A importância do artesanato e do turismo para o desenvolvimento local em Pontal de Coruripe, Alagoas

Abstract

Handicrafts are an important activity in the Northeast region of Brazil, forming part of the identity traits of innumerable traditional places and communities. In many places, crafts play an important role in the local informal economy. With the development of tourism along the northeastern coast, handicrafts began to gain more relevance, in their contribution to generating income for residents of tourist areas, as tourist visits increase the sale of handicrafts. This is the case of the coastal town of Pontal de Coruripe, located in the municipality of Coruripe, on the south coast of the Alagoas state, Brazil. Locally, there is a traditional craft production based on leaves of the Ouricuri palm tree (Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc.). The objective of this work is to study the importance of Ouricuri handicraft for the local development of the community of Pontal de Coruripe, in its connection with tourism, seeking to understand how education for tourism could strengthen the links between the two activities. A qualitative methodology was used whose data collection instruments included direct field observation, photographic records and interviews with local artisans. The results show that local handicrafts have a strong identity trait and that their sales have grown with the transformation of Pontal de Coruripe into a tourist place. However, while the only local school promotes educational activities aimed at strengthening the handicraft activity, there is a lack of actions that seek to create in the resident an education for tourism. It is understood that promoting tourism education in Pontal de Coruripe could help residents to better understand what tourism is, as well as the relationship between it and handicrafts.