Destinação turística Maceió: ciclo de vida e perspectivas de crescimento nos próximos anos

Abstract

Tourism is growing rapidly on Brazil’s North-east littoral. Cities, mainly the state capital cities, which not so long ago used to have a reduced tourist demand have now become important destinations. This is the case with Maceió, a city that has emerged as a “sun and sea” destination from the early 1970s onwards. Soon after the inauguration of the Jatiúca Hotel in 1979 the destination experienced a rapid growth. Since then, that destination expanded but has experienced growth, stagnation and sometimes a reduction in tourist demand. This work investigates the life cycle of the Maceió destination. The study identifies the destination stages as well as the factors that influenced the destination life cycle, among which the environmental problems. Also, there is an investigation on the future development prospects of the destination. The study adopted a qualitative approach, including semistructured interviews with professionals that know the Maceió destination well. Data collection also included documental analysis and direct field observations. The study results indicate that the Maceió destination life cycle shows evolutive characteristics that do not fully responds to the pattern of most tourist areas. In addition, facts related to the present situation of the destination allow for a hypothesis to be raised. That is, if the current politicoadministrative characteristics of the destion persist along the following years probably Maceió will experience a rapid demand growth, leading to a rejuvination process of the destination.