Solidarity Economy in Inhambane Tourist Territory of the Municipality (Mozambique): A Study of Integration with Local Economies
Keywords: Solidarity economy, Local economies, integrated planning, Public policies, tourist territory.
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.