Destinação Xingó: abrangência territorial e a ação dos agentes da turistificação

Abstract

Tourism can modify, (re)produce and (re)organize the territories in which it operates, which occurs through a process of tourist territorialization. This makes the spaces that are appropriated by tourism to undergo several types of changes. The territory under the touristification process takes on different meanings for tourists and market agents, which requires the State to act as a mediator to, among other objectives, seek solutions to potential socio-spatial problems that manifest themselves in the destination. It is understood in this study that the territorialization of space by tourism in destinations is significantly guided by the uses that the tourist makes of geographic space, leading to the constitution of territories for and of tourism. The Xingó tourist destination, object of study of this dissertation, is located in a confluence area between the states of Alagoas and Sergipe, in Brazil‟s Northeast region. The destination area has undergone significant socio-spatial and economic changes since 1994, when the Xingó Hydroelectric Plant (UHE) was inaugurated. Since then, with growing private investments in tourism, the destination has developed considerably, reaching parts of the territory of five adjoining municipalities. With the set of experiences offered by Xingó, the destination has become a force for the interiorization of tourism in the states of Alagoas and Sergipe, working as an alternative in relation to the offer of “Sun and Sea” tourism. This work aims to understand the tourism territorialization of the Xingó destination, with emphasis on the role played by tourists in the use of the destination's territory, that is, the territory effectively used by tourists. The study adopted a qualitative, descriptive, explanatory and exploratory approach, with the use of open exploratory interviews with public officials of the tourism secretaries of Canindé de São Francisco and Piranhas, and market workers, direct field observation, photographic record, analysis of remote images from Google Earth, and application of questionnaires. The results provide evidence that tourists who visit the destination are motivated by a combination of natural and cultural attractions. The use of the territory carried out by tourists extends spatially beyond the two cities that act as the gateway to the destination: Piranhas-AL and Canindé de São Francisco-SE, forming a destination zone. Furthermore, it was found that market actions in the face of the touristification process show some divergence in relation to the territory actually used by tourists. Finally, it was also verified that the government has been relatively on the sidelines of the touristification process of the Xingó destination.