Consultoria na gestão de destinos turísticos: o caso de empresas nordestinas

Abstract

Tourism consultancy is fundamental to the improvement of a destination, projects and/or tourism products, enabling the identification of problems, the implementation of diversified practices and the elaboration of strategies that foster the development of tourism in a given territory. Thus, this descriptive-exploratory study investigates the trajectory of five tourism consultancy companies in the north-east of Brazil, with the general aim of presenting the reality/condition of the market for consultancy companies in the north-east focused on the management of tourist destinations, based on their history, methods, challenges and opportunities. The research also adopts a qualitative approach, with semi-structured interviews conducted with managers of companies selected on a non-probabilistic basis for convenience. The results indicate that these companies emerged in the 21st century, especially in the last 10 years, amid the expansion of tourism in the region, highlighting both particularities and similarities in their functions and methodologies. In addition, the companies expressed a range of reflections, visions, realities, needs, discontents, concerns and contributions to this study/area. The conclusion is that consultancy is an indispensable tool for managing tourist destinations, although it faces significant challenges, such as the lack of vision on the part of managers, market volatility and the lack of training of professionals in the field. The research achieved its objectives and suggests that future studies should be carried out, considering the limitations of this investigation.