A percepção dos turistas com relação a imagem de Natal/Rio Grande do Norte (RN)

Abstract

Currently Brazilian tourism has been facing environmental problems due to the appearance of dark spots on the beaches of the Brazilian coast, increasingly and mysteriously. Interest in the theme arose due to the current environmental problems, which impacted tourism in some cities and Brazilian society. This paper was designed to investigate the perception of tourists regarding the image of the city of Natal and identify the profile of tourists and their expectations regarding the city, to verify what is the first image that tourists have of the destination Natal/RN and thus evaluate the perception of tourists regarding the city and beaches, through a structured interview script elaborated with 10 questions about the image of the destination researched. In the survey, 40 tourists were interviewed, who were at the Aluízio Alves Airport located in São Gonçalo do Amarante. Facing the various environmental problems faced in recent months, with the appearance of oil slicks on beaches Natal/RN continues to be welcomed as a hospitable, welcoming city, with tourism as a major source of income and attracting people, contributing to the economic and social development of the state.