourism development in Brazil has focused on the use of its natural resources, especially its tropical climate and its coastline, which is more than 20,000 km long. Given the richness and diversity of their use and their finite resources, these spaces have suffered countless problems due to misuse, both by tourist activity and by the unsustainable use of the resident population. In response to these challenges, in 2019 the Ministry of Tourism launched a series of actions for the development and management of responsible waterfronts in Portugal. To this end, it promoted direct actions for the diagnosis and planning of waterfronts through the "Brasil, essa é a nossa praia (BNP)" Project, in partnership with the "Projeto Orla (PO)". In this context, the aim of this study was to understand how responsible tourism can contribute to the sustainable management of waterfronts used by tourists in Brazil. This investigation was conceived as a reality that is socially constructed from the relationship between subject and object, characterizing this study as exploratory, with a qualitative approach, based on the constructivist epistemological perspective, from the phenomenological paradigm. The empirical substance of this research is represented by a subset of data derived from multiple case studies: Angra dos Reis (RJ), São Sebastião (SP), Barreirinhas (MA), Salvador (BA), Natal (RN), Cruz (CE), Cabo Frio (RJ), Vila Velha (ES), Paraty (RJ) and Imbé (RS). Data was collected through documentary research, including a search for information in official publications and on the entities' websites, and semi-structured interviews with key representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the municipal authorities of the cities under study, members of the BNP and facilitators of the Projeto Orla, carried out between March and June 2024. The data was analyzed using discursive textual analysis and content analysis. The results show that responsible tourism, although still in its infancy in Brazil, contributes to the sustainable management of waterfronts by incorporating discussions about responsibilities in the sector. This approach promotes a more holistic vision, focused on the present, on participatory processes, encouraging all the agents involved to take on their leading role. This research revealed that the main motivators for acting responsibly are classified into endogenous factors such as altruism, legitimacy and competitiveness, and exogenous factors such as stakeholder pressures, environmental pressures and regulatory pressure. This reflects varying stages of motivation between different cities in the responsible management of tourist destinations. As for the limiting factors, they are marked by popular disbelief in participatory processes, political instability and a lack of administrative continuity, as well as limited technical capacity on the part of the parties involved. Finally, strategies such as strengthening municipal associations and councils, certifications, partnerships with educational institutions and public-private partnerships were presented as tools that can contribute to discussions of responsibility in tourism. For future research, we suggest evaluating the sustainability of the arrangements established between the municipal, state and federal spheres, as well as analyzing the technical guidance material on waterfront management produced within the scope of the project and studies focusing on community participation.

Events permeated by faith are one of the main causes of human displacement around the world. These events, linked to a religious belief, are instruments for legitimising hospitality in today's society, since they influence and shape the behaviour of countless people. Religions emphasise hospitality, welcoming the other, the visitor, the foreigner and the vulnerable as an innate condition of their faithful. In Christianity, in particular, this hospitality is also a duty, and through its events it is one of the ways to bring them closer to the other. Specifically, since the Second Vatican Council (1961-65), the Catholic Church has opened its doors to the lay faithful to take on ministerial roles, found communities and help with evangelisation, with the emergence of the New Communities (NC) to bring it closer to the people through their daily activities and events. The aim is to analyse how hospitality at religious events with a tourist flow produces meaningful experiences. Phenomenology was used as a method to treat a multiple case study with descriptive and exploratory characteristics and a qualitative approach. From a universe of 29 NCs registered with the Archdiocese of Natal/RN, it was decided, based on pre- established criteria, to choose two and one event from each, determining the organisers, collaborators and participants as the research agents. Data collection was carried out through bibliographical and documentary research, participant observation, online data mining through the social network Instagram, interviews and focus groups using semi-structured scripts. Data analysis combined a description of the cases in chronological order with content analysis. This was aided by the Reshape software to transcribe the oral content in order to transform it into a corpus, submit it to Iramuteq and finally draw up the Idea Association Maps using MindMeister. For the online data mining analyses, the categories and criteria adapted from Alves et al (2022) were used to create the Narrative Lines via Pictorchart. The results were presented according to the experiences of each agent investigated in the stages of operationalising events. It is reported that organisers and collaborators are treated as servants. In the pre-event, hospitality shapes the experience of the servants based on the desire to prepare to welcome the other person in order to evangelise them, while that of the potential public is formed by expectation, fuelled by the spiritual aspect and information that will be exposed by the communities throughout this period. At the event, it was identified that, for the servants, the practice of hospitality is linked to offering material conditions to welcome the other unconditionally, while for the participants, it is about perceiving the actions of the event in its entirety. In the post-event period, the experience is realised as meaningful for the servants by aligning faith, human and material actions in order to welcome the other; and for the participants in the joint assimilation of what was offered. The conclusion is that the two logics of hospitality, the conditional/commercial and the unconditional, need to work together in order to achieve meaningful experiences at religious events. It is suggested that, as they have a tourist flow, an inventory should be made for cataloguing and dissemination to the trade in order to increase the range of attractions on offer and boost new styles of tourism.

Since the last decade, Ibero-America has emerged as a scene of proliferation of studies, initiatives and projects related to both smart cities and smart tourism destinations. Considering smart tourism as a sociotechnical phenomenon, the aim of this research is to understand the articulation of trajectories and dynamics involved in the co-production processes between tourism and smartness interrelationships in the Latin American region, drawing from both the academic field and other actors involved in sociotechnical assemblages. To this end, the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries, offered by the field of science, technology and society (STS) studies, works, in heuristic terms, as a theoreticalmethodological toolbox to investigate visions of futures that could be achieved with the support of advances in science and technology, and the emergence of landscapes of modernity in the region. With regard to methodology, empirical research was operationalized through an interpretative and integrated multiple case study, with a descriptive-exploratory and comparative approach based on mixed methods. In accordance with the methodological recommendations for the analysis of sociotechnical imaginaries, data collection involved a triangulation of materialities based on bibliographic analysis, documentary research and semi-structured interviews. The modes of analysis were based on inductive/abductive reasoning and the analysis techniques involved the application of constructivist grounded theory complemented by discourse analysis, focusing on discursive-evocative practices. Among the results of the study, it was identified that, based on the trajectories of the Latin American academic field, the relationships between tourism and smartness have been showing a growing trend that introduces changes from technocentric visions to broader and more systemic ones linked to planning, management and governance, as well as critical and alternative visions. In turn, based on the cases of initiatives and projects in the region, with a focus on Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil, the visions are presented as systemic, albeit flexible and heterogeneous strategies for renewal, related to the improvement of efficiency and modernization of tourism management in the territories; with a central role for data-driven strategic planning and integrated governance, in which tourism acts as an articulator; in addition to the constitution of cooperation networks, including those with regional and international scope. Finally, the opportunities and challenges that arise from the sociotechnical arrangements of smart tourism in Latin America are discussed, in order to continue reflecting, beyond the hegemonic sociotechnical imaginary informed by the global imperative of techno-utopian progress, on their consequences and impacts; also considering the contradictions and interests implied in the context of digital capitalism.

Globalization, technological advances, market segmentation, socio- environmental responsibility, mergers and partnerships have transformed the way companies manage their activities, from customer service to the most advanced management strategies, which can result in competitive advantages and, consequently, in improved organizational performance. However, the new business environment has presented challenges in performance assessment, leading to measurements that consider qualitative aspects throughout the process and in line with the definition of strategies. In view of this, this study aims to analyze, from the perspective of the Balanced Scorecard Theory (BSC), the relationships between the variables capable of influencing the perception of business performance in the hotel sector, based on innovation strategies, ICTs and RSA practices. Data collection involved two different questionnaires, one open and one closed. The qualitative and exploratory phase included the participation of 5 hotels managers. In the quantitative stage, the study involved 311 managers, and the information collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, using IBM SPSS software. The results of the study indicate a correlation between the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) practices and innovation with the perception of business performance in hotel management. With coefficients of determination R² greater than 0.500, considered satisfactory in applied social sciences, the hypotheses are robust and suggest that the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) variables - processes, customers, learning and financial - are effective indicators for measuring the impact of these practices on perceived performance. This reinforces the importance of integrating these strategic dimensions to improve competitiveness and sustainability in the hotel sector.

In the relationship between tourism and culture, there is a dialectical conflict in the forms of cultural production and in the configurations of the supply and consumption of tourist products, which significantly affect the people and territories involved. When investigating patrimonialization, discourses and practices are identified that highlight distinctions and tensions related to cultures, environments, historical periods, and territories. The processes of patrimonialization and touristification are interconnected, resembling each other and intensely impacting sociocultural dynamics and the production of space. This thesis sought to identify, map, and characterize the materialization and territorialization of frevo and its use in tourism in Recife and Olinda (Pernambuco, Brazil), and to investigate its patrimonialization - based on the theoretical-methodological proposal of popular activation of patrimony-territory - ultimately reflecting on “other possible forms of tourism”. From a decolonial perspective, a bibliographical review and theoretical crossover of critical tourism and heritage studies were conducted. Through documentary research, the nomination dossiers of frevo as Brazilian and world Intangible Cultural Heritage and the revalidation opinions of these titles were examined, along with documents, laws, plans, projects, and initiatives focused on culture, tourism, and frevo. Additionally, semi- structured interviews and participant and non-participant observation were conducted to understand the singularities and specificities of the frevo communities. Content analysis allowed for the identification and characterization of the conceptions, discourses, and narratives present and recurring in the documents, testimonies, and observations collected. This set of procedures enabled the analysis of the Affective Territorial Connection Variables (ATCV) and the development of the Frevo Map. It was intriguing to observe that although frevo represents and identifies the tourist destination Recife/Olinda, it does not seem to effectively benefit from the advantages (including economic) derived from the services and products that support tourism. The critical and decolonial analyses identified the struggles and utopias of frevo practitioners to resist the power standards (modern, Eurocentric, and colonial) that align with the hegemonic logics of capitalism and the global market, affecting social existence and material and subjective relations particularly in Latin America. It is estimated that this thesis contributes to uncommon reflections in the theoretical field of tourism, as, beyond being a case study of unique aspects, the considerations and analyses may be relevant for thinking about “other possible forms of tourism” in different contexts and realities where cultural assets are subject to global patrimonialization and touristification processes.

This paper presents the theoretical concepts of the thesis project “Tourism and Socio-Environmental Conflicts: Challenges and Possibilities of Mediation in the Development of Tourism in Protected Areas of Amapa”. With a significant theme in the current national situation, the problem consists of analyzing the challenges and possibilities of applying the Mediation institute in the resolution of conflicts as an effective means, enabling the development of Tourism in Protected Areas of Amapa, identifying the capacity and/or incapacity of tourism management to improve the quality of life of the host populations and boost the economy of local communities. Regarding the methodological nature of the research, it is a Descriptive-Exploratory Study, with a qualitative-quantitative approach. The locus of this research will be the Conservation Units in the State of Amapa with tourism practices, where a proposal for conflict mediation will be carried out. Regarding the techniques, documentary and bibliographic research will be carried out, as well as field studies with exploratory, semi- structured interviews and virtual research with tourism managers from federal, state and municipal agencies in the state of Amapa, as well as representatives of traditional communities, with analysis and use of graphs and the Likert scale in some questions. The expected results are: a) To identify the Conservation Units in the state of Amapa and which of them develop tourism practices; b) To analyze the conditions of tourism governance in the Conservation Units of Amapa and diagnose which ones present conflicts associated with tourism; c) To verify the challenges and possibilities of conflict resolution in the development of tourism activities in protected areas of Amapa. Our hypothesis is that the application of the Mediation institute in the resolution of socio-environmental conflicts in protected areas can be an effective path, enabling the sustainable development of tourism activities, assisting in the conservation of the environment and in the management of tourism, improving the quality of life of the host populations and boosting the economy of traditional communities.

This study aims to investigate the application of the Lovemarks Theory in the context of the tourist destination Natal (RN) - Brazil. The theoretical basis states that brands must elicit love and respect from their customers to be considered a lovemark. To verify this issue in Natal, the study, which is of a descriptive-quantitative nature, proposed to test a theoretical model based on the dimensions of the Lovemarks Theory, namely: mystery, sensuality and intimacy (brand love); and trust, reputation and performance (brand respect). The data were collected through an online survey created on the Google Forms platform, which obtained 285 valid responses from people who have visited Natal at least once. Participants expressed their degree of agreement with each of the thirty-eight items in the questionnaire through a 5-point metric scale based on the Likert model. Descriptive and factorial analyses of the obtained material were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 22. To examine the six hypotheses that support the theoretical model of the study, the SmartPLS 3 software was used, executing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The results showed that all research hypotheses were supported, which validated the application of the Lovemarks Theory in tourist destinations. The "brand love" construct was found to have a more significant relationship with the "intimacy" dimension (structural coefficient = 0,558). This allows us to infer that, for the tourists in Natal, the elements present in this dimension are the most important for the creation of love for the place’s brand, such as commitment, empathy, and passion. Moreover, it was observed that the three latent variables (mystery, sensuality, and intimacy) explain 79% of brand love in the tourist destination context. Regarding the "brand respect" construct, the study’s findings indicated a greater relationship with the "trust" dimension (structural coefficient = 0,481). Thus, aspects such as tourists’ safety when visiting Natal-RN, which is part of this dimension, strongly influence the perception of respect for the place’s brand. The latent variables “trust, reputation and performance” explain 60,10% of brand respect in the context of tourist destinations. From a theoretical point of view, the study contributes by providing subsidies so that the proposed model may be replicated in other destinations, which promotes the consolidation of the Lovemarks Theory in this context. Regarding managerial aspects, this research suggests actions to develop destination brand management based on offering elements that strengthen emotional bonds with the traveler. 

The Civil Defense's work in reducing the risk of disasters on the cliffs of Tibau do Sul/RN consists of planning and implementing prevention, mitigation, response and recovery actions in the face of social, economic and environmental risks and damage. Despite the efforts made to maintain signs on the danger zones, the population lacks engagement in complying with the recommendations on the uses and occupations of cliffs, which leads to accidents and disasters. Under this scenario, local managers, the community and professionals working in tourism in the municipality can join efforts to make Praia da Pipa a resilient destination, following the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. This study proposes to understand the relationship between Civil Defense actions and disaster risk reduction for tourists in the cliff areas of Tibau do Sul/RN. To this end, obstacles to the development of a resilient culture in the local community are identified, related to the risks identified in areas of cliffs with the assumptions suggested in the UNISDR Guide for Building Resilient Cities (United Nations International Office for Disaster Reduction) and understood which actions are under the competence of the Civil Defense that can strengthen tourism in the region. The research, of a qualitative  nature, verifies from documents made available by public agencies the gaps that generate the research problem of this study. As a result, the investigation contributes by generating subsidies for knowledge about disaster risk management from the perspective of tourism. The expectation is that the information produced will encourage researchers and professionals in the area to add new discussions based on the themes of tourism, resilience, protection and civil defense.

Tourism presents itself as a social phenomenon that profoundly influences the process of urbanization of cities and can be considered a driver of development. Thus, the Master Plan can be used as a means of planning the relationship between tourism and the city so that it contributes to democratization and the right to the city. To better understand this dynamic, this research studies the relationship between urban development and tourism through the analysis of the power relations contained in the participatory process of revising the Master Plan of Natal - RN - Complementary Law No. 208 of March 7, 2022. Its main objective is to analyze the dynamics of urban development and tourism discourses that influenced the decision-making process in question. For this, methodological procedures are applied based on Foucauldian discursive analysis, employing bricolage, which includes bibliographical and documentary research, semi-structured interviews, and non-participant observation. As a result, discursive fragments were identified that formulate two narratives, namely: the 'Develop Natal'; speech and the 'Right to the City'; speech that compete in the political arena through the use of scientific, economic, citizen, and environmental rationales. The dynamics of competing discourses define the political action that outlines the future of the city. The main result is the predominance of the Develop Natal discourse, with neoliberal foundations, based on pragmatic strategies of mastery of the participatory process. However, the main values of this discourse are evidenced in the academy as producers of inequalities and worsening of the living conditions of cities, which may include confronting constitutional assumptions and being present in the legal framework that governs the development of cities in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze how customer satisfaction of incoming travel agencies in Natal/RN is characterized, through online reviews and interviews with managers of companies in the sector. Consumer satisfaction is an essential issue for the success of organizations, especially in the current context of easy access to Information Communication Technologies and dissemination of reviews about consumer experiences. Online reviews are relevant data, which allows us to understand, through spontaneous comments, the perception of consumers about their experiences purchasing products or services. This study demonstrates the issue of consumer satisfaction in the context of incoming travel agencies, a relevant segment of tourism, specializing in receiving travelers to their destinations and offering services such as transfers, city tours, and guided tours. METHODOLOGY: This is a descriptive-exploratory research, mixed qualitative-quantitative approach, carried out through data analysis with a longitudinal time frame. The data were extracted from 843 online reviews from TripAdvisor platform, shared by consumers of incoming travel agencies, and from interviews with the managers of 5 of 6 companies included in this search. The data were analyzed through Content Analysis and the Iramuteq Software (version 0.7 alpha 2). This study is based on Tourqual and Dailyserv models to direct the analysis of online comments, aiming to use the categories and indicators most related to the agencies’ services and the objectives proposed. RESULTS: The study shows that travelers enjoy an experience strongly linked to the categories “Human Element” (with emphasis on the performance of the Tour Guide), “Entertainment” and “Escape” proposed in the Tourqual model and to the categories “Tour guides” and “Stopover facilities”, designated in the Dailyserv model. It is inferred that consumers of incoming agencies located in Natal are satisfied with the quality of service of these companies, with actions and strategies appropriate to their clients (average rating of 4,91 and high frequency of terms referred to satisfaction in the textual corpus analyzed), the online comments are a relevant means for measuring and understanding the phenomenon studied.

This research addresses the issue of the lack of reliable methods to calculate the carbon footprint of lodging facilities, taking into consideration the growing importance of sustainable tourism and the need to address the challenges of climate change. The aim of this study is to assess and compare the currently available methodologies for estimating the carbon footprint in this sector, with the purpose of enhancing sustainable practices. Through a systematic literature review, different methodological approaches are analyzed, identifying the advantages, challenges, and limitations of each. Among the intermediate objectives, the identification of the main methodologies used is included, along with conducting a detailed analysis of their structures and characteristics, with an emphasis on the advantages related to accuracy and emissions tracking. Furthermore, this research provides recommendations for the appropriate selection of methodologies, aligned with global sustainability goals. These guidelines have the potential to encourage more responsible practices in the hospitality sector, resulting in carbon emissions reduction and promoting a more conscious approach to tourism in the face of global climate change. In summary, this dissertation contributes to the advancement of sustainable tourism by addressing the critical need for accurate assessment of the carbon footprint of lodging facilities. By critically evaluating existing methodologies and proposing refined selection criteria, the study guides the hospitality sector to adopt effective strategies in carbon footprint reduction. Ultimately, this work serves the broader goal of creating a more environmentally conscious and resilient tourism sector in the midst of the complex challenges presented by climate change.

Considering the continuous crises faced by the tourism sector, doubts arise about the best planning strategies capable of managing tourist destinations seeking competitiveness and attractiveness. In this sense, this study investigates the existing relationships between Crisis Management Capacity in tourist destinations, Brand Experience and Image as influencing factors in the intention to travel to coastal tourist destinations. The research uses the hypothetical-deductive method since causal relationships between variables are proposed. It presents a quantitative approach, with the characteristic of being descriptive and exploratory. The analysis model used was built based on the dimensions of Branding Experience, proposed by Stuart J. Barnes et al (2014), and Crisis Management, proposed by Rastegar et al. (2021). 483 questionnaires were collected, resulting in a final sample of 428 questionnaires, distributed online via Google Forms platform. It was delimited as study area, the tourist destination of Pipa-RN. As a data analysis technique, descriptive analysis of the variables, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique were used to explain the relationships of the dimensions used in the research, with support from the Software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) and the AMOS package. Among the main results, there was a correlation between the dimensions that make up the Brand Experience and the Intention to travel to coastal tourist destinations.

The tourist activity has been strongly impacted due to the technological innovations that are being integrated into the market. Virtual currencies, called Cryptocurrencies, have been standing out for being a technology derived from Blockchain, a decentralized platform that does not require intermediation. In this regard, tourists are beginning to discover cryptocurrencies as a tool that offers diverse opportunities, simplifying international transactions and overcoming the associated foreign currency exchange costs. Therefore, the acceptance of cryptocurrencies has become a relevant area of study for tourism, as it is a technology that can change the way individuals receive their payment transactions for tourist services. In this sense, the present study intended to analyze the factors that influence the intention to use cryptocurrencies as a form of payment for tourist services, through a proposal of a theoretical model based on the technological acceptance model - TAM (Davis, 1989), adding the dimensions “diversity of transaction capabilities”, “regulatory support”, “perceived security”, “personal innovation” and “social influence”. A study governed by hypothetical-deductive logic was carried out, with a descriptive-explanatory character as to its objectives. An analytical approach was quantitative, of the survey type. The type of acceptance was non-probabilistic, encouraging, with the target audience being individuals who have already used cryptocurrencies. The study sample was fixed by 315 respondents. The data collection instrument used was the online sessions, using the Google Forms platform. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and multivariate statistics, especially exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and lost reflection modeling. In short, the identified factors and the statistical analysis, obtaining adequate and recognized indices, validated the standard model. The results show that the intention to use cryptocurrencies as a payment method for tourist services is influenced by ease of use, perceived satisfaction, attitude, personal innovation, perceived security and social influence.

Hotel business, a term that encompasses all lodging services, plays a significant role in the tourism sector, as it is an essential part of guests’ travel experience. Through the analysis of accommodation activities, it becomes evident that both tangible and intangible aspects influence the quality of service provided by establishments, directly impacting not only sector evaluations but also travel destination choices. Among the intangible aspects, hospitality stands out as a determining factor for the excellence and positioning of lodging facilities, as the service provided must be simultaneously effective, efficient, and humanized. Therefore, by achieving these three dimensions, hotels increase their chances of success in a highly competitive environment. In this regard, hospitality must be considered in the context of transitory competitive advantage, especially as traditional classification models, for example, may be deemed unsustainable amidst contemporary technological innovations. In the Brazilian context, hospitality can be presented as a relevant factor, and it is in this direction that the present research heads – with the general objective of investigating the relationship between Brazilian hospitality and the standardization of services in international chain hotels, from the perspective of transitory competitive strategy. Thereunto, specific objectives were outlined in order to support the overall conduction of the study, namely: understand the perception of Brazilian hospitality in international chain hotels; characterize service standardization in hotel management of international chains; identify how transitory competitive advantages are embedded in internationally branded hotels; and propose reflections regarding the role of Brazilian hospitality and service standardization in the transitory competitive advantage environment. The study takes a descriptive-exploratory approach with a qualitative stance, interviewing individuals who have worked – or continue to work – in the analyzed establishments for a period of at least two years in leadership positions. Consequently, it becomes possible to better comprehend such process over recent years, given the current scenario of constant changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic phase. After data collection, the information was discussed and examined through both theoretical and empirical lenses, aiming to contribute to advancing the literature on the role of Brazilian hospitality concerning international standardizations within the transitory competitive advantage framework.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a key role in how companies interact with their customers, especially in the hospitality industry. With increasing digitization and the widespread adoption of mobile devices and social media, the Digital Customer Experience (EDC) has evolved beyond face-to-face interactions to encompass virtual and digital interactions as well. EDC in the hostel industry ranges from searching and booking rooms online to interacting during the stay, including accessing personalized services, information about hotel amenities, real-time customer service and loyalty programs. In this sense, the general objective of this thesis was to propose a theoretical-conceptual framework of recommendations for the implementation of the digital experience for customers in Brazilian hotels. For this, it was necessary to follow a methodological path of development that permeated the following aspects on the subject: a) Compile the literature on the main ICTs that address the digital experience of the customer in the hotel industry; b) Describe the ICTs that address the digital customer experience in hospitality; c) Structuring flowcharts of ICT recommendations for implementing the digital experience for customers in hotels. For this, the following methodological procedures were carried out in four phases for the selection of studies for the construction and theoretical foundation of the thesis and elaboration of the theoretical-conceptual framework: 1) Integrative Literature Review; 2) Systematic Literature Review; 3) Snowballing; and, 4) Analysis of ENTER Conferences. As a result, this thesis presents fourteen frameworks on digital technologies in hospitality addressed in RSL. The construction of each framework included text and flowcharts for each technology. Among the various research results described below, we can highlight that in digital technology, eWom is relevant for obtaining customer satisfaction and identifying areas for improvement in hotels. Big data can anticipate future demands and identify emerging trends. Business intelligence allows you to identify hidden patterns, trends and correlations in data. Data mining reveals individual customer preferences and behaviors and allows the hotel to tailor to customer needs. Machine learning offers personalized suggestions for services, activities and special offers. The use of chatbots allows guests to obtain ongoing support and assistance. Self-service technologies (SSTs) allow users to directly create or receive services without human intervention. Mobile technologies allow customers to make reservations, mobile payments (PM) and gamification activities. Biometric technology offers solutions to security issues. Robotics has demonstrated that it can optimize resources, streamline processes and provide enriching EDCs. Smart hotels have demonstrated that EDC can be improved due to providing personalized services tailored to customer preferences. The use of ERP management systems has been shown to increase internal efficiency and the use of the ERP sales and marketing module allows for better management of campaigns and promotions. Digital well-being suggests that technology should be used in a balanced and responsible way, promoting the physical and mental well-being of customers. This research offers theoretical and practical contributions to researchers in tourism and the hotel industry, as well as to managers of accommodation companies, based on the analysis of the results and the proposed frameworks for implementing the digital experience for customers in Brazilian hotels.

This thesis aims to understand the resilient devotional practices of pilgrims, co-opted by the planning of religious tourism policies at the Shrine of Santa Cruz dos Milagres, the main pilgrimage center in the state of Piauí. In tourism, resilience is forged by economic, political and socio-cultural processes. Pilgrimage resilience consists of the adaptive capacity of pilgrims, supported above all by discourses, feelings and practices that shape the subjective competencies of the faithful and is linked to religious tourism promotion. This is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study. The data was described and interpreted based on the material collected from the documentary survey, semi-structured interviews, participant observation and photographic records. The time frame starts in the 2000s, with the projection of ecclesial and tourist policies. The main results are that devotional activities are constantly in motion, requiring an adaptive capacity in the face of continuous changes, innovations and external influences, which allow for flexibility (re-signification) of the old ways of carrying out pilgrimages and other devotional and tourist experiences. The resilience of the pilgrimage, woven from the demands of the tourist market, promotes spectacle (performance), bringing different forms and functions to the sacred scene. The interpretations made it possible to establish the thesis that resilience in religious tourism integrated into tourism planning makes up the devotional experience of the pilgrims, representing not only a response to crisis situations, but standing out as an intrinsic characteristic of devotions that adapt, resist and (re) organize themselves through the interrelationship with sacredness and place.

The daily is a stage of fluid, almost linear events, the new in this day-to-day emerges and provides elements that break this bubble. Travel can be a good example - the traveller takes possession of new experiences, composing a new aura that spices up the return to daily. Tourism then also becomes a stage, but now of potential new experiences, in which the unknown can be made available to tourists. There are different tourist practices around the world that lead to the unknown, exotic, atypical. Here we will deal with a genre that is not very present in Brazil and that operates and revolves around morbidity, funeral and gloomy themes.  Dark tourism enters the scene through attractions rooted in morbidity, seen in battlefields, cemeteries, disaster and genocide sites, macabre festivals, among other examples of possibilities for this tourism. Indeed, the dark following the processes of transformation of consumer behaviours is now offered on digital platforms. The streaming services have inserted in their catalogs cinematographic productions aimed at this niche. Turismo Macabro is a documentary series, aired in 2018 by Netflix, which exposes the experiences of journalist David Farrier around the world. From this filmic work, seeing the practices belonging to the narrative of the series can evoke analyses on the understanding and implications of this segment of tourism. Thus, the main objective of this research focuses on analysing the development of the offer of dark tourism experiences, present in the Netflix series in question, to verify what characterizes this offer and how it presents itself in tourism. The research is also supported by the objectives of debating the representation of the dark in audio-visual production, as well as identifying cases of dark tourism that dialogue with experiences in Brazil. To achieve these objectives, the qualitative descriptive research developed an instrument for data collection and analysis, in which a methodological form systematized the information contained in the research object. In the case of a series, it was necessary to work the data through an analysis protocol that will produce the results of the work. This study concluded that the Turismo Macabro series is a production that carries the range of modalities of dark tourism offers that come up against ethical, political issues and its own limitation, with this, it was verified that the series' intention to explore this type tourism is a way to showcase the unique in dark tourism experiences. It is also considered that destinations such as Brazil, demonstrate how the segment is in development and for this reason it is necessary the academic look that investigates this constitution process.

Tourism is a social phenomenon which begets spatial changes, which are endorsed by different social agents (tourists, entrepreneurs, businessmen, public manages and the general population). From this presupposition it is understood that for planning tourism on a given locality it is necessary to comprehend the sociospatial dynamics, encompassing the diverse human capacities that are necessary for the population to have a freer life. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyse the sociospatial and touristic dynamic of the North Circuit of the touristic region of the Chapada Diamantina, considering the public politics, the several ambits, and the capacity of tourism to contribute to the local and regional development. The specific objectives are: 1) To problematize the approach of development, relating with the local and regional socioeconomic indexes; 2) To identify the public politics of tourism, emphasizing the articulation of the Regionalizing Program and its application on the Northern Chapada Diamantina; 3) To characterize the Chapada Diamantina, Northern Circuit, specifying the touristic infrastructure, the offer of supporting services to tourism, the attractive features and potentialities of the counties of Jacobina and Senhor do Bonfim; 4) To analyse the social participation of the population from the counties of Jacobina and Senhor do Bonfim in public discussions about tourism. The outlined problem-question presupposes: what is the contribution from tourism to the local development (of Jacobina and of Senhor do Bonfim) and regional (of the Northern Chapada Diamantina)? The spatial clipping is the touristic region of the Chapada Diamantina, the Northern Circuit, having as focus the counties of Jacobina and Senhor do Bonfim. This research is exploratory and descriptive, with a qualitative and quantitative approach. For its conclusion, the following procedures were performed; case studies, photographic registers and bibliographic and documental research. It was employed the technique of content analysis and accounted the categories of analysis of fixed and flowing and verticalities and horizontalities, as per the wording of Milton Santos. The interviews were performed with the counties and region’s public managers, the sources of touristic services and the representatives of local associations. The analysis made allow the affirmation that there has been amplification of human capacities through tourism on Jacobina, although it falls short of its potential. As for Senhor do Bonfim there are only actions towards touristic points, thus, no effort has been perceived towards amplifying human capacities through tourism.

This study has the general objective of understanding the sustainable practices that contribute to the development of the sustainable tourism activity of the Seridó Geopark (SG), considering specifically: identify the sustainable practices developed in the SG; analyze the sustainable practices from the perception of the SG management, artisans, tour guides and local drivers; and discuss the SG sustainable practices in the context of sustainable tourism activity. The motivation to investigate about the sustainable practices and actions of the GS in this study emerges from the discussion about sustainability based on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of agenda 2030 of the United Nations (UN). Thus, taking into account that the search for such SDGs prevails as a global goal in favor of a better planet for present and future generations, the elements and practices on geodiversity arise, as well as the geoparks as a relevant factor for achieving the 2030 agenda. The study developed is of interpretativist nature, being an exploratory research with qualitative approach, and case study as delineation from the GS, aided with a case of a tour itinerary of a sustainable tourism company. For data collection, semi-structured interviews, document analysis, collection of lines from interviews on the internet, and bibliographic research were carried out. Thus, local actors related to the tourist activity in the studied territory were interviewed, as well as a representative of the geopark's management and tourists. For the data treatment the content analysis technique was used for the analysis of the documents and interviews. As results of the study was identified several practices, actions and educational activities that are carried out in order to conserve and preserve the geological heritage of the GS through education and tourism: such as lectures for public and private school students, training of junior guides, macro project, workshops, protection of geosites, wooden structures for tourist access, municipal laws, conceptual maps, mascots, technological applications, courses, training for guides, environmental education signs, educational trails, events, geoproducts, women's association, guides aimed at raising tourist awareness, and partnerships with tourism companies. It was found that these are sustainable practices and actions that aim to involve the community in the sense of belonging to the GS, where tourism is related, as well as those practices that insert the community directly with the tourist activity. It was evidenced that the relationship of local actors with tourism is based on environmental education in order to contribute to the sustainable development of the GS territory from the tourist experiences with geoproducts, mainly, as well as community participation is evaluated as important, since sustainability is the guiding factor for income generation aided by tourism, above all, the sustainable practices and actions are part of a territorial management that involves the community in a bottom-up participation, this said, it contributes to the tourism activity of GS to be guided by the human development of tourists who experience what the territory offers, helping in new learning and behavior change. Therefore, it is understood that the sustainable practices of the GS contribute to the sustainable territorial and tourism development of the localities.

In response to growing public awareness of the importance of organizational contributions to sustainable development, there is a greater incentive for companies to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this, there has been the development of Sustainable Human Resource Management, which encompasses a growing body of professional and academic literature connecting notions of corporate sustainability to Human Resource Management. The general objective of this work was to analyze the adoption of sustainable human resources management practices in the tourism sector and its impact on employees. For this, specific objectives were outlined, which helped in the general conduct of the work, namely: Propose an integrative concept for Sustainable Human Resources Management; Identify the main sustainable practices in the context of human resources management developed by the largest hotel chains in the world; Describe the sustainable human resources management practices developed by leading hotels in Brazil; Investigate the applicability of sustainable human resources management practices in small businesses in a destination focused on sustainable tourism and analyze the impact of sustainable human resources management practices in relation to employees. As a methodological contribution, the research was developed through a multi-method, with quantitative and qualitative analyses, being distributed in three stages: The first stage, called global, with analysis of the sustainability reports of the ten largest hotel chains in the world, with a quantitative approach, presented through tabs, graphs and clusters. Second stage called national, investigating through the Booking.com report the five best rated sustainable hotels in Brazil, using a qualitative approach through interviews with managers and the third and last stage called local, with a qualitative approach, interview in depth and holding a focus group, with the Chã de Jardim Community – Areia (PB). As a result, the thesis proposal led to a systematic review of the literature, providing an overview of the academic productions that served as a basis for the construction of an integrating concept, the practices developed by the great hotel chains in the world, were mapped and through the analyzes , it was identified that the actions are developed in a broad way, being replicated in all hotel units of the brand distributed in all continents. From a national perspective, the practices of two hotels were studied – Botanique Spa and Lapinha Spa, where, through an interview with the managers, the practices and their operations within the company were listed. And finally, the local analysis, being carried out through an in-depth interview with the entrepreneur - Luciana Balbino and with the realization of the focus group, carried out with the company's employees, it was verified how the practices impact the lives of the employees, through From the results, the thesis shows that despite the differences in resources, the practices developed at the local level are directed to the needs of employees and thus manage to cover all the pillars of the integrative concept of Sustainable Human Resources Management. 

In addition to driving the adoption and use of information and communication technologies around the world, the pandemic caused by Covid-19 has brought new perspectives to the development of mobile social commerce, generating implications for consumer behavior in the field of tourism and hospitality. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a theoretical model that brings together the factors that influence the intention to book accommodation through social network applications, in the context of the resumption of tourism. The model developed had as its initial theoretical basis the Theory of Planned Behavior. Variables from four other theories were added to the constructs of that theory, namely: perceived general risk (Perceived Risk Theory), reputation of the social network platform (Signaling Theory), perceived relative advantage (Diffusion of Innovations Theory) and perceived social support (Social Support Theory). The variables included in the model refer to characteristics of social network applications. In total, 486 valid questionnaires were analyzed, applied online to Brazilian consumers who use social networking applications. The research with a quantitative approach, and characterized as descriptive, correlational and explanatory, adopted the technique of modeling structural equations by partial least squares for the analysis and treatment of data. The software used to analyze the model was SmartPLS 3 (version 3.3.9). Among ten hypotheses established, nine were supported. The model achieved substantial explanatory power, being able to explain 75.8% (R² = 0.758) of reservation intentions in the analyzed context. The favorable attitude of consumers proved to be a significant mediating variable for the explanation of the intention to book, obtaining in the model an explanatory value of 70.1% (R² = 0.701). Other constructs with a significant and positive influence on booking intention through attitude were: perceived relative advantage (formed by perceived pleasure, perceived financial advantage, convenience and personalized advertisements), subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and the reputation of the social networking platform. The overall perceived risk had a significant negative influence on attitude, and consequently, on the intention to book accommodation, with emphasis on privacy and security, psychological and financial risks. Furthermore, the social support perceived in social network applications demonstrated only an indirect influence on the intention to book accommodation, through the total mediation of subjective norms. The study brought theoretical and practical contributions to researchers in the field of tourism and hospitality, to managers of accommodation companies, and to the platforms that manage social network applications.

Environmental crime is a worldwide complex problem, and one of the most profitable international criminal activities. Although the environmental impacts of tourism have been explored, in the past 60 years, there is little research in the literature of tourism on environmental crime. In this sense, this thesis aims to elucidate one central question: “what is the relationship between environmental crimes and tourism?”. Both Critical Tourism and Green Criminology are used as an umbrella theoretical framework which guided the research process. The research is based on the dialectical scientific method and navigates through different research approaches and techniques. The thesis was divided in three moments. On the first moment, it intended to understand how Tourism and Green Criminology fields interconnects in the literature. Through bibliographic research, it demonstrated that tourism research on the nexus tourism-environment had little progress critically throughout time. Besides, it reinforced that in a local perspective tourism does not need a health environment to happen, and critically, researchers need to think globally, perceiving that the focus should not be in sustaining tourism but to preserve the ecological basis of the planet. In addition, it proposed a theoretical framework based on Green Criminology that can help researchers to approach environmental impacts of tourism in a critical way that focus on the structures and mechanism of oppression that allow these impacts to happen. On the second moment, it attempted to identify the patterns of tourism-related environmental crimes. For that, secondary data analysis of environmental infraction notices issued in Brazil, semi-structured interviews and a discussion of Brazilian environmental legislation and environmental law structure were conducted. The analysis was based on descriptive statistic and content analysis. The results showed that tourism-related crimes were connected, among others, with non-compliance with the environmental license for construction and operation, especially in permanent preservation areas and indigenous territories; deforestation; irregular fishery commercialization, which relates to illegal fishing; and illegal captivity of wildlife. And on the third and last moment, it tried to understand the processes involving tourism-related environmental crime. It used the study-case technique of one of the main tourism-related environmental offenders in the state of Ceará, Vila Galé, located in Cumbuco, one of the main tourist destinations of the state. The results revealed that many of the tourism-related environmental crimes studied were State-facilitated corporate crimes. Besides, through discourses of economic growth, State, corporations, and the media try to legitimize these crimes and undermine environmental social control. In addition, there is a power imbalance between native residents and big corporation when environmental law enforcement is put in place. Finally, the thesis demonstrated that Green Criminology could help tourism researchers to perceive that most of the so-called environmental impacts of tourism are now perceived as crimes and the main victim is Mother Earth. Besides, Green Criminology gives tools to tourism researchers to approach the impacts of tourism in the environment, through the understanding of the processes behind these crimes and exposing a whole system that sustain the relation tourism has with the natural environment.  

The valuation of a brand, based on the concept of Brand Equity, can be seen as a performance indicator, a source of competitive advantage or a component of business success. The initial step to assess brand equity from a consumer perspective (CBBE) is knowing its drivers. The objective of this research is to propose an adequate model for assessing the brand equity of airports based on the  the experience of the passengers (consumers) with their services. It seeks to identify the sources of brand equity, then  to understand which attributes of the airport experience influence Brand Equity and its dimensions. The methodology used combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. Data were collected in a single step through the survey method, through the application of a self-completed electronic form intended for individuals who traveled through the terminals of Guarulhos International Airport, totalizing 456 cases. The proposed conceptual model and the research instrument were built based on the authors from whom the theoretical contribution was obtained, the main references being: Yoo et al. (2000), Aaker (1991; 1996), Keller (1993), for Brand Equity dimensions, Berry (2000) and Saaker et al. (2020), on the premises of service brands; Castro et al. (2015), Tse (2009), ANAC (2016) and ACI (2019) the attributes of airports. Tests and analyzes were performed with the help of IBM SPSS 22 and IBM SPSS Amos software, which: Descriptive Statistical Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (AFE), Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Divergent Validity Test (AVE) and Construct Validity Test (CR). As a result, 3 possible models were presented with 5 CBBE dimensions for airports that best fit the assumptions, confirming their measurement capabilities through the explained variance: Direct Service Experience (DSE), Perceived Quality, Loyalty, Awareness, which form the value overall brand, the Brand Equity. It was observed that the Direct Service Experience (DSE) influences the dimensions Perceived Quality and Loyalty. Loyalty is a central component in the model, playing a moderating role in the relationship between all dimensions and Brand Equity. The relevance of Perceived Quality as dimension was also evident due to its great weight in the model. In addition, the elements of the airport experience that influence the dimensions that impact the overall brand equity were identified, with emphasis on attributes related to physical infrastructure and architectural project, as well as the commercial airport offe (retailing, food services etc.,). It is concluded that the perception of the airport brand is related to the quality of the experience in its service environment. This thesis contributes both to the literature, by providing an understanding of the CBBE for airport brands, and to the pragmatic field, by providing knowledge and subsidies for a series of decisions related to brand management in this context. For future research, it is indicated that other antecedents and/or other dimensions of brand equity are tested. Furthermore, it is recommended to repeat the model to test its variables and dimensions in other airports.

Considering the beach as one of the main attractive factors of coastal tourist destinations and its environmental, economic and recreational relevance, maintaining its quality is considered an investment in the tourism economy, since sun and sea tourism is responsible for the greatest tourist * flow *in Brazil. Most certification protocols primarily aproach the environmental and management aspects of the beach (infrastructure, maintenance of services, etc.), but the relevant criteria for tourism quality are rarely discussed. In Brazil, the only existing beach certification (Blue Flag) is applied to a few beaches and consists of an ecological seal that does not allow the evaluation of other necessary dimensions to evaluate the tourist quality, since the only parameter available is the bathing conditions of that beaches. As exposed, the following questions arise: What dimensions should be considered in beach quality certification protocols for tourist purposes? And what indicators are considered important for the certification of the tourist quality of beaches? Thus, this thesis has as its main objective the construction and empirical validation of a Tourism Quality Certification Protocol for Urban Beaches (PCTP), considering the creation of specific indicators for tourism, in order to contribute to a methodology for monitoring the quality of beaches. Therefore, the research, with a qualitative and multi-methodological approach, had four stages: 1) Identification of Protocol variables through systematic literature review with the aid of the Proknow-C method (Ensslin; Ensslin; Lacerda & Tasca, 2010) which allowed the development of the conceptual structure of the Protocol; 2) Implementation of the Delphi and Panel technique with specialists to refine the dimensions and indicators of the Protocol; 3) Application of questionnaires with visitors (tourists and residents) of the studied beaches to validate the instrument and obtain the necessary data to create the Tourist Quality Index (TQI) of each beach; 4) Validation of the evaluation protocol by calculating the IQT of the beaches and interpreting the results based on 5 levels of tourist quality: Terrible Tourist Quality; Bad Tourist Quality; Regular Tourist Quality; Good Tourism Quality (Expected) and Excellent Tourist Quality. The final version of the PCTP was composed of 4 dimensions: Environmental Quality (QA), Quality of Tourism Infrastructure (QIT), Quality of Basic Infrastructure (QIB) and Quality of Experience (QE), which were evaluated from 17 sub-dimensions and 75 indicators. The protocol was tested on two consolidated sun and sea tourism beaches in João Pessoa, Paraíba: Cabo Branco and Tambaú. The results indicated that the tourist quality of these two beaches was considered good (level 4), with indexes greater than 0.61. In this way, the two beaches could be certified as 4 stars on a 5-level scale. It was concluded that the most important factors of quality perceived by the visitor were cleanliness and security, followed by infrastructure (basic and tourist). In addition, the survey confirmed the relationship between perceived quality, satisfaction and beach loyalty. Finally, this research brought relevant theoretical and managerial contributions, such as the concept of "tourist quality" and advanced discussions on evaluation indexes and certifications for urban beaches, proposing an unprecedented tool (PCTP) to evaluate Brazilian urban beaches from the perception of the beach user (visitors).

Dark tourism is made of destinations related in some way to death, suffering and the macabre. The different attractions and destinations that fit into this segment form sub-segments of it, such as cemetery tourism, war tourism and disaster tourism, which will be the focus of this study. Disaster tourism occurs when tourists visit a place where tragedy has occurred, and its traces and consequences are still visible. Based on the premise that this type of tourism can be disturbing and apparently does not prioritize leisure, as other tourist segments do, the objective of the present study is to investigate the interrelationships between cognitive and affective factors capable of influencing people to visit places where environmental disasters occurred. In accordance with the study objective, the conceptual model of factors that influence the intention to revisit a dark destination, proposed by Zhang, et al. (2016) was adapted to the reality of disaster tourism. The research is defined as hypothetical-deductive, descriptive-exploratory, with a quantitative approach through the use of IBM SPSS and AMOS software version 22.0. The results indicate that the dimensions derived from both the basic conceptual model and those added afterwards from a bibliographic review, are expressive components of the Cognitive and Positive and Negative Affective Factors. From the composite structural model, it was noticed that the Intention to Visit disaster destinations is influenced directly by Positive Affectivity and indirectly by Negative Affectivity. Due to the non-significant trail coefficient, it cannot be said that Cognitive factors influence the Intention to Visit. Thus, it is concluded that the individual's emotional and intrinsic issues are more relevant in his intention to visit disaster destinations than rational elements.

OBJECTIVE: Analyze the perception of using the Uber app as an option for intradestination mobility in Natal-RN based on tourist reviews, considering the changing scenario generated by recent use of such transportation apps. METHODOLOGY: This is a research of exploratory-descriptive nature, with a functional approach, predominantly qualitative. It uses the mechanism of digital content in a travel platform, selectively collecting reviews from tourists who have been to the destination. It gathers these reviews about the use of the Uber app, for further analysis and investigates the perception about the displacement dynamics in tourist destinations, since the influence of media technological progress on the means of transportation within the urban space. It applies the qualitative approach of content analysis, using the NVIVO 13 and Excel software as tools of this analytical-interpretative process. Reviews (CGUs) are made by the users themselves (tourists), so used as primary data of this research. RESULTS: The research shows that the use of apps is an effective reality in the experience of tourists in Natal-RN in their many travel-related processes. It highlights the diversity of user opinions shared on the TripAdvisor platform about the Uber app and the implication of such evaluations for other tourists. It shows the value of travel platforms in planning intradestination commuting. Transportation apps work as facilitators of the dynamics of displacement, increasing tourist convenience and well-being over the trip. The transportation choices are related to different aspects, such as price and travel time. It also reveals that technological progress lead to improvements for experiences within the destination and that the other travelers perception influences the decision-making process of virtual platform users. CONCLUSION: It concludes that the use of the application (Uber) is perceived by tourists as a tool that assists the displacement in the destination, being a relevant alternative in this process because it grants greater accessibility, ease and mobility within the destination. It certifies the role and use of apps and their effective participation in the transformation of intradestination mobility adapted and necessary to the tourist's life and to the improvement of localities' conditions.

Tourism happens when people are willing to leave their surroundings motivated by peculiarities present in a destination. Typical dishes and products can be easily incorporated as tourist attractions. The tourist is fond of objects that represent the local culture of the visited destination; with the provision of identity foods, the tourist has an element to taste or take with them on the way back home. The importance of tourist attractions as a form of motivation for the arrival of tourists is highlighted. The aim of this study is to analyze the gastronomic heritage of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) - Brazil, in order to build the brand identity. The work developed comprises a field and documentary research with a predominantly qualitative approach and with some quantitative aspects, of an applied nature and exploratory objectives. In order to fulfill the objective of verifying how memory and food identity are perceived from the tourist's perspective, user-generated content (UGC) is used referring to the tourist experience in contact with representative foods from the gastronomic heritage of RN. To investigate the management of gastronomic tourism, speeches were collected in interviews and official statements available in press vehicles and government official channels of the actors involved. In data analysis, the IRAMUTEQ software version 0.7 was used for the similarity and word cloud test, in addition to content analysis in relation to the categories of memory, identity and cultural heritage. Results indicate that few governmental actions were taken regarding the protection of the Potiguar gastronomic heritage, while analyzing the UGC, several aspects of memory, identity and heritage are found in the experience of the traveler who experiences regional delicacies. The construction of a brand identity for RN's gastronomic heritage is at an immature moment, demanding public management initiatives that capture the affective potential of memory and identity that already exist in the tourist experience with food.

The significant massification of the tourist activity, over the last decades, has made this economic sector one of the most powerful at global level. However, unfortunately, in countless situations, the tourist development of the territories hasn’t resulted in effective social development of receiving communities. Because of this reality, several social impact assessment models have been developed by the academic community, to maximize the social contribution of the various tourist players. Despite this effort, the inherent difficulties to understanding and measuring the social impacts of tourism, as well as the neoliberal stance of most of its economic agents, have hampered the practical implementation success of such models. In this context, this thesis proposes a Social Impact Management Model for Hotel Enterprises, the SIM Hotel model, capable of being adjustable to the geographical context and the different hotel classifications. To this, it is necessary to understand the tourist and hotel market globalization phenomenon, the role of the State in the tourist development of the territories, the conceptual bases of the social development praxis and, finally, explore the social impact assessment models and the hotel activity assessment protocols in the market. As an empirical laboratory, one of the most prominent Mozambican tourist destinations, Inhambane County, was selected. Methodologically, implements the analysis model proposed by Aledo and Domínguez-Gómez, which, based on a constructivist paradigm, divides field research into three key moments: Baseline Study, Stakeholder Analysis and the Impacts Identification and Evaluation. In them, directors of the hotel sector, members of fifteen social groups impacted by their operations, nine government institutions and other representatives of local associations and local educational institutions are interviewed. Under the prism of Midgley and Max-Neef development theories, it is observed that, despite the strong impact of the hotel sector on local employability, its contribution to other social development spheres is not very useful. Signs of job insecurity, sparing assumption of corporate social responsibility, lack of cooperation with local institutions, erroneous environmental attitudes and little commitment to improving municipal welfare infrastructures are some of the detected problems. At the same time that an instrument for assessing the social impact of each hotel is presented and strategies for the implementation of the SIM Hotel model are suggested, it is concluded that, despite the high financial efforts required, it can be quite fruitful for the county. However, for its effective implementation, there is an urgent need to normalize institutional relations between hotel companies and government institutions, guaranteeing a respectful and reliable institutional dialogue. Community consultation forums and transparency policies are also essential.

Tourism is said to be able to contribute to improving people's quality of life, protecting and defending the natural, cultural environment and strengthening peace in the world. What contributes to it being associated with protected areas (APs). From the literature review, there was no study on the relationship between development and tourism in PAs. The research problem addressed is how does tourism constitute a means for development in PAs? The objective of the research is to discuss tourism as a means of development in PAs. Based on this, the approach was mostly qualitative. The analytical model used was that of the Beni Tourist System (2003), which considers the relationship of its constituent parts with each other and the study of the object in a context. Descriptive, explanatory and bibliographic, field and documentary research was carried out. The Área de Proteção Ambiental Bonfim/Guaraíra, Floresta Nacional de Nísia Floresta, Parque Estadual Mata da Pipa, Reserva de Fauna Costeira de Tibau do Sul e Parque Nacional da Furna Feia comprised the research field. The research universe was constituted by representatives of the management teams and general coordinators of the UCs and specialists on the research topic. The data were obtained using the Knowledge Development Process - Constructivist (Proknow-C), with the support of the free software Zotero, interview scripts, questionnaire and document collection. The data analysis process took place through Content Analysis, percentage and triangulation. To help interpret the data, figures were created with the support of NVivo® software version 12 Plus for Windows. The results indicated characteristics of a conflicting dynamic and difficulties in implementing UCs. Regarding the identification of development conceptions, those related to the Modernity and Alternative paradigm stand out; the tourism ones prevailed the traditional ones. Tourism planning and management proved to be guided by an economic vision. Directing development, tourism, as well as its planning and management in the principles of the Alternative paradigm and development agendas, shows a way for tourism to be a means for development.

In the course of the development of this thesis, a problematizing investigation of the territorial development process was carried out after the arrival of tourism and wind farms, understood as new global vectors of change, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeast region of Brazil.From the literature review, it was observed the lack of studies that intersect these two vectors and that would further the reflection of their relations with the maintenance of vulnerabilities, preventing an effective development of territorial potentialities.Based on this finding, it was defined to investigate the interference and relevance of these global vectors of changes in the aggravation of existing vulnerabilities, particularly in the municipalities of São Miguel do Gostoso and Rio do Fogo, on the northern coast of the state, based on the assumption that these vectors intensify vulnerability, imposing new logics in the process of productive restructuring whose implications and explanatory nexos occur in a multiscale perspective. As far as methodology, the present study consisted of an interdisciplinary research, breaking with the disciplinary fragmentation of science, in an attempt to understand the whole, identifying itself, mainly, with qualitative methodology. Descriptive, interpretative, bibliographic and field research was carried out. The universe of field research was composed of a sample of the population. For its realization, it included: i) application of questionnaire (face-to-face and online); ii) conducting focus groups (face-to-face and online) and, iii) conducting semi-structured interviews (face-to-face and online). The bibliographic research accessed several articles using the Knowledge Development Process - Constructivist (Proknow-C) tool. From the point of view of the research technique and analysis model, the triangulation of methods was used in the empirical stage, with emphasis on Content Analysis, percentage and interpretation. To assist in the visualization of information and data, figures, maps and graphs were used. From the initial researcher´s understanding, the elaboration of the theoretical framework, the analysis of the available official data and, the analysis of the empirical data collected in the field research, the observed results allowed the confirmation of the hypotheses.The development vectors (tourism and wind farms) serve the capitalist system and, therefore, reproduce the relations of capitalist production, fragmenting the places, appropriating the spaces in an unequal and combined way, through their selective use, generating more inequalities and deepening existing vulnerabilities, through the exclusion and expropriation of the original populations from their territories, in a particular way where both are hegemonized, especially as prescritors of economic growth, with consequences that expand a process of unequal economic and social development.It is affirmed that the development of a territory will become a reality, in the possibility-effectiveness relationship, when there is dynamic and creative interaction between the capacities of the local people, the opportunities of the surroundings and the resources available and that the effort and enthusiasm of the community have a potential to change the situation of vulnerabilities.Finally, recommendations are presented for a change of path in search of an effective territorial development, with potential for breaking the cycle of deepening vulnerabilities.

This thesis deals with the problems of urban violence in tourist destinations, considering fear as an emotion capable of influencing the decision-making of the tourist. As a central objective, one has to understand the perception of the fear of urban violence on the part of Natal tourists, in Rio Grande do Norte, tied to the socio-spatial dynamics of destiny. The study has a quali-quantitative approach, is characterized as a descriptive-exploratory and documentary research and, as for its organization and data analysis, the content analysis technique and excel software were used to perform a simple and descriptive statistics. They were analyzed 4.184 police reports registered at the Police Station Specialized in Tourist Service considering the period from January 1, 2009 to April 10, 2019, 300 online questionnaires were applied with tourists who visited the Natal destination with research opened on July 1, 2020 and closed on 15 January 2021, four online questionnaires were answered by representatives of the state and municipal departments of Natal tourism by a police officer, and the General Coordinator of the Observatory of Violence of/RN, between July 1st and thirty-one july 2020. It was verified, from the analysis of the official records, that the information collected cannot reveal the real scenario of the problems of urban violence that affect tourists, because negligence was identified in filling out the documents, in addition to the lack of standardization in the categorization of the types of crimes recorded, which leaves the data fragile for an analysis and use in order to propose strategies to cope with acts of violence. Tourists participating in the survey pointed out that they are afraid of suffering acts of violence on the streets/avenues of Natal, who feel insecure about moving around the city, especially during the night and who, when they were victims of some kind of violence at the destination, the acts took place in squares, public roads or beaches. Finally, it was found that there is still no priority to develop and propose actions aimed at minimizing acts of urban violence against tourists, as well as public managers of tourism do not see it as their responsibility issues involving tourist safety.

The main objective of this thesis is to point out, based on the experience of the Historic Center of Natal, guidelines for urban revitalization processes, with an emphasis on the dialogue between tourism, culture, heritage and creativity. The study proposes a problematizing investigation of the process of managing the cultural heritage of cities. Therefore, creative forms of management are emphasized, comprising contexts, strategies, actions, causes and consequences, in view of a possible dynamic of intervention in an urban area focused on the practice of cultural tourism, which brings benefits to the population and tourists. In light of the theoretical dialogue between tourism, heritage, culture and creativity, the Historic Center of Natal, RN, Brazil was empirically analyzed, which due to its historical-cultural relevance, has been the target of revitalization policies and interventions with an interest in attracting tourist activity of cultural nature. In methodological terms, this study is characterized as a social research with a qualitative approach, whose data collection was carried out through bibliographical and documentary research, direct observation and semi-structured interviews, with different research subjects who relate to the investigated field. For data interpretation, the discourse analysis technique was used. Through the understanding of the historical and empirical context that covers the object of study and the elaboration of the theoretical framework, it was possible to confirm the research hypothesis. It is stated that policies and interventions for the revitalization of the Historic Center of Natal lack integrated actions between the public sector, artists and cultural professionals, the tourist sector, merchants and the local community. The absence of an integrated action makes it difficult for such initiatives to contribute to solving urban socioeconomic problems and diversifying local tourism. This reality demands creative, participatory and interdisciplinary work in the management of the historical area, guided by a strategic set of goals capable of motivating the efforts of the actors involved, in a path of integration, collaboration and co-responsibility. It is up to local leaders the need to define a positive agenda, in order to foster the process of building collective dreams, demonstrating how this scenario will become a reality to overcome the challenges that affect the city, without neglecting the basic needs of the population. It is understood that a city will be attractive to tourists if it is attractive in the eyes of its own population. 

Governance in tourism is seen as a type of shared management conducted by the government, the private sector, and the society. In this scenario, social participation is understood as a relevant factor in conceiving and implementing actions in order to develop tourism, thus becoming a “politically correct” concept supported by both academic discourse and public policy guidelines. However, studies on social participation and its effects in the context of touristic destinations and regions are incipient. There is a lack of debates on and understanding of the types of participation practiced in the places of public tourism management and by means of its instruments. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyze social participation in the Regional Instances of Tourism Governance. In order to achieve methodological viability, a multiparadigmatic approach was used, with the adoption of mixed methods, based on both qualitative and quantitative instruments and procedures. The study scope covers three touristic regions consolidated in the Tourism Regionalization Program: Seridó – RN, Nascentes das Gerais e Canastra – MG and Uva e Vinho – RS. The relevance of this research proposal resides in the broadening of the debate about social participation in the development of tourism public policies and contribute to the understanding of management in touristic regions by identifying the variables of participation, the dimensions of governance and how they impact the results of the development of regional tourism. As a result, the research enabled verifying that there are multiple governance experiences in Brazil and that social participation is practiced in a pulverized manner, inserted or orbiting the governance instances, merely performing a supporting role in the management process. Regarding the predictors of participation, three variables were identified common to the cases analyzed; attachment to the place, pride of the region and trust.

Instagram is a platform that works as a form of multimodal travel writing, where authors-users act in travel performances when posting posts from visited destinations, in addition to searching for travel tips. In this social media scenario, Travel Influencers emerge, gaining a prominent role because travelers seek elements, tips and enthusiasm to make choices that they would often not make in their travel plans. However, these travelers need to perceive credibility in the information collected. Thus, the present research examines how the credibility of Travel Influencer on Instagram affects the traveler's intention in choosing travel destinations. The model was design based on the combination of two theories: Heuristic-Systematic Model (MHS) and Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). In the research model it is assumed that the content produced by the travel influencer is studied through two processing routes: heuristic and systematic. It is proposed as the heuristic dimension the reliability of the influencer, and as the systematic dimension the quality of the argument, where together they influence credibility. The model also checks if there is a direct relationship between credibility, image, subjective norms and attitude with the traveler's behavioral intention when choosing a tourist destination. The study uses the hypothetical deductive method, with a quantitative approach, with the characteristic of being descriptive and exploratory. 222 questionnaires were collected, distributed online via the Instagram platform, as they used social networks and travel influencers when choosing travel destinations. As an analysis technique, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and modeling of structural equations wereused with the support of the SPPS and AMOS. The results reveals that the heuristic and systematic routers act in the processing of the travel influencer’s credibility, and through the TRA (attitude, subjective norms) and the perceived image of the destination positively affect the traveler's intention to choose travel destinations. Finally, the contributions of the study expand the applications of HSM for theoretical and market purposes, pointing out some trends in the integration of the Instagram platform to the user's behavior in relation to the choice of travel destinations.

In tourism, strategies for strengthening and positioning through brands are increasingly important. Brands as intangible assets that participate in the relationship between companies, institutions and consumers. The management of the brand with the purpose of communicating an identity and differentiating it, since the coordinated use of communication tools that transmit credibility to the community in general is necessary. Given the number of International Tourism Organizations and the consequent increase in the number of Institutions that are affiliated, the brand, through its identification system becomes an important element in the differentiation of these organizations. And it is in this context that the differentiation of an international organization, as relevant to tourism as the OMT presents the opportunity for analysis from the perspective of the personalities of the BPS - Brand Personality Scale (Aaker, 1997), the objective of this research. It is a descriptive-exploratory study with a pluralistic, quanti and qualitative approach. In the first phase, the application of 205 questionnaires was used for the collection, whose approach involved the recognition of the 41 personality traits proposed by the instrument, using the Likert Scale from 0 to 10. In addition, the alignment of this scale with the mission, vision was also investigated. and WTO values. The results showed that the five dimensions of BPS - Sincerity, Sophistication, Competence, Excitement and Robustness - were considered applicable to all participants in the sample. In sequence, presented in descending order from the values of their average, as described in the Tukey test. Namission, vision and value of the sample, the predominance of characteristics more strongly related to those of the Competence and Sincerity dimensions was found. Finally, the results presented were satisfactory and proved the existence of the OMT brand with personality, but that this perception still has room for improvement and strengthening

The Ministry of Tourism (MTur) completed more than 15 years of activity and, in that period, has been implementing public tourism policies throughout the national territory. Such policies are considered long-term, however, many researchers wonder about the concrete advances achieved in recent years, especially in relation to public investments. It is noteworthy that one of the most efficient ways to evaluate public intervention and promotion policies is through investments, understanding where and how public resources were applied. It was evident, as the main factor research, the incipient nature of the State's actions in the tourism sector, linked to parliamentary interference in the ministerial budget. Therefore, the general objective is to analyze how the participation of parliamentarians in the use of resources from the Ministry of Tourism has interfered in the performance of tourism policy in Brazil, having as a critical line the reflection on the performance and efficiency of parliamentary amendments in tourism policy guidelines. The central hypothesis of the work is that there was an intense parliamentary influence in the ministry, which, in turn, created a detachment and isolation of the MTur budget with the reality of the tourism sector in the country. As a result, a vacuum has been created between the political guidelines of tourism and the application of public resources. The methodology used turned to the qualitative and quantitative approach, since a single approach would not be able to satisfactorily answer the central research problem. The main secondary databases used were the following: the National Senate Federal Public Budget Information System (SIGABRASIL) and the Ministry of Tourism's Onlending Contracts System (SIACOR). As for the collection of primary data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with public and private managers, in addition to state tourism management agencies. The main results of the research showed that the MTur budget does not allow to achieve the objectives outlined in national plans, due to the direction and attention given to parliamentary demands. In addition, everything indicates that the ministry, over the years, has acquired political functions to meet parliamentary demands due to the changing and cross-sectoral capacity of investments in the tourism area. In this sense, it was found that one of the main factors that lead the inefficiency of public tourism policies is in the al resive parliamentary intervention, which has unlinked the budget of policy guidelines in order to promote urbanization, as well as to provide the destination of various infrastructure and/or public squares.

The present thesis aims to analyze the relation of the hospitality perceived on the composition of the evaluation tourist experience. Studies and scientific publications that try to consolidate the bases of the influence of the hospitality in the evaluation of the tourist do not come to agreement. Hospitality as a perennial variable and with constant theoretical and empirical measurement contrasts with the non-consolidation of an isolated dimension. It appears as a transversal between specific factors (such as "experience quality", "tourist attraction" and "environment"), grouping factors (such as "affective", "cognitive" and "conative"), type of variable (such as "Receptivity", "friendly residents" and "local service") and by nature of the object of study (as measurable or abstract). Faced with the theoretical clashes and empirical use of the hospitality / tourism relationship, it is possible consider this as an axiom to be unveiled. It deals with theoretical tourism icons (Fuster, Jafari, Hall, Bishop, Beni and others), hospitality (Selwyn, Lashley, Camargo, Castelli, Almeida and others) and social exchange theory (Simmel, Mauss, Weber, Homans, Blau and others), base prevalent psychosociology that supports the perception studies of tourists and residents. The proposed research route follows in the mining of the databases of tourist demand surveys, coming from official tourist institutions, here used the tourist demand survey of the Commerce Research Institute of the Federation of Commerce, with 1937 questionnaires applied in Rio Grande do Norte during the high season in the years 2018 and 2019. The method of analysis is Correlation Network Analysis, technique that allows to identify the network composition of a set of variables independent of the gaps in the database, common in the evaluations of the tourist experience in a destination. A combination of the software UCINET and SPSS, sought as variable forms, centrality and variable correlations of hospitality in the composition of the evaluation network of the tourist experience. As a result, a network of tourist statistics shows high density, mainly in aspects of evaluating the quality of destination tourist resources, commercial and social hospitality are interrelated, commercial hospitality is at the center of the network, social hospitality is at the periphery of the network and commercial hospitality have a greater degree of influence on the network compared to social hospitality.

This research aimed to analyze the festive triad in the city of Santa Cruz dos Milagres (PI) and the strategies of the political and ecclesial actions existing in the proposal to create a religious tourist destination. Santa Cruz dos Milagres is located in the state of Piauí, northeast region of Brazil and represents a religious center of popular Catholicism. To achieve this objective, the festivities were researched: invention of the Holy Cross, exaltation of the Holy Cross and meeting of the Saints, three important religious celebrations held in different periods. whose socio-religious dimensions constitute cultural, historical and economic foundations, potential to promote the city of Santa Cruz dos Milagres as a religious tourist destination. The qualitative approach was used to conduct the research, which involved bibliographic, documental and empirical research. The comprehensive method was used, using participant observation techniques, semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Church, public authorities and local community, in addition to applying a questionnaire with devotees and recording in a diary of Field. The analyses of the subjects ' statements were performed by means of descriptive and content analysis. These are three events, mainly by devotees that together with local residents and the endorsement of the Catholic Church, reupdate their sacred beliefs and rites that give legitimacy to the religious phenomenon. The results of the research point to the existence of political and ecclesial strategies aimed at the promotion of Santa Cruz dos Milagres, although these strategies are disjointed, act in different dimensions. The actions of the state are centered on the discourse of economic development, associated with tourism promotion. Above all, from the policy of regionalization of tourism undertaken from 2004, which disseminates the city as a religious tourist hub in Piauí. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church, also uses the discourse of religious tourism, to advance in its project of evangelization and legitimation in the sacred space of Santa Cruz dos Milagres, through the creation of symbols. As the construction of the new temple, which seeks to insert itself in this logic of modernization of the Catholic sanctuaries. The local community recognizes dependence on religious activity, since it stimulates local trade. Regarding the practices of devotees, permanences and changes were identified, through actions that incorporate new elements as sacred as tourism, capable of boosting tourism activity.

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The present study aims to analyze the accessibility to information on e-commerce in commercial aviation from the W3C perspective. The approach methodology is quantitative, descriptive and exploratory. The empirical field consists of secondary and primary data, based on documentary (sample) research, focusing on standards and guidelines for accessibility to information in the airline industry. As for e-commerce websites, one hundred and thirteen airlines were delimited, with sixty-one companies participating in global alliances: Star Alliance, One World and Sky Team. The metrics were analyzed through Access Monitor, which is based on the WCAG 2.0 - World Wide Web Consortium International [W3C]. Compliance requirements are found at priority levels A (basic level), AA (medium level) and AAA (high level) in individual webpages, and in some cases, in webpage sets. Afterwards, the clusters analysis used the quantitative method of hierarchical classification based on the Euclidean Distance - shorter distance, which aims to group the cases by similarities and dissimilarities, seeking homogeneity. The methodology used was spatial temporal, with transversal cut. The retrospective phase of the study in the Brazilian context occurred between 2015 and 2016. The prospective phase covered seventy-one countries in five continents, and occurred between January and June 2018, and between December 2018 and February 2019. As a result, one hundred and two airlines failed the W3C Consortium accessibility standards. Only Asiana Airlines, a Star Alliance member, and Azores Airlines, outside global alliances, passed. Clusters’ analysis concluded different degrees of inaccessibility in the air sector, configured with scarce points of positive convergence for the consumer. Among the analyzable error patterns, some dispersions appear to be larger. On the other hand, another pattern of homogeneous and simultaneous error was revealed, increasing the degree of inaccessibility to the AAA level.This attributed to the variance of these errors and other unanalyzable typologies aggravates the degree of inaccessibility, nullifying the positive aspects of the announced convergence. The error pattern shows that the homogeneity at the micro level of the alliances occurs at the AAA level, and that the companies are also interconnected by the inverse process of dispersion against the significant variance of these errors at level A, thus, forming the heterogeneity of the groups. The practical implications of this work reflect in the right to choose between tariff possibilities, e-ticket purchase and web check-in and check-in. Thus, it is verified that as the accessibility to information is limited, the right of choice of the consumer is also limited. 

The present study aims to analyze the touristic practices present in the project Geoparque Seridó, which contribute to the development of the localities where it is developed. In recent decades, there have been spaces aimed at the protection of natural resources, with special attention to the physical environment (geodiversity), along with the touristic practice, as is the case of the Geoparks. These are mechanisms for managing a territory, through the conservation of geological heritage, education and tourism, which is linked to the development of the community inserted in the territory. The project is composed of six municipalities located inside the state of Rio Grande do Norte, being Cerro Corá, Lagoa Nova, Currais Novos, Acari, Carnaúba dos Dantas and Parelhas, both possessing great diversity in the natural and cultural aspects.  In methodological terms, this is a descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative approach Interviews were conducted with members of Arouca Geopark and Geopark Naturtejo, both in Portugal with the analysis of the sites of these respective geoparks, in order to perform a comparative of the project Geoparque Seridó with two geoparks models, mentioned above, especially with regard to tourist practices. Finally, the minutes of the Geoparque Seridó work group, created by the state Government of Rio Grande do Norte, were analyzed. In relation to the results of the research, it was possible to identify several segments present and developed in the territory of the project Geoparque Seridó, based on sustainable tourism, triggering to two major segments: Nature Tourism and Cultural tourism In the first, there are activities related to ecotourism, geotourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism. In the second: pedagogical tourism, gastronomic tourism, event tourism, religious tourism and archaeological tourism. These do not deplete the possibility of new niches and/or segments in the area studied. The contribution to the development of the locality through the generation of employment and diversification of income, incentive to the production of handicrafts, as well as the production of gastronomic souvenir, in addition to education and environmental awareness through Project actions. In addition, comparing the practices and touristic segments of the two Portuguese geoparks with the project Geoparque Seridó, the differences found were: health tourism, occurred only in the Naturtejo Geopark and the archaeological tourism that happens in the project Geopark Seridó. This denotes the potentiality of the latter when compared with the two model Geoparks. The discourse of public managers regarding the project in question is positive. Participation and communication between public and private managers and the local community were perceptible, making it a contact and exchange of beneficial experiences for the realization of tourism in this territory.

In current's world, the tourism phenomenon operates on the capitalist reproduction system, associated with the acceleration of international investments that concentrates, at the same time, a circulation of goods and services, people, information and capital. Given this, a territorial obedience to the relations of interest encompassed by exogenous projections. Therefore, this research aims to study the tourism process in the territory of the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, considering the role of tourism and the need to improve the living conditions of the local community, especially regarding the materialities of tourism public policies in territorial development. This research is based on a qualitative approach using the researcher's direct and interactive contact with the research subjects. A bibliographical analysis encompasses a debate on the expansion of tourism that indicates the effects of capital production. It also relies on authors such as Sen (2010) and Max-neef (1998), who conceive of development based on the valorisation of people and social groups through the expansion of human individual and collective capacities. The results show that tourism as a socio-spatial phenomenon under an international market allows the appropriation of territory by large corporations. Because of this, not all territories develop equally, since they have priority and as particularities of each territory are primordial, the logo is surrounded by the distinct socioeconomic frameworks of the place, being considered as technical power relations and public policies. How companies manifest themselves in a hegemonic way, besides having a technical base qualified as intentionality’s activated for capital accumulation, leading to the aggravation of socio-spatial segregation and through the rule by increasing the vulnerability of the native population.

As a social phenomenon that affects both the way of life of visitors as well as locals, the tourism activity has been taken by political actions and discourses as means of development for a certain community or nation. Traditional folk festivals of remote origins, still very lively as a cultural practice, are part of the events calendar of many localities in Brazil and in other parts of the world, most of them taking place in rural areas based on an agriculture and cattle farming activities. Thus, considering “The Orange Festival, The National Tangerine Harvest Festival” (Festa da Laranja, Festival Nacional da Tangerina), a case study in the small locality of Matinhas, in the state of Paraíba, this research focuses on comprehending how folk festivals supported by projects announcing economical and sociocultural sustainability incorporate tourism discourse. Therefore, its central aim is to analyse the “festival-tourism” impacts for the local development. In terms of methodology, this research draws on qualitative parameters by means of in-deph interviews, participant observation and field study narratives, in which the oral and written text-context of those interviewed is the referenceguiding the questions understanding. As a result, it showed that in “The Orange Festival”, in Matinhas, the connection “festival-tourism” is more present, not in the touristic activity itself, but in terms of the efectiveness of public policies, which leads Matinhas to feature on the “national tourism map” as well as to gain access to financial resources from the Ministry of Tourism earned by the local government to sponsor the Orange Festival and other festivities. In a collateral or transversal perspective, this connection moved the socio-economic and cultural structures of the locality, giving it visibility, turning it less isolated and stimulating the self-esteem and the belonging feeling among the inhabitants, what led Matinhas to achieve access to other touristic business spots as the “Fórum Turístico do Brejo Paraibano”. Eventually, this case study brought us to reflect about what the tourism activity is and the role of tourism public policies in Brazil, considering the micro realities of the called rural areas. Observing that popular festivities are a relevant locus to think about the local development, the tourism activity also proved to be a phenomenon which is present, either in the discourse or in effective actions in places that require a proper investigation, since research data deal with mega-events, mega-projects or “mega-realities”.

Maragogi / AL, is a coastal municipality, located in the extreme north of the state of Alagoas,
equidistant 125 km from two northeastern capitals, Maceió and Recife. Currently presents itself as
the second tourist receiving pole of the state. In order to understand tourism dynamics in its entirety,
it was necessary to consider the historically constructed endogenous factors that singularize the way
tourism develops in its place, such as the secular exploitation of sugarcane. From this perspective,
this study aimed to: analyze the process of social participation in the development of tourism in
Maragogi / AL, considering the territorial dimension. Specific objectives: a) To problematize
historically the process of socio-spatial formation of the northeastern sugarcane zone, highlighting
the Zona da Mata Alagoana, particularly the municipality of Maragogi; b) Discuss the socioeconomic
implications of public tourism policies in the municipality of Maragogi / AL; c) To investigate the
level of social participation of the population in the dynamics of local tourism; and d) Build a
reflective framework for social participation in tourism in Maragogi: education for democracy. The
research was guided by participatory action research, a method of study and action that seeks to obtain
reliable and useful results to improve collective situations, basing the research on the participation of
the collectives themselves to investigate. The results show that the inequality present in the Brazilian
socioeconomic and political dynamics, although not strictly correlated with tourism activity, has been
accentuated through the establishment of development models that question participation, with
decentralization of decision-making power, but not deconcentration, that is, the redistribution of
income so discursed in the form of social welfare, perpetuating inequalities founded by the sugarcane
culture. For the group that played the role of the DRP, tourism and its particularities were a secondary
factor in the list of priorities, because, according to them, there is already sufficient funds and actions
directed towards the development of tourism in the municipality, and it is now necessary to apply the
economic benefits. resulting from the activity in the social and environmental aspects of the city,
seeking to see the place in its territorial complexity aiming at reducing inequalities. Also, there was
a detachment of young people in Maragogi from political issues that directly affect the population,
lacking an educational stimulus for democracy. In search of a disruption of reality, of a
demystification, this research proposed to take a contradictory position to the reality posed,
demystifying the idea of tourism as a “salvation from farming”, while in reality it is realized as an
exploratory practice of places, when it moves its citizens away from the center of the process, either
in decision-making or as enjoying the benefits arising from the activity. Considering a totalizing
perspective, from a complex and inseparable look between research, teaching and extension, the study
allowed, as research, the understanding of the context of socio-spatial formation of the maragogiense
population, as well as the context of the application of public tourism policies in the municipality; As
an extension, it invited this population to assume their place of speech within the process of
touristification of their place; and as a teaching, it took the participatory/active methodologies for the
pedagogical practice with the young people of the place, initiating a stimulus to the awareness, of
building critical reflection about themselves and about the role that it aims to assume before
Maragogi's history.

Tourism is a multifaceted sector based on knowledge and cooperation, mainly, because its complexity conditions. Knowledge management (KM) and interorganizational networks (IN) can facilitate the following KM process: acquisition, use, sharing, learning and cooperation between Public Tourism Organizations (PTO’s). Based on that, this proposal aim is to develop a theoretical framework which involves KM and IN related to PTO’s. It’s a qualitative and exploratory research which study a newly fact: KM and IN in PTO’s. It has adopted an interpretative approach because it has the will to a deep comprehension about the studies subjects. The interviewees were chosen based on the proximity to the research problem. In total, it has been elected 17 (seventeen) interviewees from a non-probabilistic and intentional sample and snowball sampling procedure was applied whereby the first participants were asked to suggest other people who might be worth contacting to plan an interview. The data collection was obtained from bibliography research to find research gaps, through search conducted from 2016 to 2018 using The Brazilian Journal Portal to select the papers, while primary search was collected through semi structure interview guide.  Among the techniques utilized in order to treat and analyze data are triangulation, documentary and content analysis. It has been used a qualitative software, entitle NVivo to facilitate data organization, word frequency and word cloud. The results found that most of the interviewees are experts with more than 30 years of experience with large know how in tourism planning and working on management and leadership areas. It has been found that PTO’s do not adopt KM as a systematic activity, in fact it has been identified some KM isolated actions. In the case of knowledge acquisition, it has been observed that PTO’s collect information from the main partner always when is required. It has been verified that knowledge sharing process of information occurs from partnership between stakeholders, through organization’s meeting. In addition, the interviewees have mentioned that social media (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) is been used as a facilitator of sharing information, as much internal than external. However, it has been observed that through direct observation the medias are truly working as publicize media. So, they make public everything they are doing at PTO’s. It has been identified that PTO’s are not learning organization, but from the interviewees point of view it has been identified some attitudes in order to enhance the organization performance. In the case of KM evaluation, it has been identified that there is an effort to review old practice. For instance, one of PTO’s has been conducted an organization study to review the organization structure. As a general result, it has been proposed a theoretical framework which includes these main categories: acquisition, use, sharing, learning, evaluation, disposal and partnership.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) transforms society and markets, leading to new forms of behavior for both consumers and companies. The tourism industry is one of the most influenced ones due to the incorporation of technologies, mainly around the Internet, giving rise to new business models, reformulation in the structures of distribution channels, as well as changes in purchase and distribution processes. The expansion of the Internet has led to the dissemination of social media, which are mainly responsible for the diffusion of User-Generated Content (UGC). In turn, UGC has gained significant importance as more people are searching for and sharing comments, photos, and videos on different social media, thereby becoming a deciding factor when choosing travel destinations. The research model is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with four variables (attitude, subjective norms, perceived control, and behavioral intention), as well as two other constructs, affective and cognitive images. The goal is to analyze the use of photographs on social media as an influencing factor in the intention to choose travel destinations. The study was conducted under hypothetical-deductive logic, being classified as descriptive-exploratory with respect to its goals. The approach was quantitative using a survey with non-probabilistic sampling and 300 Brazilian respondents. The data collection instrument was composed of a structured questionnaire, which was applied online in February 2017. Data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the SPSS software with the AMOS package, version 22.0. Among the main results based on the confirmed hypotheses, it is emphasized that the photographic image mediated by the traveler’s attitude in the intention to use photographs on social media has a positive influence on the choice of travel destinations for people planning trips. Therefore, it is evident that promoters should invest more in divulgating the touristic image of cities on social media and, consequently, help to strategically position travel destinations.

After consolidating the public policies to stimulate international tourism in the Brazilian Northeast (PRODETUR / NE I and II), it is possible to notice an increase in real estate investments made by foreigners. It concerns the transfer of capital between territories and productive activities determined by capitalist reproduction strategies. In 2010, in the middle of this context, the municipalities of Touros and São Miguel do Gostoso, located on the Eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte, began to diverge on the demarcation of territorial boundaries. The case acquires connotation of conflict from the denials of limits correction and the collection of taxes undertaken by the managers of Touros to companies and citizens of the areas in question. The objective of the research is to analyze the territorial conflict between São Miguel do Gostoso and Touros, considering the process of tourism expansion and real estate investments in said municipalities. It is a qualitative study, whose data collection procedures involved documentary research in notary and public agencies, systematic observation and semi-structured interviews with political actors, civil society and business leaders. The data shows that, because of the incongruity of the boundaries, São Miguel do Gostoso started to accumulate the budget burden due to the decrease of transfers corresponding to the population count and loss of taxes related to urban land use, together with the need to provide public services to the resident and tourists. At the Municipal Headquarters, public and private investments linked to tourism and natural conditions favorable to adventure sports have become important drivers of urban expansion, especially in the areas adjacent to the beaches of Xêpa, Cardeiro and Ponta do Santo Cristo. From these conditions, these areas become a highly competitive sector of expansion of real estate investments with a significant participation of foreigners. Compared to Touros, the real estate dynamics of São Miguel do Gostoso are more accentuated over time, with a greater volume of capital invested, involving a greater number of nationalities and incorporating lands that have attributes of tourist interest, factors that give it greater appreciation of the soil. It is concluded that in São Miguel do Gostoso, the growth of tourism-real estate investments has contributed to the restructuring of its space by means of objects, actions and symbols that guarantee its territorial expression. On the other hand, such investments had a marked effect on the litigation, for which, the term of an agreement between the managers was conditioned to retaining the lands of Ponta do Santo Cristo Beach to Touros.

Competitiveness in the tourism sector encourages the destinations to develop strategies and tools for their differentiation and favorable positioning. For this, one of the alternatives is the incorporation of strategic brand management, understood as a marketing tool designed to communicate the unique identity of the destination, distinguish it from its competitors and carry out its promotion. In this context, the studies on the branding of tourist destinations present research focused on the construction, management and evaluation of the brand and contribute to the understanding of how this process occurs in the destinations. Thus, the present study Thus, the present work analyzes the brands of three competing destinations of the Brazilian Northeast based on the "Saffron City Brand Criteria" parameter. With descriptive-exploratory methodology, and qualitative approach, the present research used semi-structured open interviews with managers and representatives of selected tourist destinations destinations and documental analysis. Through content analysis, aided by the Nvivo Qualitative and Mixed Analysis Software (version 11.0), it was possible to conclude that destinations do not have a defined and are strategically-oriented brand to reach destination goals;  they have a focus on the physical and tangible dimension of their assets rather than emotional and symbolic dimensions; they have a product-based positioning based on the existing tourist products, aiming at meeting objectives and public that resemble; there are different relations between those who manage the brand and those to whom the brand belongs. Finally, reflections on the Saffron City Brand Criteria parameter, its application in the context of Brazilian destinations and agenda for future research are presented.

The rapid advancement of communication has brought about considerable changes in all contexts of society. In the same way, it has been transforming the organizational scenario, requiring different strategies to deal with current challenges. Creativity and innovation emerge as tools capable of producing a greater number of responses and solutions, as well as supporting decision making. To optimize this results, organizations start to orchestrate the management of creativity and innovation, which is a process oriented to empowering the creation of ideas and transforming them into differentiated solutions. The tourism industry has appropriated this artifice, especially organizations focused on the planning of events with a view to building a competitive advantage. In this way, the present work aims to analyze the relationship between the management of creativity and the management of innovation in a company that organizes tourism events. As representative of this sector, the Destaque Promocões was defined, for the representativeness of Carnatal in the national market of tourist events. The research is developed with a descriptive-exploratory, qualitative approach. Data collection instruments, questionnaires applied to a sample of ten employees of the organization and non-participant observation were used as instruments for data collection. Through content analysis, based on tabulation via spreadsheet editing software and NVIVO (version 11.0). It is observed that the company has a well-developed creative culture, however, it does not have a strategy oriented to the process of innovation. Innovations, mostly incremental, occur randomly and emerge from exogenous problems. It is concluded that the relationship between the creative culture and the innovation process, in the event organizers, occurs in a dependent way so that it brings plausible results, which corroborates with previous theories to reveal that the management of creativity is fundamental, but it shows is just as the principle for innovation.

The scenario of the Brazilian economy, along with the difficulties inherent to each sector of the activity, requires a greater preparation and knowledge of the organizations to reposition themselves in the market. For this, it is important that the travel agent is able to perceive the scenario in which he is, to, through this knowledge, taking action in the face of the difficulties that have risen and thus be able to reposition himself in the market. Organizations, in general, are vulnerable to various types of crisis, both external and internal. This applies to travel agencies also. This segment has been going through a series of changes that, if not well managed, could have irreversible consequences. Thus, this paper intends to analyze crisis management in Brazilian travel agencies. The study presents a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory approach, using as a research instrument the semi-structured interview applied to the ABAV’S Presidents. The results shows that the administrative practices adopted by travel agents in dealing with crisis occur in an intuitive way. Actions that are a part of a crisis management process such as prevention, planning, definition of communication strategies, partnerships established with stakeholders, and employees, evaluation, learning, amongst others, are modest and isolated, not configuring in a management process of crisis. In short, the practice of crisis management is not a reality in the travel agency market and the isolated actions adopted do not give them the guarantee of repositioning and overcoming the current crisis.

The present study investigated the relationship of tourism with the acquisition of rural familiar production and the fishing resource for food service and accommodation in São Miguel do Gostoso (RN), whereas tourism while socio-spatial phenomenon can contribute improvements to the municipality and to the people who dwell there. That said, the optics of Amartya Sen (2010) the development as freedom and Kiyota and Gomes (1999); Belik et al (2002) and Ramalho (2016) to support local economy relations. In this scenario, as participants of research: the tourist trade and the farmer. To reach such audience participant were considered some of the criteria. The tourist trade there should be at least a year and provide at least one meal in your establishment. And farmers were considered from the endorsements made by the tourist trade as food vendor who buys for your establishment. The scope of the study is exploratory and descriptive nature with quali-quanti approach. At first, it mentions the difficulty in obtaining information about the existence of establishments of accommodation and food due to high turnover of also opening and closing of enterprises in this sector. Skirted-if such a situation using several existing information about the enterprises in question, until you reach the business objective. The data were collected with the enterprises in operation, existing ha at least a year and that offers at least a meal. These responses were usedto assemble the Census of thetourist trade relevant to thefollowing analyses. In sequence, interviewed farmers selling your ruralfamily production in freemarketing fair in Sao Miguel do Gostoso/RN. All the information of thecensus were entered into Google Forms to assist in theanalysis and interpretation of data. The interviews already had their audio transcribed according to the and Ramilo and Freitas (2001) guidelines and, subsequently, the analysis of thecontent. The main findings on the relationship of the acquisition of the genre, it can besaid that are: 1) the service of accommodation is one that most stands out with theacquisition of food directly to family agriculture; 2) stands out the food service for the purchase directly to other markets, and the local market little using the acquisition of food directly to familyagriculture; 3) the tourist trade that has consumption are those who seek to acquire thefood directly to family agriculture; 4) purchases of food directly to the local market's bigger than the acquisitionto the fair-free Hall, the acquisition market-free Hall, than to family agriculture and organic fair, respectively; and 5) for establishment of the tourist trade that has no link with theacquisition of food directly to family agriculture. The contribution of the tourist phenomenon, in the context of localdevelopment, has been minimal, because this economic activity has not yet been able to provide another levelto the municipal level, such as illiteracy and the real purchasing power.

Contemporary tourism is leveraged from the conquest of the free time and the possibility of increased leisure time and new formats of this play, which is structured in new times, in other needs and demand a new look. Thus, leisure and tourism have always been intertwined, sometimes leisure as motivator of tourism, now tourism as objective end of town. The conceptual development efforts on tourism, using in many cases, the leisure as a key element, but contemporary leisure overlaps, absorbs, counteracts and overcomes the senses hitherto given to him. So the main question that aims to answer is: What new meanings attributed to tourism from the analysis of its conceptual transformations in the context of the complexity of contemporary leisure? To answer this question, it has the general objective to analyze tourism from the analysis of the conceptual tourism changes the light from the perspective of the complexity of contemporary leisure. For it will be necessary to explain the concept of free time bases, leisure and tourism and its contemporary relationships, discerning the classic concepts of tourism, the key elements for building a contemporary concept of tourism as well as demonstrate how the concepts of leisure and tourism are expressed in spontaneous demonstrations of its practitioners. As the main hypothesis has been that tourism is a specific form of leisure, which differs from the others by the travel component and which results in a tourist experience from the process of rooting and uprooting of people and their practices. The research is qualitative basis and use the technical content analysis. In support of theory use the complex perspective, because it is understood that this is by means of the principles that best contextualize the contemporary leisure. The main results expected from the development of the thesis has been that tourism understood as a specific form of pleasure, brings new meaning to activity, as it recognizes new elements that alter not only the scientific understanding related to tourism, but also brings implications to the superstructure, infrastructure, the supply and demand relationship and the tourist practices in general.

The promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution promoted several changes in Brazil, among them it´s highlighted the decentralized public management which was favored by the Magna Carta. In tourism, this characteristic became part of the guidelines of the conception and implementation process of public actions on this segment. In this context, it is important to highlight that the local population has come to be understood as a valuable resource in the planning and structuring of a tourism destination. The main objective of this present study is to analyze how the population has been inserted in the conception and implementation of the actions undertaken by the tourism public management in Parnaíba-PI. The methodology used in the analysis consists of a qualitative approach and an exploratory investigation. For that, besides the bibliographical and documentary research, it was developed a field research with the residents of Parnaíba, superintendent and the team of the Municipal Superintendence of Tourism. As conclusive aspects, the study points out that it cannot be affirmed that the local population is effectively inserted in the specific tourism public actions in Parnaíba. Neither be said that there is compatibility between official discourse. It is noticed that the relevance attributed to the local population in the context of the public policies defined for the Brazilian tourism hasn’t passed by significant changes over the years, only appears in the official discourse with emphasis to certain aspects. It is understood that the actions together, helped to carry out different actions in the location that reverberated on to the local population.

The means of lodging, as important components for the tourist activity, have a set of elements that contribute to the competitiveness of the sector. The hostels are one of these elements, and in particular, they have been highlighted because they have the opportunity to offer the exchange of experiences to their guests. In this sense, knowledge about the behavioral changes of its consumers becomes important for the generation of competitive advantage, considering the complexity of the study of consumer behavior and the factors that influence choice decisions. The importance of identifying consumer values, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, is emphasized. This research presents as main objective, the analysis of the motivational attributes to choose the hostels as means of lodging. The methodology used to reach the goal proposed in this study consists of two steps: first, the questionnaire was applied, containing six closed-ended questions to identify the profile of the new consumer of hostels in Brazil; Then online focus groups were conducted through the Messenger application in order to identify the main attributes of hostel choice. Thus, the research is characterized as exploratory-descriptive, with a qualitative approach. For the analysis of the data, NVivo 11 software was used with ways to facilitate the critical interpretation of the content. We analyzed the reports and discussions of 53 participants of the online focus groups, whose results pointed out a new hostel consumer in Brazil that has, as priorities, interaction with other guests, experiences and cultural exchanges and cost-benefit, classified as attributes Which add more value when choosing a hostel as a means of tourist accommodation. It was concluded with the presentation of the trends of the hostels due to the increase of tourist demand with focus on the experiences. Given that tourism becomes, in this case, the facilitator of social exchanges, making it possible to meet people from different countries and cultures in one place.

The Brazilian coastal zone is considered a relevant tourist destination, becoming one of the most important places for national and international tourists. However, there is a significant environmental impact generated by the activity, mainly in relation to water pollution, reef destruction, sand dune removal, undue construction, among others. In this sense, the aim of this study was to investigate the relations of dependence between factors affecting resident environmental behavior in coastal tourist destinations, aiming to contribute with the definition of better environmental management actions for coastal tourist destinations. For that, a descriptive, quali-quantitative study was proposed, using the hypothetical-deductive method, because of some theoretical models are used to arrive at the construction of hypotheses. The study had as object, the residents of Baía Formosa, site, located on the south coast of Rio Grande do Norte, 98.9 km from Natal, which has an estimated population of 9,182 inhabitants, being proposed the application of a total of 368 questionnaires. The data collection instrument contains dimensions and variables based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985), specifically Behavioral Intent, Pro-Environmental Attitude, Subjective Norms and Perceived Behavioral Control, with the addition of Place Attachment construct to the model which, according to the literature, can influence the behavior investigated. The variables composing these dimensions were evaluated using a seven-point scale (Likert Scale), which ranged from 1 (I strongly disagree) to 7 (I fully agree), according to the level of agreement with the proposed sentence to characterize each variable . Data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics method and Structural Equations Modeling. Findings show that variables of rational character have a greater explanatory power of the residents environmental behavior than variables of affective character.

Tourism, as an economic alternative, has been considered as a relevant development tool, generating significant changes in the way of life of local populations, especially in tourist destinations on implementation and consolidation process. However, the activity generates a series of impacts, from the economic, social and environmental point of view, which implies the need for community participation to define policies and actions necessary for the implementation of the tourist activities in perspective. In this sense, this study aimed to investigate residents' perception of impacts, satisfaction with the place, governance and resident support to tourism development in Seridó Potiguar/RN, a tourist destination in the implantation and consolidation phase. In order to reach this objective, it was necessary to use the descriptive research, with a quantitative approach, in which questionnaires were applied with 220 residents in the locality of Currais Novos, one of the municipalities that are part of Polo Seridó. The used survey method was the hypothetical-deductive type. The data analysis technique used was descriptive and multivariate analysis techniques such as factorial analysis and correlation matrix. For the processing of the data of the questionnaires applied it was used SPSS 22.0 for Windows. Results show that interviewed residents believe in the positive benefits that can be generated by the development of tourism, especially in terms of increasing employment and income, and activity is only adding to the economic development of the region. Concerning the negative impacts perceived by residents, tourism development may increase the cost of living in the locality, as well as social problems, such as increased pollution in cities, increased noise in cities that damages environment and the increase in transit problems. It was observed a relative correlation between governance perception and support to the development of tourism in the region.

Culture is an element present in each individual which characterizes it as belonging to a certain society, period and space. This factor can be externalized through cultural heritage, being material or immaterial. This element contributes to motivate people to move from their places of origin to experience a reality different from their own and to know some places that stand out for valuing their history. In this way, cities that have this potential for cultural tourism use this opportunity to promote the activity and promote this exchange. This is the case of Areia, located in the region of Brejo Paraibano, in the state of Paraíba. The only historical urban nucleus of the state, it has as one of its main activities the tourism, through the visitation to its historical buildings, museums and mills producing cachaça and rapadura. With this emphasis, the tourism activity has been generating transformations in the city and, to investigate this context, the main objective of the research is to analyze if the tourism activity and the actions carried out in your favor have contributed to the development of Areia. As a methodological procedure, the research is characterized as being exploratory and descriptive, in which the methods of observation and interview for qualitative field research were used. Through the data collected and the perception of local agents, it was possible to understand that Areia is not yet a consolidated destination, however, in recent years, activity has been generating a steady stream of people in the city and generating opportunities, especially for businessmen and part of the population. However, it is a historic city that has great potential and that has many possibilities of development, both with regard to tourism as well as the structure of the city.

The tourist landscapes, that to this research will be represented by the destines of Recife-PE and Natal-RN, may reveal tourist enclaves and exclusive leisure practices, in a visible or subtle social order in which visitors and residents have geographical imaginations Disparities in such spaces. Tourism has like one of its main relationships in the contemporary world the art of meeting between visitors and residents. However, it is possible to observe tourist destinations where travel experiences are ordered, especially for socio-spatial segregation, despite the existence of destinations marked by resident-tourist integration. In view of this understanding, the present work emerges in the analysis of the integration processes versus segregation of the tourist with a majority of the population residing in the northeastern capitals studied, understanding that these processes are presented in a landscape determined by the urban planning of the city, Set of actions of the public and private powers on the tourist segmentation, besides the particularities of the territorial configuration of these cities. In this way, the main objective of this work is to analyze the integration processes versus socio-spatial segregation, from the landscape and contents represented in videos of travel records (2014-2016), specifically highlighting the presentation of two perspectives of integration versus segregation In tourist towns. Therefore, a map of the tourism perspective of the studied capitals is created, with a focus on synthesizing the landscapes extracted from the travel records. In this context, the work presents a qualitative approach, anchored in content analysis of videos posted on the YouTube sharing site from a framework of variables that synthesize the approach. The result of this is the confirmation of the hypothesis that such elements (urban city planning, public and private power action on tourism segmentation, and territorial configuration), when unveiled in the cities of Recife-PE and Natal-RN, show In a certain way an integrative destination and another segregator-fragmented, respectively, from a socio-spatial and tourism perspective.

O estudo propõe apresentar uma discussão sobre o valor da cachaça enquanto patrimônio cultural e sua relação com as atividades turísticas no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Apoiado numa discussão a partir dos estudos históricos relacionados ao setor turístico, especialmente no que diz respeito à gastronomia, a cachaça se define não apenas como um importante instrumento para a construção de identidades, mas, também, como um elemento capaz de tecer relações sociais, políticas e econômicas. Isto é, um produto turístico capaz de proporcionar novos destinos. A pesquisa foi realizada em cinco alambiques localizados nas regiões Leste Potiguar e Seridó, as quais oferecem uma historicidade e produção significativa para o Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Para definir o recorte, é preciso buscar refinar essa seleção, especialmente ao lidar com fatos históricos e memórias dos proprietários desses estabelecimentos. Dessa forma, torna-se necessário considerar a trajetória dos alambiques, períodos de maiores produções e inserção no mercado turístico. Através de levantamentos documentais e observações feitas em visitas de campo, a pesquisa tem uma abordagem qualitativa com finalidade descritiva e exploratória, metodologia que nos permite abordar questões em torno das articulações entre patrimônio, identidade e turismo.

The corporate events tourism accelerates the tourism phenomenon and reduces seasonality, besides it boosts various forms of communication, whether it is focused on attracting events or otherwise. Based on this expectation, the objective of the research was to evaluate the types of communication used for the attraction of corporate events in Convention & Visitors Bureaus of Brazil. The study had as its universe executives and trade directors of associations that attract corporate events, through qualitative research and descriptive and exploratory nature, functionalist bias and non-probabilistic sample. Data collection was conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire sent by electronic means through the Google Docs tool and evaluated by the content analysis technique. The research results show that the process of attracting is focused on the profile of the sectors: wholesale, services, events organizers, promoters, agribusiness, technological, industrial, mining, leaders and medical. The questions that impact communication are: evaluate the data and sources, have updated information, ask for and offer feedback, work with the demand and supply of the attraction. Communication should be multi-tools, make assessments constantly, language vices, communicative clarity, limited vocabulary, previous experiences and vision of friends or family. Those which corroborate are focused on an attitude while communicating, responsibility and ownership that creates transparency and fidelity to communication, direct contact through speech, proposal submission, contact with the promoter or leader. In the research was pointed out the difficulty of evaluation, regarding the frequency and feedback of data in order to maintain a line of information and possible development, given that the evaluation point to point was cited by four destinations (Natal, São Paulo, Belém and Poços de Caldas). In conclusion, to build a communication to attract corporate events that decentralize the results through the country integrally, it is needed to know the main contractors niches, their quirks and peculiarities, because each event attraction is unique and for that contractor the will of the participants is always in first place, in other words, the communication fidelity impacts on the final feedback. 

Esta pesquisa trata das relações sinérgicas entre turismo e cinema, numa perspectiva de que filmes podem influenciar no contexto turístico dos lugares usados como cenários. Objetivou analisar o impacto de filmes na imagem do Brasil e na intenção de visitá-lo e relacioná-los aos fatores fílmicos. Para isso, evolveu pesquisa experimental, envolvendo filmes de diferentes gêneros ambientados no Brasil: Cidade de Deus e Rio. Os filmes foram exibidos para estrangeiros que moram em Barcelona, os quais preencheram um mesmo questionário antes e depois da exibição. A partir do estudo, foram produzidos dois artigos. O primeiro enfocou na influência de filmes com conteúdo negativo na imagem de destino. Portanto, analisou os efeitos de Cidade de Deus, comparando-os aos constatados pela pesquisa de Loureiro e Araújo (2015), que usaram o mesmo método em Portugal. Os resultados sugerem que filmes com conteúdo negativo tendem a influenciar negativamente as percepções sobre o destino, diminuindo as intenções turísticas. A segunda parte da pesquisa enfocou na comparação dos efeitos de ambos os filmes, considerando suas relações com fatores fílmicos de indução turística. Os resultados apontam que, enquanto Rio foi capaz de manter a boa imagem inicial do Brasil, Cidade de Deus impactou de modo negativo nas percepções que os espectadores tinham do destino, diminuindo as intenções de visita. Concluiu-se que o conteúdo fílmico afeta diretamente a imagem causada por esse tipo de mídia.

Community based tourism experiences are emerging all over the world and are characterized by being a tourism organization model located in the axis alternative to the conventional, which has as main key the community organization and participation in planning, management and development of tourism. These initiatives seek as mechanisms of strengthening to build networks. This work, therefore, has as main objective to analyze the relations between the actors involved with the development of tourism in the Cearense Network of Community Tourism (Tucum Network). For this purpose, it relies on the network understanding of authors like Capra (2002); Castels (2013); Rovere (1999); and Tolkach, King, & Pearlman (2013). An exploratory study was carried out through literature, documentary and field research in four communities participants of the network. The method of approach was qualitative and the data were analyzed using content analysis. The results indicated that the relations between the various points of the network is given by the existence of communication processes established through common links as the struggle for territory, the affirmation of their identity and the development of community tourism. It was noted, however, that the process of collaboration between the participating initiatives is weakened, mainly, due to barriers in the process of communication and to the lack of resources faced by the network and the communities.

Brazilian tourism has been developing, quickly over the last years. However, there is not enough information to measure the performance of tourism in the economy, because the existing research sufficiently specific or obsolete data. Statistical and economic research, such as the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), in an important source of information for policy planning, investment and market expansion, enabling improvements for residents, businesses and tourists. With the economic measurement of tourism, it is possible to identify growing activities that generate jobs, income and welfare, also pointing stable activities. This study aims to analyze the participation of Tourism Characteristic Activities (TCAs) in the Brazilian economy in 2013.The objective is to generate information for the measurement and development of tourism in the Brazilian context. The research is characterized as exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, using quantitative approach. The study relied on secondary data sources drawn mainly from research the Annual Survey of Services developed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the tourism Labor Market Information System of the Applied Economic Research Institute (IPEA). The applied methodology was based on Brazil’s TSA-99 and on the report “Tourism Economics: a macroeconomic perspective 2003-2009”, both based on the guidelines and methodologies recommended by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and National Accounts System-1993/2008.To measure the participation of TCAs in the economy, the concepts of accounting identities of the macroeconomic aggregates of tourism were applied. Thus, the study resulted in estimation of gross value of production, intermediate consumption, gross value added, expenses personnel, gross operating surplus, number of jobs, paid income and number of companies. Therefore, this research contributes to the tourism literature with perspective to expand discussions on tourism measurement mechanisms for the generation of economic and statistical information about Brazil.

The study aims to understand the factors that have hampered the tourist's historic center of Natal functionalization between the years 1976-2015, during which public policies were prepared relevant to the preservation of the Brazilian cultural heritage and that contained in his speech to tourist valorization of cultural goods. The methodology of work was based on an analysis of key actions and tourism policies and culture that took place in the historical center in order to understand whether or not a public intersection from the policy and reflect on the deliberate actions by the various actors in the region historic city. It was also carried out an assessment of the tourist offer in this space considering the products and services offered to tourists and visitors from the analysis of diagnoses made by the municipal tourism and on-site observation. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory, which was selected content analysis technique for the treatment of the data, interviews with representatives of local government, private sector, civil society representatives and tourists through unstructured interview scripts were performed. It was noticed that the preservation actions, although contemplate in its objectives the promotion of tourism in historic centers fail to transpose the inventory phase and diagnostics or restrict the implementation of projects in isolation and without continuity, parking in stages considered preliminary evaluation of public policies. Also noted is that there is no tourism management of cultural heritage and there is no specific action for tourist promotion of cultural Christmas aisle as is done with the sun and beach segment. The area is already equipped with enough projects to its historical, cultural and tourist value, however, the conflict of interests between the conservation agencies and other departments, the bureaucracy and the lack of specific legislation by the actions makers in the region historical are still the main obstacles to the tourist feature in the center of Natal.

A atual conjuntura política mundial apresenta um movimento em busca de descentralizar o poder de decisão do Estado para instâncias inferiores de governabilidade, no sentido de fortalecer ainda mais os laços democráticos e as ações governamentais com legitimidade, eficiência e cooperação. No Brasil essa tendência é propugnada pela a Constituição Federal de 1988, prevendo essa descentralização como premissa para a elaboração de políticas públicas. Dessa forma, o Ministério do Turismo (Mtur) em 2003 ao elaborar a política para o setor cria o Programa de Regionalização do Turismo (PRT), justamente na perspectiva de fomentar a organização de conselhos regionais de gestão da atividade turística para atender as peculiaridades do território, bem como propiciar o trabalho cooperado e sinérgico entre a iniciativa privada, sociedade civil e poder público, tendo como um de seus objetivos a interiorização do turismo brasileiro. Este trabalho analisa os rebatimentos do PRT no interior do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (RN), tendo como recorte espacial as regiões turísticas do Agreste/Trairi e Seridó, ambas localizadas no interior potiguar. O objetivo da pesquisa é analisar em que medida o PRT tem sido efetivo para desencadear o processo de interiorização do turismo no Estado do RN. A pesquisa tem caráter preponderante qualitativo, a técnica de coleta de dados primários utilizada foi à entrevista. A coleta de dados secundários foi realizada, no Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), atas dos conselhos regionais; base de dados do Mtur, dentre outros documentos. Utilizou-se o software Excel para ajudar na compilação dos dados. As principais conclusões são que as ações desenvolvidas por meio do PRT é executada de forma pontual e desconectada de um contexto maior, ou seja, não há entendimento coletivo e colaborador. Este trabalho também revela a frágil condição das secretarias de turismo do interior do RN em recursos humanos e aparelhamento administrativo legislativo.  De modo geral o PRT não contribuiu de forma substancial para o desenvolvimento do turismo no interior do RN, em grande medida pelos descompassos ideológico, funcional e executivo atrelados ao programa.

Com o aumento da demanda por empreendimentos no ramo do entretenimento, observa-se o aumento da competitividade no setor de turismo, gerando a necessidade de diferenciação em meio aos demais, visando à fidelização de clientes. Nesse sentido, os profissionais de Marketing passaram a acreditar que, para oferecer algo que fosse capaz de fidelizar os clientes, as empresas deveriam oferecer um produto ou serviço que fosse além das necessidades dos consumidores, surgindo então o termo “encantamento do cliente”. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo tem o objetivo de analisar fatores considerados como capazes de influenciar o encantamento do cliente (Customer Delight) de turismo de lazer, a partir de experiências em parques temáticos, por meio de uma abordagem baseada na Teoria da Avaliação Cognitiva. Para tanto, a investigação apresentou caráter exploratório-descritivo com enfoque analítico-quantitativo. A pesquisa foi do tipo Levantamento (Survey). Os dados foram coletados a partir de um público composto por 176 adolescentes que viajaram em excursão para o Walt Disney World, localizado em Orlando, Flórida, em junho de 2014, por uma agência de viagem localizada na cidade de Natal/ RN. O parque escolhido para objeto da pesquisa foi o Magic Kingdom. Para análise das respostas, foram utilizadas as análises descritiva, fatorial exploratória e confirmatória, assim como a modelagem de equações estruturais. Os resultados apontam para um grande nível de encantamento do entrevistado com o objeto, seja relacionado com a importância do objetivo da viagem, assim como à dimensão Inesperado da viagem. Pelas relações causais encontradas, observou-se que as dimensões “Coerência do Objetivo” e “Importância do Objetivo”, ambas consideradas como antecedentes do Encantamento, têm impactos significativos na formação do Encantamento do Cliente. As constatações permitiram ampliar a compreensão sobre o comportamento do consumidor no turismo de lazer.

O empreendedorismo tem sido objeto de investigação em diversos estudos nas últimas décadas e se destaca por ser uma prática importante para o desenvolvimento econômico de uma região ou país devido ter em sua essência, a capacidade de inovação e de aproveitar as oportunidades locais. Desta forma, o empreendedorismo se torna um agregador de valor ao produto turístico, sendo os empreendedores os principais agentes de mudança econômica, pois geram, disseminam e aplicam inovações. Nesta perspectiva, este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a relação entre apego ao lugar, satisfação, fatores econômicos e não econômicos como influenciadores na motivação para empreender no setor de turismo na região Seridó Potiguar. O método de pesquisa utilizado foi do tipo descritivo, exploratório e quantitativo, além da técnica de observação. Sua população limitou-se aos empresários do setor de Turismo da região Seridó Potiguar, nos municípios de Caicó, Currais Novos e Parelhas, localizados na mesorregião central do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Resultados indicam a existência de relacionamento entre a autonomia, senso comunitário e fatores econômicos como constructos influenciadores da motivação em empreender no Turismo na região.

Na dinâmica contemporânea, observa-se uma mudança na estrutura institucional do Estado, culminando em diversas políticas para o setor turístico que promovem um novo formato de gestão. A vista disso, o Macro Programa de Regionalização do Turismo (PRT), considerado um programa significativo do Ministério do Turismo, surgiu como resposta a esta nova realidade, tendo como estratégia um trabalho conjunto de estruturação e promoção voltado à descentralização das ações, valorizando a participação dos residentes na busca do permanente diálogo entre pares e revalorização dos lugares e territórios, pautados no processo de regionalização. Com base nesse viés, este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o papel do Conselho Estadual de Turismo do Rio Grande do Norte, no que concerne ao planejamento turístico, buscando entendê-lo e desvendá-lo enquanto instância de governança, através das intervenções do Programa de Regionalização do Turismo, tendo em vista o contexto de participação dos seus atores e agentes. Para fins desse estudo delimita-se como recorte temporal o ano de 2007 a 2014, por entender que foi nesta época, que houve maior adesão de membros no conselho, bem como diferentes tipos de representação de setores da sociedade civil, como resultado de uma política pública de turismo baseada em princípios de inovação e participação. Em relação ao problema de pesquisa, este estudo conceitua-se como qualitativo e o método escolhido é o dialético materialista. Ainda sobre as opções metodológicas, utiliza-se a Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados evidenciam que a institucionalização da instância de governança como o CONETUR não contribui, de forma ideal, no processo de planejamento e gestão da atividade turística participativa e integrada, voltada para um direcionamento justo da sua produção espacial. A pesquisa indica que existem debates, discussões e direcionamentos (ainda que de forma pontual e segmentada), mas não reverbera em efeitos práticos, por atuar em uma conjuntura que é estrategicamente concebida pelo jogo de poder político e econômico, configurando a atuação dos atores hegemônicos, que utiliza desta arena para incutir desejos e vontades pessoais, que são decididos a revelia do conselho.

É por meio de uma visão holística dos componentes ambientais que se alcança o meio mais eficaz para que se ocorra um planejamento hábil do turismo o que proporcionará o mínimo de impacto possível ao ambiente. Considerando o fato de que a geodiversidade é bastante visada pelo turismo, o geoturismo evidencia os aspectos do meio físico, muitas vezes negligenciados em detrimento a biodiversidade, e promove a divulgação da informação do contexto geológico em uma linguagem acessível para o público leigo ao interpretar o patrimônio geológico que se revela atrativo turístico potencial e incita a conservação desses locais. Diante da potencialidade do geopatrimônio que o município de Gurjão/PB apresenta, é necessário que se estabeleçam medidas de planejamento para utilização sustentável desses bens. Nessa perspectiva, o presente estudo tem como objetivo geral analisar os elementos da geodiversidade e seu papel com a viabilidade do turismo no município de Gurjão/PB. Como objetivos específicos: descrever os atrativos turísticos associados aos elementos da geodiversidade; apresentar a valoração qualitativa e quantitativa dos geossítios; e identificar a percepção da população local (professores e moradores) quanto aos aspectos relacionados ao geoturismo, às possíveis utilizações dos geossítios e os possíveis efeitos socioeconômicos da atividade geoturística no município. Os procedimentos metodológicos tratados envolvem levantamento de dados em campo, aplicação de formulários no inventário, elaboração de planilhas e aplicação de questionários. Para a inventariação turística, foram adotados formulários do “Inventário da Oferta Turística” (2011) do Ministério do Turismo. Os geossítios foram valorados qualitativamente através dos critérios propostos por Gray (2004). O método desenvolvido por Pereira (2010) foi utilizado a fim de obter o valor em termos quantitativos dos geossítios com foco exclusivo nos valores turístico e de uso/gestão. Para identificar a percepção da população local quanto aos possíveis efeitos socioeconômicos do geoturismo foram realizadas duas abordagens para dois grupos; de professores e de moradores. A técnica utilizada para atingir o último objetivo específico do estudo foi a de entrevista com abordagem direta com a aplicação de questionários previamente elaborados. O inventário, valoração e quantificação dos atrativos naturais evidenciaram que o geoturismo pode ser potencialmente desenvolvido em Gurjão/PB, embora se tenha identificado várias lacunas em relação à infraestrutura dos locais e a falta de interesse/conhecimento público na proteção e valorização desses locais. Constata-se que a percepção da população local em relação aos possíveis efeitos socioeconômicos do geoturismo no município de Gurjão é predominantemente positiva conjeturando os benefícios que a atividade possa gerar, estando associado principalmente à geração de novos empregos, aumento no número de vagas, melhoria na infraestrutura da cidade, da qualidade de vida e da valorização do patrimônio local natural. Dessa forma, espera-se que a pesquisa contribua para “o despertar” de moradores, gestores públicos e instituições conscientes do valor da geodiversidade local e dos benefícios que o geoturismo pode trazer.

O presente estudo visava analisar a situação ambiental nos geossítios do Projeto Geoparque Seridó visando uma prática turística de forma sustentável. Para tanto, estabeleceu-se três objetivos específicos, sejam eles: avaliar a dimensão ambiental da sustentabilidade dos geossítios utilizando o modelo proposto por Falcão (2010); elaborar uma matriz de avaliação estratégica dos geossítios com base na Análise SWOT; construir uma matriz de criticidade das forças restritivas dos geossítios da referida proposta baseado no método GUT. Ao longo do trabalho, a sustentabilidade é apontada como um modelo a ser adotado para que o homem mantenha uma relação pacífica com o meio ambiente, a usufruir o que a natureza tem, valorizando-a e conservando-a para que outras pessoas também façam uso do mesmo espaço no futuro. Neste prisma, ressalta-se que surge o papel da educação ambiental na busca por conscientizar, informar e sensibilizar as pessoas das mais diversas localidades em relação ao respeito voltado ao meio ambiente. Nesta perspectiva, foi realizada a obtenção de dados através da pesquisa documental sobre os municípios que fazem parte do Projeto Geoparque Seridó, bem como se realizou pesquisa bibliográfica sobre as temáticas relacionadas ao longo do trabalho. Além disso, a natureza desse trabalho foi exploratória com base descritiva das características obtidas através do método da observação das localidades selecionadas. Quanto aos meios, o trabalho foi de campo, com aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os condutores e guias de turismo, bem como com representantes das secretarias de turismo e meio ambiente dos municípios Cerro Corá, Lagoa Nova, Currais Novos, Acari, Carnaúba dos Dantas, e Parelhas. Utilizou-se, ainda, amostragem não probabilística intencional ou por julgamento. Ao que se refere à interpretação dos dados, foi realizada a avaliação da dimensão ambiental da sustentabilidade com base em Falcão (2010). Foi realizada, também, construída a Matriz de Avaliação Estratégica através da SWOT, a qual possibilitou expor a matriz de criticidade das forças restritivas através do Método GUT de Banzato et. al (2012). Neste prisma, os resultados da pesquisa demonstraram que os atores que pretendem trabalhar com a prática do turismo visando à utilização da geodiversidade como um produto turístico integrador através dos geossítios inseridos nos municípios do Projeto Geoparque Seridó, devem apresentar maiores esforços quanto às definições de estratégias de envolvimento com práticas ambientais, buscando não apenas a área física, mas também no âmbito social, promovendo uma perspectiva integradora e participativa de gestão na procura por alcançar um desenvolvimento sustentável, em nível local, priorizando, também, os aspectos geológicos da região, para que seja praticado um turismo de forma a maximizar e valorizar as características da área desse estudo. Concluiu-se, porquanto, que os geossítios estudados possuem potencial para o turismo ou pelo menos estão caminhando em direção ao desenvolvimento turístico nesta Região. Ela apresenta, pois, problemas ao que tange à conservação dos geossítios, assim como, a falta de consciência ambiental, evidenciada pela ausência de investimentos por parte dos órgãos responsáveis e a falta de consciência da importância da área também das populações locais e dos visitantes que utilizam seus recursos de forma inadequada. Outrossim, vale inferir que a pesquisa contribuirá para novos olhares para com a aplicabilidade da educação ambiental na Região do Seridó do Rio Grande do Norte, especificamente ao que tange aos seis municípios supracitados.

O tema deste estudo visa pesquisar o papel e atuação das Organizações Não Governamentais – ONGs, terceiro setor do turismo, no estado do Rio Grande do Norte – RN, identificando a atuação e participação no turismo, para, assim, elencar suas contribuições e benefícios para as populações locais, para o usuário dos serviços e para o incremento da economia no Estado. Analisando as que atuam no turismo do Rio Grande do Norte, procurou-se identificar suas contribuições, características e estruturas, descrever as suas formas de atuação e os respectivos resultados e influências. Buscou-se verificar se a organização atua na área de turismo e local adequado para o desenvolvimento das atividades turísticas nos seus projetos, na gestão administrativa e operacional. Para tal, utilizamos a teoria do livro “Análise Estrutural do Turismo” (Beni), bem como o Modelo Referencial do Sistema de Turismo (SISTUR). Avaliando se o tempo em que essa instituição atua na área propiciará às pessoas, de acordo com seus perfis, assimilarem conhecimento como gestoras no processo dos projetos. Observamos como funciona a Gestão de ONGs, a fim de identificarmos se as ONGs trabalham adequadamente as funções gerenciais. Se há envolvimento da organização nos projetos e nas suas fases de processo, assim como, sua importância e dificuldades encontradas na relação estabelecida entre as ONGs e a sociedade. A partir disso, poderemos identificar o envolvimento da comunidade que se beneficia.

O presente estudo pretende analisar a contribuição que a futura implementação do turismo de base comunitária pode levar ao povo Mebêngôkrê-Kayapó da aldeia Tekrejarôti-re que habita a terra indígena Las Casas no Sul do Estado do Pará, onde este além de se constituir como vetor de etnodesenvolvimento pode também contribuir na conservação da Sociobiodiversidade e cultura local, por meio das vivências que possibilitará a realização da convivencialidade, onde haverá o compartilhamento não só das atividades cotidianas, dos costumes da população local, mais também primando pela interculturalidade a qual se objetivam as trocas entre visitantes e comunidade, onde estas além de promover o conhecimento dos não-indígenas sobre este povo, busca também consolidar a identidade étnica e cultural dos mesmos. Diante disso, o presente estudo norteou-se pela pesquisa-ação participativa, utilizando-se também de dados, obtidos em 2012, oriundos da aplicação de entrevistas com a comunidade para realizar o diagnóstico das potencialidades turísticas. Esta se trata de uma pesquisa de natureza exploratório-descritiva a cerca do tema. A pesquisa de campo aliada a observação participante, realização de oficinas e entrevistas contribuiu para que fosse possível realizar uma análise mais profunda do ambiente estudado.  Pretende-se com este estudo obter como resultados concretos a implantação e/ ou fomento de uma prática cultural e ambientalmente sustentável pautado nos processos de organização que permeia as diretrizes do turismo de base comunitária, porém este depende das condições dos recursos humanos e florestais e das condições de infraestrutura na comunidade, constituindo atividades social e culturalmente positivas a curto e médio prazo e em longo prazo em termos ambientais e econômicos. O presente trabalho identificou que a comunidade com suas manifestações culturais, festas e cerimônias estando aliada ao seu modo de vida e empreendida a partir dos seus critérios, tem condições de trabalhar com a atividade turística dentro da sua terra e tornar esta uma oportunidade de afirmação cultural e geração de renda. Mas conclui que para o turismo vir a ocorrer de fato são necessárias serem realizadas algumas medidas, inclusive que atenda a nova instrução normativa IN 3/2015, a qual estabelece que para que a comunidade trabalhe com o turismo na sua terra é necessário que seja elaborado um plano de visitação que atenda as exigências estabelecidas, onde este trabalho se constitui como uma ferramenta de importância na construção do mesmo, já que foi realizado a partir da demanda da comunidade e sendo realizado de forma participativa, valorando os diálogos horizontais e a autonomia deste povo.

No contexto de uma sociedade globalizada, as relações estabelecidas entre o patrimônio e o turismo se refletem em uma realidade ambígua moldada entre as aspirações de preservação e os interesses por benefícios econômicos. Por um lado, as cidades como principais detentoras e geradoras de ofertas culturais precisam contemplar seu patrimônio como um eixo de desenvolvimento, encontrando na promoção turística voltada para a cultura uma estratégia para suportar os altos custos de recuperação e manutenção de seus centro históricos e suas expressões culturais. Por outro, soma-se as novas exigências da demanda, fazendo com que os projetos turísticos se voltem para o fator cultural na formação de seus produtos, o que permite aos municípios atrair o crescente segmento do turismo cultural. Nesta perspectiva, este estudo se desenvolve em um recorte transversal focado na análise do Centro Histórico de Natal/RN, com o objetivo de compreender como este patrimônio cultural tombado tem sido utilizado pela gestão municipal para fins turísticos. Pelo entendimento do patrimônio como uma referência à  identidade e à memoria, bem como símbolo cultural da sociedade natalense, caracterizado como um elemento rodeado por situações complexas e estritamente particulares, identificou-se a necessidade de uma abordagem qualitativa para sua profunda compreensão. O estudo aprofundado do caso se desenvolveu em duas etapas, primeiramente a realização de pesquisas bibliográfica e documental; e, posteriormente, a interpretação dos dados coletados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com gestores públicos municipais e moradores locais. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam que os representantes oficiais do patrimônio estão preocupados com a preservação da dimensão material do patrimônio arquitetônico da cidade, entretanto, ainda não conseguem atingir e sensibilizar a população local, que parece estar à parte de um processo que deveria ser democrático e fortalecer o sentimento de pertencimento destes habitantes. Finalmente, indica-se uma ausência de estratégias de revitalização por parte da atual gestão pública municipal para o Centro Histórico de Natal, revelando um discurso revestido por uma interpretação positivista da atividade turística, que trata a utilização dos bens patrimoniais pelo viés do empirismo mercadológico.

O presente estudo tem o objetivo central de analisar o papel das instâncias de governança estadual e municipal de turismo, voltadas ao processo de desenvolvimento turístico no município de Manaus/AM, mediante as práticas públicas de planejamento, gestão e fomento da atividade no respectivo município. Como objetivos específicos foram estabelecidos quatro: 1) Caracterizar o processo de formação das instâncias de governança que atuam no segmento de turismo no município de Manaus; 2) Levantar as ações planejadas e executadas pelas instâncias voltadas ao turismo cultural no período de 2003 a 2014; 3) Problematizar através da percepção dos atores que representam as diversas classes e entidades da sociedade amazonense, as ações planejadas e executadas pelas instâncias voltadas ao turismo cultural, no período de 2003 a 2014 e 4) Identificar os principais pontos convergentes e divergentes no processo decisório acerca das ações voltadas ao turismo cultural em Manaus. Adotou-se uma abordagem qualitativa, utilizando-se o desenho metodológico do tipo descritivo e exploratório, contando com o auxílio do uso das técnicas de pesquisa bibliográfica, documental, com coleta de dados in loco, através de aplicação de roteiro de entrevistas com formulários semiestruturados aos representantes das instituições setoriais que compõem as instâncias de governança em turismo. No tratamento das informações, foi utilizada a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Como resposta aos objetivos estabelecidos, pode-se concluir que a constituição de arenas públicas, através das instâncias de governança em turismo, vem possibilitando de maneira incipiente a discussão de maneira democrática e a tomada de decisões na área do planejamento e gestão do turismo em Manaus. Observou-se ainda que há entraves que dificultam e comprometem as estruturas das instâncias, os quais refletem na articulação, na promoção e no desenvolvimento turístico cultural no município de Manaus.

A atividade turística, que se apropria de espaços e cenários naturais, culturais, sociais e econômicos em uma determinada localidade, requer um modelo de desenvolvimento integrado, conciliando necessariamente o apoio dos residentes ao processo de planejamento e gestão dos atrativos locais.  Nesta perspectiva, este estudo se propõe a analisar os fatores capazes de influenciar o apoio da comunidade residente no desenvolvimento do turismo em sítios arqueológicos, especificamente nos municípiosde Parelhas e Carnaúba dos Dantas, na região do Seridó Potiguar, assim como a inter-relação existente entre esses fatores. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto pela pesquisa, foi realizado um estudo de caráter descritivo-exploratório e quantitativo baseado no estudo de Nunkoo e Hamkisson (2012), utilizando-se a técnica de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais - MEE para explicar as relações dos constructos usados nessa pesquisa. Entre outros, resultados indicam que, para o perfil de entrevistados utilizado, quanto maior a confiança da comunidade residente nos órgãos governamentais responsáveis pelo turismo maior será o apoio do residente ao desenvolvimento do turismo e que essa relação oferta as instituições e aos órgãos governamentais uma possibilidade de aprimorar as suas estratégias de desenvolvimento pensando no residente como agente social do turismo. Verificou-se também que o modelo de análise proposto apresenta uma melhor relação estrutural quando utilizados entrevistados que têm conhecimento sobre as atividades desenvolvidas nos sítios arqueológicos, sugerindo então a necessidade de uma maior investigação sobre o efeito do nível de conhecimento do entrevistado sobre o objeto e o apoio deste residente ao desenvolvimento do turismo.

Diante da crescente preocupação com os aspectos ambientais e os impactos negativos que são ou que podem ser gerados quando uma destinação turística é consumida, intensifica-se a urgência de adotar ferramentas capazes de promover a sustentabilidade dessa destinação e também criar a vantagem competitiva necessária dentro do mercado, agregando valor aos produtos e serviços turísticos. Para tanto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo principal analisar a percepção do turista sobre a qualidade ambiental e de serviços turísticos apresentados no destino João Pessoa (PB). A escolha do objeto de estudo justifica-se por João Pessoa estar inserida numa realidade onde se encontra relevância ambiental, o que pede uma atenção referente ao comportamento dos envolvidos no processo turístico local. Como procedimentos metodológicos da pesquisa, optou-se por uma revisão bibliográfica, levantamento de dados secundários e uma pesquisa empírica, de cunho quantitativo, aplicando-se a caracterização sócio demográfica da amostra definida e as análises descritiva e fatorial das dimensões e variáveis obtidas com base nos modelos de pesquisa ECOSERV de Khan (2003), SERVQUAL de Parasuraman, Berry e Zeithalml (1985) e SERVPERF de Cronin e Taylor (1992). Tal formulário, que de acordo com os resultados se mostrou confiável, permitiu analisar o desempenho, depois de adaptado, da destinação em questão. Os resultados forneceram uma análise detalhada do perfil dos visitantes e do desempenho das dimensões e variáveis da qualidade ambiental e de serviços turísticos, apontando, neste sentido, caminhos mais assertivos, na tomada de decisão gerencial, a exemplo do marketing verde, para compor um destino turístico coerente com os produtos e serviços oferecidos.

A busca pelo lazer na sociedade capitalista atual, cria espaços produzidos para esse fim. Regiões litorâneas tem seu espaço tomado por uma população em busca do descanso. Tibau do Sul entra nessa lógica e insere-se competitivamente, por apresentar grandes espaços de lazer e belezas naturais. Caracterizado por apresentar um público visitante predominantemente europeu, sofre alteração em sua destinação devido a crise financeira ocorrida em 2008. A retração do fluxo de visitantes e a dependência econômica da região na atividade econômica (turismo) transforma a destinação e a atividade turística. A infraestrutura levada pelas políticas públicas trouxe ao município investimentos significativos em segundas residências, o município foi o que apresentou maior índice em todo o Estado do Rio Grande do Norte no ano de 2010, tal dado repercute também no turismo. Por tanto este trabalho tem como objetivo geral analisar como a crise financeira global repercutiu na atividade turística e na destinação turística de Tibau do Sul – RN. Como caminho metodológico foi escolhida a análise qualitativa dos dados, no entanto, sem menosprezar os números. Foi realizada um levantamento dos imóveis negociados no município por investidores internacionais entre os anos 2000 e 2012. Como resultado da pesquisa verificou-se que os maiores grupos de investidores no município são originários de Portugal, Espanha e Itália e que a partir do ano 2008 (ano da crise) tem esses investimentos reduzidos. A retração dos investimentos reflete-se localmente através de condomínios e residências abandonadas ou fechadas e também na redução do fluxo de visitantes. Essa diminuição do público internacional fez com que os agentes turísticos se adaptassem ao fato, criando novos pacotes turísticos com operadoras de turismo massivo e pacotes de compra coletiva (valores abaixo do mercado), diminuindo a quantidade de funcionários, fechando as portas no período de baixa estação (inverno). Paralelo a isso, percebeu-se que o público que visita a região agora é o público doméstico. Com o acesso da classe “c” ao mercado de viagens e sua ascensão na economia, são eles quem tem respondido a necessidade de ocupação dos meios de hospedagem. O que se percebe é que a atividade sofreu uma mudança significativa, no seu público, investidores e na atividade, refletindo a destinação. Tibau do Sul reflete localmente o que acontece no mundo, apresenta uma crise e precisa se redefinir para manter-se competitivo.

O presente trabalho consiste em um estudo que trata acerca da abordagem de stakeholder voltada para a questão da implantação do turismo em um município do interior do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Sítio Novo. Como objetivo, buscou-se compreender os mecanismos de atuação e interação dos stakeholders no processo de implantação e, consequentemente, planejamento do turismo no município. No que se refere à metodologia, o estudo caracteriza-se como sendo uma pesquisa exploratória, descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa, haja vista a intenção de tentar compreender significados e características situacionais apresentadas pelos sujeitos da pesquisa. A entrevista foi o instrumento utilizado para levantar as informações, tendo sido aplicada com 13 (treze) atores do turismo do município em questão, bem como foram analisados documentos que tratam sobre o desenvolvimento do turismo (Atas do Conselho Regional do Polo Agreste Trairi – o município de Sítio Novo integra o polo; e o Plano Estratégico de Turismo). O estudo mostra que os atores públicos são maioria no destino; constata que é mínima a participação da sociedade civil nas ações voltadas para o turismo do município; destaca que os representantes do município participam de forma efetiva das reuniões do Conselho Regional do Turismo do Polo Agreste Trairi, a fim de discutir ações relacionadas ao desenvolvimento da atividade na localidade; e atesta que os atores locais entrevistados, em sua maioria, entendem suas funções no que se refere ao desenvolvimento do turismo, no entanto, não realizam ações coerentes com a função que possuem, para fins de planejamento e desenvolvimento do turismo. Nesse sentido, o trabalho conclui que a participação e a articulação entre os stakeholders do município devem ser repensadas, no intuito de buscar e/ou propor alternativas de reunir de forma mais adequada os atores locais, para que assim possa se desenvolver algo mais consistente em se tratando do desenvolvimento da atividade turística no destino.

O Turismo configura-se como uma atividade que apresenta constante movimento podendo impulsionar o desenvolvimento local nas esferas econômica, sociocultural e humana em localidades com potencial e estruturação para tal. Por ser uma atividade dinâmica, o turismo permite mudanças em seu fluxo, ampliando os períodos de sazonalidade. Para tanto, tendo em vista a dinamicidade citada, torna-se relevante a presença do planejamento turístico, inicialmente partindo do poder público para que este crie leis e elabore normas e projetos para a gestão da atividade de forma ordenada, visando a participação cidadã, tornando imprescindível a presença dos atores e agentes do turismo local no processo, ampliando a democracia e o conhecimento de seu lugar de origem. Neste cenário, o Ministério do Turismo desponta com o Plano Nacional de turismo que incorpora entre suas ações o Programa de Regionalização do Turismo, adotando um modelo de gestão regional local, de forma participativa, através das instâncias de governança instituídas nos polos, sendo as ações da política pública em suas diferentes instâncias os maiores responsáveis pelo fomento do turismo no polo Seridó. O presente trabalho científico se propõe a analisar o polo Seridó, sob a teoria do Ciclo de Vida de Áreas Turísticas (TALC) proposta por BUTLER (1980), localizando as ações voltadas para o turismo e a cronologia da atividade aplicada à localidade no processo proposto. Para tanto a metodologia foi a descritivo-exploratória, de abordagem qualitativa, de nível histórico e narrativo, de amostragem não-probabilística, utilizando fontes secundárias, através de documentos e demais registros ocorridos durante os processos de planejamento na região, assim como fontes primárias, através de entrevista  estruturada aplicada à gestora pública do PNMT e PRT no Estado do RN, no intuito de ter acesso às informações relacionadas ao processo de planejamento da atividade turística no Seridó. Utilizou-se como forma de investigação dos dados coletados a técnica de análise do conteúdo. Como conclusão deste estudo observa-se que a partir do levantamento feito em relação ao histórico do turismo na região, as atividades econômicas da pecuária, cotonicultura, mineração e indústria ceramista foram responsáveis pela iniciação do turismo na localidade através do fluxo direcionado às mesmas, da inserção dos primeiros hotéis e da realização de eventos tradicionais, dando margem à demanda por políticas públicas que auxiliassem no direcionamento da atividade estando, por isso, inserida na fase de envolvimento, segunda fase do modelo proposto por Buttler (1980), sendo o estudo finalizado com sugestões para a continuidade da atividade turística na região.

This study aims to analyze the socio-spatial implications correlated with the preparations for the World Cup 2014 in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The World Cup 2014 is quite an event awaited by many people, given the high expectations of the country in order to host a global event of the best known sport in Brazil is football. When hosting a large event, the country has the opportunity to quickly experience a wide range of flows and activities that would not be experienced in other periods. Thus, mega-events have basically the function of grouping people in a common goal, watch the games, but also induce and participate in the management and implementation of programs and projects that would take decades to be designed and completed, like great works of generation fixed in space, such as stadiums, hotel developments, roads, etc. Also, typically the promoting institutions such events require that the actions of preparation, equipment, and services offered are performed during the event and offered efficiently forward to the demands set by such organizers, and even by the local population and foreign. Theoretical foundation for this study were used as authors: Aledo Tur (2007), Azevedo et al (2013), Capel (2010), Correa (2000), Dias (2008), Fonseca (2005), Hall

(2004), Harvey (1992), Locatel and Azevedo (2012), Oliveira and Gaffney (2010), Porrit

(2002), Rodrigues (1999), Santos (1999, 2001), Teixeira (2012), Sassen (1998), Vainer (2000) among others. The study presents a time frame from 2007 to 2013 and covering the space city of Natal (RN), and so the more specific neighborhoods Lagoa Nova and Candelaria. The study is characterized as exploratory. The methodological procedures used were based on secondary sources, review and literature survey, research in journals and scientific papers, and interviews with those involved in the production of urban space Natal, actors such as the government, the construction process, local population. Thus, for the data analysis of this research, we used the technique of content analysis and the theoretical support to deepen the understanding of the results. These show that it is indispensable to public involvement in the decision-making process of the municipality, with a view to a city to be well organized and planned needs to work together with the local community. What we see in Natal is that it lacked a proper planning as regards preparations for the World Cup, in addition, there was no participation by the population in decisions made on behalf of the mega event. It is important to implement effective public policies for the development of the municipality, in addition, city planning needs to occur horizontally, so that conflicts are minimized. Additionally, major sporting events are imbued with numerous economic and political interests, neglecting the primary importance of hosting them, as is the case of the real benefits brought to the population, is to improve the health, education, security, transport, urban infrastructure among others, that end up being left out. We conclude that there was influence by the mega event in the expansion of the verticalization process surrounding the Arena das Dunas stadium, moreover, the construction industry and the housing market turned to investments in the area, using as tool to attract sales the fact the buildings and constructions concentrate near the stadium.

The research considers the importance of tourism in the range of the politics, economics e sociocultural areas and has the objective of comprehending the governmental and ecclesial politics in support of the religious tourism at the Monumento dos Mártires de Uruaçu, in São Gonçalo do Amarante – RN. Based on an assumption of a governmental and ecclesial political process in which different groups use distinct strategies in support of the production and distribution of a symbolic capital, in that experts of the sacred, lays and political reps tap a belief, and the its practices, to strengthen power structures in different specific areas of acting. This work used the qualitative methodology, postulated by the historical and bibliographic documents concerned about the studies of religious tourism. The phenomenological approach was privileged, using half structuralized interviews which were performed with governmental, religious reps and residents. The research’s results show that the Government and the Catholic Church act together in an expanding process of a religious tourism as a way to promote the local development and the dissemination of the catholic faith.

A presente dissertação vêm na condição de realizar um trabalho acadêmico que tenha como objeto a opinião popular sobre os megaeventos a serem realizadas no Brasil. Um tema recorrente na atualidade devido ao impacto gerado pelos megaprojetos que circundam esses acontecimentos e que mostra carência da perspectiva teórica específica do turismo. Ao ter como objetivo investigar os fatores que influenciam o apoio dos residentes á megaeventos, buscou-se na intersecção entre os conhecimentos que tangem a gestão de projetos e gestão do turismo uma base teórica que explique os fatores críticos de sucesso em projetos turísticos e o papel da comunidade residente dentro desse processo. A partir de uma análise bibliométrica dos principais periódicos do setor, identificou-se modelos teóricos validados que serviram como base para aplicação empírica da pesquisa, com enfase para Gursoy e Kendall (2006) e Nunkoo e Ramikisson (2011). Foi escolhido como universo da pesquisa os residentes da cidade de Natal/RN, uma das cidades sedes da Copa do Mundo FIFA 2014, com a aplicação de 400 questionários respeitando os conglomerados urbanos que abrangem distintos perfis da sociedade em foco. Dentre as 11 (onze) hipóteses testadas 7 (sete) foram validadas e 4 (quatro) falseadas, com enfase para a confirmação das hipóteses que compõe o eixo do modelo, Social Exchange Theory, e o fator “Confiança nos gestores” com a correlação mais representativa nas percepções e apoio ao megaevento.

O reconhecimento da geodiversidade na interferência de ecossistemas e habitat resultou na sua discussão e estudo, surgindo assim ações para a sua proteção através da geoconservação. Assim, medidas geoconservacionistas foram desenvolvidas e dentre elas encontra-se o geoturismo. Este novo segmento do turismo promove a proteção e conservação do patrimônio geológico, sua interpretação e valorização e os geoparques são espaços onde são valorizadas atrações turísticas locais com ênfase nos aspectos geológicos. O estudo voltado para o Geoparque Seridó tem como objetivo geral avaliar os valores Turísticos e a viabilidade da implantação do Geoparque Seridó, seguido dos seguintes objetivos específicos, quantificar os valores turísticos e de uso/gestão dos geossitios do geoparque seridó; Validar os parâmetros turísticos e de uso/gestão do modelo de quantificação do patrimônio geológico proposto por Pereira 2010; Avaliar modelos de gestão de geoparques nacionais e internacionais; Sugerir um modelo de gestão mais adequado para o Geoparque Seridó.  Quanto sua abordagem a pesquisa caracteriza-se de cunho qualitativo por meio de um estudo de caso e quantitativo por fazer uso da metodologia de quantificação dos geossitios. Portanto, a pesquisa apontou dez geossitios acima da média para categoria de valor intrínseco, quinze geossitios para categoria de valor científico, dez geossitios para a categoria de valor turístico e quinze para categoria de uso/gestão. Quanto aos seus usos, quatorze geossitios apresentaram valores acima da média para a categoria de uso científico, onze geossitios para categoria de valor de uso turístico, doze geossitios para categoria de valor de conservação e onze geossitios expressaram valores acima da média para categoria Ranking de Relevância com 2 geossitios de relevância internacional e nove de relevância internacional. Entre os planos de gestão avaliados o do Geoparque Arouca mostrou-se o mais completo por atrelar ferramentas da administração e aspectos geológicos.  Com base nos resultados recomenda-se a estrutura organizacional matricial equilibrada para o Geoparque Seridó com uma gestão estrutura em um comitê gestor, diretoria executiva, área administrativa, jurídica, onde a diretoria executiva constituirá frentes de trabalho nas áreas de marketing e comunicação, turismo, científica e cultura e comunidade.  Desse modo Geoparque Seridó apresentou geossitios com valores turísticos acima da média obtida com a pesquisa e de relevância internacional e nacional, o que comprovou a viabilidade da implantação do geoparque.

A atividade turística vem ganhando representatividade por movimentar e estimular a economia, sobretudo, por possibilitar a geração de emprego e renda, possibilitando assim oportunidades de crescimento para as localidades onde o turismo se desenvolve. Diante disso o presente estudo intitulado, determinantes de competitividade de destinos turísticos aplicados aos roteiros regionais: uma avaliação do Roteiro Seridó/RN, aborda a temática da competitividade no turismo e tenta compreender o cenário desta, presente no referido roteiro em questão. O objetivo central do estudo é avaliar as condições da competitividade turística no Roteiro Seridó/RN, tendo como objetivos específicos a) Definir o modelo de referência para avaliação de competitividade do roteiro Seridó/RN; b) Aplicar o modelo de avaliação nos municípios de Cerro Corá, Lagoa Nova, Currais Novos, Acari, Carnaúba dos Dantas, Parelhas, Jardim do Seridó e Caicó.; e c) Analisar em que medida os indicadores atendem aos padrões globais de competitividade de destinos turísticos. O tipo de pesquisa realizada foi de caráter exploratório-descritivo e utilizou de metodologia qualitativa, com aplicação do instrumento de avaliação denominado Compet&enible Model (Mazaro, 2006). Visitas técnicas, levantamento de dados primários e pesquisa documental foram as técnicas de pesquisa utilizadas na coleta e a analise dos dados que se valeu de analise de conteúdo e de técnicas de estatísticas descritiva simples. Os resultados permitiram conhecer as reais condições de competitividade do roteiro frente aos atributos de competitividade global do destino que abordou a dimensão governança e competitividade conforme instrumento metodológico, onde a governança foi avaliada como estando em estruturação e na dimensão competitividade foi considerada moderada. Sendo assim, apesar do potencial existente na região do Seridó se faz necessário uma participação mais enérgica e efetiva dos atores que compõem a cadeia produtiva do turismo e em especial no Roteiro Seridó/RN, para que assim o destino possa competir em dimensão local e global. 

O presente estudo refere-se a um tema um tanto controverso, na medida em que focaliza um lado menos reconhecido e valorizado, embora a dinâmica do turismo passe a dar outra visualização, que não se pode de antemão considerar favorável ou desfavorável. Analisa-se o fenômeno do turismo relacionado à concepção ou percepção de pobreza partir dos guias de turismo moradores e não-moradores da favela da Rocinha, no Rio de Janeiro. É um assunto com objeto de pesquisa um tanto polêmico, mas sobre o qual já existe uma preocupação acadêmica e científica e que merece um olhar investigador. Enquadra-se como estudo qualitativo, cujo procedimento metodológico baseado em entrevistas e observação participante, sendo o recorte geográfico escolhido a Favela da Rocinha, pela sua expressividade e por ser pioneira nessa modalidade de turismo, teve-se a realização de trabalho de campo com a duração de seis meses, onde acompanhou-se por no mínimo quatro horas a pé o trabalho de dezesseis guias de turismo, sendo oito moradores e oito  não-moradores pela comunidade, que trabalham para diferentes agências de viagens e turismo. Ao final de cada tour, todos os guias de turismo responderam a um questionário semiestruturado, contendo dezenove perguntas. A maioria dos guias de turismo entrevistados autorizou gravar entrevista, fato que possibilitou fazer uma análise do discurso através da linguagem falada. Neste turismo, os turistas estrangeiros são o alvo principal, embora, também conte raramente, com a participação de turistas nacionais. Constata que, a relação entre favela e pobreza, a partir das percepções de guias de turismo moradores reflete melhor a realidade da favela comparado com os guias não moradores, uma vez que eles conhecem inteiramente todos os meandros e melhor todas as dificuldades por que passaram e ainda passam, no que diz respeito à questão da estigmatizarão pela qual vem sofrendo pela  sociedade brasileira, em relação a viver na favela, além de terem que apresentar o seu lugar de moradia como atração turística. Ainda que apresentem a realidade social da Rocinha de modo coerente durante seu trabalho, os guias não moradores preocupam-se em ser o mais natural possível com os turistas, tanto quanto os moradores ao mostrar a favela, do mesmo modo em que evitam autorizarem os turistas a tirarem fotos comprometedoras e que venham expor a intimidade dos moradores da comunidade. Conclui que, apesar de reconhecer a relevância de elevação à categoria de atração turística e suas promissoras perspectivas, requer atenção e prioridade, em face da maior precarização da condição humana, em relação às áreas nobres em que está inserida, devendo o turismo ser um vetor de desenvolvimento, não um mascaramento da realidade.

Diante de uma realidade na qual a pesquisa científica em turismo encontra-se ainda carente de estudos relacionados à qualidade da educação técnica que é oferecida aos futuros profissionais deste setor, este trabalho propôs fazer uma análise a partir das percepções dos educadores, ex-alunos e empregadores quanto à qualidade da educação técnica dos cursos de Guia de Turismo oferecidos pelo IFRN, realizados entre os anos de 2008 e 2012. Para tanto, foram definidos os seguintes objetivos específicos: identificar e avaliar os fatores positivos e negativos relacionados à qualidade da educação técnica do curso de guia de turismo do IFRN a partir das percepções de cada ator envolvido no processo; descrever o perfil sócio-econômico dos ex-discentes, docentes e empregadores participantes da pesquisa e, por fim, sugerir melhorias na educação técnica de guias de turismo do IFRN a partir das percepções analisadas. O trabalho foi desenvolvido a partir de uma análise teórica baseada em Kluge (2008), Cooper, Shepherd e Westlake (1994), Tribe (1997, 2002), Panosso e Lohmann (2008) e Jafari e Ritchie (1981). Este trabalho, quanto à metodologia, caracteriza-se como sendo uma pesquisa descritivo-exploratória,com abordagem quali-quantitativa, onde utilizou-se da pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Em relação à quantidade de alunos egressos, utilizou-se a amostragem aleatória simples, onde através de um cálculo (Scheaffer at al., 1995), definiu-se a quantidade mínima de alunos egressos dos cursos de Guia de Turismo, tanto da modalidade subsequente quanto da modalidade integrada que participaram da pesquisa. Quanto aos empregadores, optou-se por não definir-se uma amostra, pois obteve-se uma participação significativa das grandes empresas contratantes de guias do mercado receptivo da região metropolitana de Natal. Em relação aos docentes, apenas 14 dos docentes atuantes no ensino do curso de Guia de Turismo da instituição mencionada participaram da pesquisa. A formulação do instrumento de coleta de dados utilizado baseou-se principalmente em conceitos do Sistema de Certificação TEDQUAL, utilizado pela Organização Mundial do Turismo (OMT) e Themis Foundation. Esta pesquisa possui uma abordagem tanto qualitativa quanto quantitativa, onde os dados qualitativos coletados foram avaliados através de técnicas de análise de conteúdo (Bardin, 2009 e Rocha e Deusdará, 2005) e os quantitativos através de estatística descritiva e inferencial, por exemplo. Dentre os principais resultados obtidos, percebeu-se que existe uma clara necessidade quanto ao estímulo à pratica profissional e estudo de idiomas  durante a realização do curso, frente às necessidades do mercado quanto a guias bem preparados. No entanto, enfrenta-se a desmotivação em relação a essa área profissional pela maioria dos alunos, onde uma quase unanimidade não permanece na área após a conclusão do curso.  Dentre os aspectos positivos, podem ser citados o domínio do conteúdo pelos docentes e uma pequena parcela de professores experientes na área. Os participantes ficaram bastante divididos quanto à uma definição geral se o curso teria qualidade ou não.

O estudo tem como objetivo analisar a percepção dos gestores sobre os ativos intangíveis como recursos estratégicos e competitivos em hotéis de pequeno porte em Natal/RN, através da teoria da Visão Baseada em Recursos (RBV). Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa do tipo exploratória e descritiva, realizada com os gestores (gerentes e proprietários) dos meios de hospedagem de pequeno porte da capital do Rio Grande do Norte por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, onde foi aplicada, posteriormente, a técnica da análise de conteúdo (e análise de discurso) com base nos resultados das informações obtidas nas entrevistas. Assim, a pesquisa mostrou que os gestores dos hotéis de pequeno porte visitados (A, B e C) não possuem conhecimento suficiente e satisfatório para definir os seus ativos intangíveis como sendo exclusivos da empresa e faz uso deles, de maneira ocasional, sem compreender ou entender em essência o seu verdadeiro valor quanto um recurso que pode ser utilizado de forma estratégica para obter vantagem competitiva sustentável no mercado hoteleiro de Natal/RN. Isso significa que os gestores não sabem como criar novos atributos e utilizá-los estrategicamente. E precisam ampliar suas parcerias com os Stakeholders. Haja vista a importância do tema da pesquisa em pauta, as informações alcançadas por esta análise poderão contribuir com o fornecimento de informações para estabelecer um panorama atual no que diz respeito à importância atribuída ao conhecimento e uso de recursos (ativos intangíveis) como fonte estratégica e competitiva para a gestão interna da empresa pelos gestores e com isso, possibilitar um diferencial e maior lucro econômico ao longo do tempo neste segmento.

Os empreendimentos e destinações turísticas cada vez mais tentam sobreviver em um ambiente globalizado e competitivo, no qual é preciso criar estratégias e captar oportunidades a fim de buscar a diferenciação. Nesse sentido, a inovação, considerada uma ferramenta do empreendedorismo, pode auxiliar tanto na criação de valor e eficiência dos produtos, serviços e administração, quanto na sustentabilidade das empresas e destinos. Com isso, o objetivo principal deste estudo consistiu em analisar as práticas de inovação nos empreendimentos da cadeia produtiva turística no município de Tibau do Sul/RN. Para alcançá-lo foram definidos os seguintes objetivos específicos: caracterizar a cadeia produtiva do turismo de Tibau do Sul; identificar as formas de inovação nos empreendimentos da cadeia produtiva do turismo no município; identificar fatores relacionados com o tipo e nível de inovação; descrever o ambiente em relação à inovação e situar a inovação nos empreendimentos da cadeia produtiva do turismo em Tibau do Sul à luz da literatura relevante existente. Foram investigadas trinta empresas pertencentes aos segmentos da cadeia produtiva do turismo: agenciamento, gastronomia, hospedagem, lazer e entretenimento, transporte, eventos e outros, que correspondeu a uma consultoria turística. No que concerne à metodologia empregada, o presente estudo se caracterizou como sendo uma pesquisa descritivo-exploratória, com abordagem quali-quantitativa, feita através de pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Quanto as técnicas utilizadas, estas foram: frequência, média, porcentagem, análise de conglomerados, correlação, análise de variância, Teste T e a técnica não paramétrica de Kruskal Wallis. Os resultados da pesquisa indicaram que: não foi possível identificar com precisão o tamanho e características dos segmentos de atividade pertencentes à cadeia produtiva do turismo de Tibau do Sul devido à carência de informações por parte dos órgãos e instituições ligadas à atividade; os empreendedores se consideram relativamente mais inovadores em produto, serviço, administração e desempenho global, quando comparados aos seus concorrentes locais, por meio de práticas implementadas nos últimos dois anos, relacionadas, principalmente, a inovação em produto; o segmento que mais inovou em produto foi agenciamento, em serviço foi a consultoria, em administração foi hospedagem e em desempenho global da inovação foi, outra vez, a consultoria turística; diversos fatores como tempo de funcionamento, idade do entrevistado e participação no mercado estão relacionados com o nível e tipo de inovação; no geral, os empreendedores pretendem investir em algum tipo de inovação nos próximos anos e possuem interesse sobre o tema; foi possível estabelecer uma relação entre as aplicações dos empreendedores e os conceitos de inovação enfocados na literatura, apesar das percepções ainda serem incipientes quanto ao real significado da inovação e práticas empreendedoras. Face ao exposto, os empreendimentos da cadeia produtiva de Tibau do Sul devem explorar melhor o elemento inovação, aliando suas ações às tendências do perfil do consumidor para que possam, assim, ser mais competitivos e sustentáveis.

O processo de desenvolvimento de qualquer área está estreitamente ligado ao ensino e à pesquisa e no turismo não é diferente. Dessa forma, nessa área – na qual a prestação de serviços é um dos fatores intrinsecamente relacionado ao seu sucesso – percebe-se a necessidade de pessoas com formação crítica e mais aprofundada nos diversos aspectos da atividade atuando no setor. Porém, nota-se a existência de diferenças entre o que é oferecido pela academia e o que é exigido pelo mercado. Assim sendo, constitui objetivo desta pesquisa, verificar a relação entre o ensino superior em turismo e o mercado de trabalho na percepção do bacharel da área formado na cidade de Natal-RN, posto que é o turismólogo quem faz o elo entre os dois campos.  A cidade já apresentou oito cursos superiores de turismo, mas atualmente apresenta apenas cinco Instituições de Nível Superior - IES oferecendo essas graduações.  Para conhecimento da percepção dos turismólogo foi necessário realizar a aplicação de um questionário com os egressos formados nos anos de 2009 e 2010. Em conformidade com o objetivo desse estudo, a pesquisa foi exploratório-descritivo. Quanto aos procedimentos técnicos, tratou-se de uma pesquisa documental, bibliográfica e de campo. Para análise, foram aplicadas técnicas qualitativas e quantitativas conforme os objetivos específicos e os tipos de dados coletados. Como resposta as análises pode-se concluir que: os egressos, são maioria do sexo feminino, uma pequena parte está trabalhando na área em que se formou e nem todos recebem grandes salários; as matrizes curriculares dos cursos em atividades são generalistas e os próprios egressos a consideram assim. A IES onde estudou não foi fator decisório para que os egressos conseguissem um emprego. Ademais, muitos dos entrevistados, não tem perspectivas positivas quanto ao futuro enquanto turismólogos  e se pudessem mudar algo em sua trajetórioa profissional teriam optado por fazer outro curso superior . Embora exista essa percepção negativa, quase metade dos respondentes acreditam que o curso atendeu as necessidades do mercado. Todavia, os que não estão trabalhando tiveram  uma visão mais positiva com relação a essa aplicabilidade do ensino superior no mercado de trabalho, enquanto os que já trabalharam na área tem uma visão mais negativa e não acreditam que o curso atenda as necessidades do mercado.

A Teoria das Representações Sociais fornece subsídios para analisar cientificamente o que se chama de senso comum, sugerindo que seja dada credibilidade ao pensamento do indivíduo, a partir da atribuição de lógica ao mesmo. As Representações Sociais permitem interpretar, compreender, explicar e assim, classificar as informações, os acontecimentos e os indivíduos. Neste sentido, o presente estudo objetivou analisar de que maneira as representações sociais dos atores do comércio ambulante que atuam na praia de Ponta Negra/RN podem ser utilizadas como elemento para o planejamento turístico. Para se alcançar os objetivos almejados, foi realizada uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, a partir de um estudo descritivo, utilizando como métodos de coleta de dados a pesquisa bibliográfica, a Técnica de Associação Livre de Palavras e o questionário, aplicados com 90 comerciantes ambulantes que atuam na Praia de Ponta Negra/RN. Como instrumentos de análise dos dados utilizaram-se a análise bibliográfica, o software EVOC e SPHINX. Esta pesquisa revelou a predominância no comércio ambulante de pessoas do sexo masculino, entre 18 e 28 anos, com ensino fundamental incompleto, não contribuintes da previdência social e que trabalham 7 dias na semana. O núcleo central das representações traz elementos que explanam que seu conhecimento está pautado nos saberes coletivamente partilhados pela cultura do turismo, sendo este visto como algo que gera benefícios econômicos (dinheiro) para a sociedade, a partir da viagem e da diversão. O planejamento representa o pensamento no futuro, pautado na elaboração de planos que busquem melhorias e organização. Quanto a estrutura e funcionamento do planejamento turístico em Natal/RN, não foi verificado nenhuma representatividade dos comerciantes ambulantes. Conclui-se que, a compreensão das necessidades dos comerciantes ambulantes fornece subsídios para elaboração de estratégias que visem o desenvolvimento do turismo. Isto é conseguido a partir de sua inclusão no planejamento turístico, já que possibilita aos gestores da atividade turística entender como eles estão captando, interpretando e agindo em sua realidade próxima, já que essas representações são fundamentais na formação de opiniões e no estabelecimento de atitudes individuais e coletivas. Desta forma, se constitui como uma importante teoria a ser utilizada para subsidiar pesquisas sociais com indivíduos que vivem a realidade e as necessidades locais, mas que se encontram a margem dos processos decisórios das atividades econômicas brasileiras.

O objetivo do trabalho foi investigar a percepção dos gestores de pequenos meios de hospedagem de Natal/RN sobre o uso de práticas ambientais como fator de competitividade. O estudo foi caracterizado como sendo exploratório e descritivo no qual foi utilizada amostra probabilística aleatória, seguida de aplicação de instrumento de coleta de dados (questionários). Foram objetos da pesquisa os pequenos meios de hospedagem localizados no município de Natal, capital do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, onde foram respondidos um total de 35 questionários. Pode-se concluir com os dados dispostos no trabalho que dentre os indicadores apresentados, o desenvolvimento de programas ambientais no empreendimento, se mostra o menos importante para a escolha do meio de hospedagem pelos clientes, a partir da perspectiva dos empreendimentos. Como principal conclusão do trabalho pode-se então inferir que de acordo com os proprietários e gestores entrevistados, os hóspedes em sua maioria ainda não buscam por empreendimentos que implementam práticas ambientais como fator de decisão na escolha do hotel, porém mesmo assim os entrevistados acreditam que o uso destas práticas pode gerar grande vantagem competitiva em relação aos seus concorrentes. Haja vista a importância do tema da pesquisa em pauta, as informações obtidas por esta investigação poderão contribuir com o fornecimento de dados para estabelecer um panorama atual no que diz respeito à importância atribuída pelos gestores ao uso de práticas ambientais em pequenos meios de hospedagem do município de Natal, onde através do correto uso destas informações, podem ser geradas possibilidades de maior competitividade neste segmento.