Resposta local ao turismo: resiliência cultural e desenvolvimento local no povoado do Pontal de Coruripe

Abstract

Until recently, tourism used to be seen as necessarily being able to foster „development‟ in tourist places. It was taken for granted that tourism would create jobs, occupation thus improving people‟s quality of life. However, countless case studies have collected evidence that tourism frequently leads to socio-cultural and environmental impacts in tourist destinations and host communities, a phenomenon that is contradictory with the general positive expectations of those involved. Negative impacts of tourism in coastal communities of Brazil‟s Northeast region have lead to concerns among researchers, non-governmental organizations and the communities involved. A number of studies have been developed with a focus on the intrinsic contradictions of the style of tourism development along Brazil‟s littoral. The current concern towards a reduction in those contradictions, have lead researchers to consider the culture and social capital of communities in the tourism-based development process. This study examines tourism in a small fishing village which is located in the south littoral of the Alagoas state. This village, which is called Pontal de Coruripe, has a tourist potential based on its natural landscape and cultural heritage. The study analyses the community perception and response to tourism locally. The study also examines how tourism has developed in this place as well as the resulting spatial and socio-cultural in the community. The study theoretical approach included cultural resilience, social capital and local development. Data collection instruments were informal conversations, participant observation, photographic survey, interviews and a focal group interview. The study revealed that tourism has been developing in Pontal de Coruripe spontaneously, that is, without formal planning. Lack of planning and the resulting spatial, territorial, socio-cultural and environmental changes of tourism have not been able to alter in a significant way the two local main socio-economic activities, namely: fishing and craftwork. However, lack of community participation regarding decision-making concerning tourism activities, as well as the absence of integrated planning, has lead local tourism development not to meet the social needs of the host community. Despite that, tourism has the potential to rejuvenate and diversify the economy of Pontal de Coruripe and to encourage the existing local activities, as for example the local craftwork, a development that could help improve the resident’s life quality. In order to achieve such developments it is necessary that touism is planned.