Pesquisa-ação: gestão sustentável em meios de hospedagem situados no litoral norte da Paraíba

Abstract

The northern coast of Paraíba is a place of great peculiarity where historical, architectural, ethnic and natural aspects are differentiated and, in a certain way, preserved. The region has eight conservation units which management is divided between the municipal, state and federal spheres. The region is a territory of the Potiguara ethnic group that occupies it since the times of the colonization being the unique indigenous people to remain in the same place since then in Brazil. With so many unique aspects the region results in receiving visitors, searching for recreation, and researchers. However, this search, fortunately, is still doesn't happen too much intensively. With this, it is extremely important to develop a tourism planning that aims to the sustainability of the region. In this sense, it is also necessary that the means of lodging that are inserted in the context adopt methods that desired to the mitigation of its impacts towards the environment. In this way, it is important to know the limits and wishes of the managers who work with the hospitality in the region, with a view to sustainable management. It is in this context that this research is inserted, seeking to analyze the relation of the means of lodging of the northern coast of Paraíba with the nature and proposing to the managers an approach to the concepts of a sustainable management. In revealing the social and environmental aspects of the hotel industry in this area we intend to know better the burden and bonus of this branch and contribute to the realization of sustainable tourism planning, that is, socially fair, ecologically conscious and economically equitable for the State of Paraíba. For this, the qualitative research method was used so that we sought to deepen the managers' aspirations for environmental management and socio-environmental responsibility. For this, two methods were used: first a descriptive-exploratory research, making use of semi-structured interviews as data collection technique. The interviews were made with the owners or responsible managers for the planning and execution of the services. In a second moment, we set out for an action research, in which actions were developed together with the managers in the intention of an approximation of these with the concepts of a sustainable management. 75% of the total number of lodging facilities were reached, accordingly to the Brazilian Association of Hotel Industries - ABIH/PB. However, the percentage of those who were willing to participate in the survey or who were operating during the working times was 51% of the enterprises. We observed that the means of lodging in the northern coast of Paraíba do not internalize to the heart of their organizational structure any concept of sustainable management. However, they were very open to interventions that might help them to optimize their efforts. The interviewees show respect and desire for the appropriateness of their practices to sustainable methods.