Turismo e comunidades de praia: São Miguel do Gostoso no caminho do mar e na direção dos ventos

Abstract

The empirical locus of this work was the municipality of São Miguel de Gostoso – the beach community, which was indispensable in the development of this research. Themes dealt with in this study relate to: the economic dynamics of touristic activities; the socio-cultural, political and environmental repercussions of tourism within the local population where the research took place; the role of a variety of social actors who are included/excluded from the arena of tourism; cultural identity; as well as the process of touristification and the development of touristic capital. The concept of touristic capital addressed constructed in the work was inspired by the social theories of Karl Marx (economic capital), Pierre Bourdieu (symbolic capital) and Robert Putnam (social capital). The complexity of the theme and its development, led to the general objective of the research: to comprehend the socio-spatial, environmental, political and cultural changes driven by the process of touristification of São Miguel de Gostoso, and subsequent repercussions on its beach communities. The status attributed to tourism within political and governmental discourse, as well as in the media, affirms tourism as an important economic activity that promotes respect for cultural diversity, environmental conservation, and social inclusion and justice. Counter to this discourse, the thesis that, although tourism appears to be the main economic activity in São Miguel do Gostoso, which is also the case in other coastal areas, appropriating this space for tourism also provokes socio-spatial and cultural changes within the beach communities, producing and reproducing undesirable effects that are part of a trend toward the reproduction of capital, and the globalization of tourism in this municipality. In the development of this thesis, the theoretical categories on which the work is based are: Tourism; Beach Community; Cultural Identity; Territory and Power. The study is characterized as quality-quantitative research, adopting a theoretical and methodological model for the content analysis, which aims to reflect on the information collected and the social actors (public official, business agents, tourists, residents and community leaders). In this sense, the destiny of tourism in São Miguel de Gostoso can be seen as a socio-cultural and historical construction, on the way to the sea, along the wisps of the wind.