A norma e a forma das regiões turísticas no Brasil: proposta teórico-metodológica de regionalização do turismo

Abstract

The regionalization proposed by the Ministry of Tourism has some problems, since it is possible to identify conceptual flaws and weaknesses in the criteria adopted, which makes it oversized and lacking in cohesion. The difficulties encountered in official regionalization lead to a mismatch between the norm (regional boundaries and non-articulated municipalities) and the form-content of tourism activity. Having observed this problem, this thesis proposes a methodology for the regionalization of tourist activity that includes, among other elements, a survey of tourist fixes and flows, seeking to identify the functional coherence between tourist sites in the constitution of tourist regions. The methodology was applied in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, where the form-content of tourist activity was observed and a new regionalization for tourism was proposed based on geographical criteria, i.e. the functional cohesion of tourist activity seen from the integration and spatial interaction between the elements of tourism. It is hoped that this research will contribute to advancing the discussion of tourism from a geographical/spatial perspective and that the proposal of the regionalization methodology will add new elements to the regional (tourism) debate. The tourism regionalization proposal for Rio Grande do Norte seeks to unite form and norm, enabling the constitution of tourist regions according to the spatial articulation of the actors linked to tourism and thus making the process of urban-regional tourism planning more feasible and operational.