Sistema de indicadores de sustentabilidade para atividade turística: uma proposta metodológica participativa aplicada no município do Conde/PB.

Abstract

Natural, historical and cultural resources form the essence of raw material of tourist product of a region. In this sense, the use of such resources in a sustainable way makes feasible the development of this activity in the long term and, consequently, the local sustainable development. In order to better evaluate sustainable tourism actions and to outline future guidelines, sustainability indicators as a tool which enables translate complex information into simples situations arise. These indicators, which are important for tourist management of a place, require society’s involvement and participation in order to attain larger political and social acceptance as well as make viable decisions taken by managers and local social actors. In face of what has been mentioned so far, this research aims at analyzing sustainability of tourist activity in the town of Conde/PB, placed in the micro region of Paraíba south coast, by means of a democratic and participative methodology, involving a group of social actors with diverse bonds with tourist activity. In theoretical terms, the following themes were cited: sustainable development, sustainable tourism, sustainability indicators for tourist activity and a system of sustainability indicator for tourist activity. The research was characterized as being exploratory and descriptive with quali-quantitative nature and it is referred as a case study with field research and non participant observation. In this regard, it was based on the methodology of the System of Sustainability Indicator for Tourist Destiny - SISDTur, proposed by Hanai (2009), which consists in the fulfillment of a system of sustainability indicator for tourist activity through social actors´ participation. Data was collected by using the snowball technique which takes into account the interviewed person’s indication of possible individuals who may adjust to the research participation criteria. Secondary data analysis took into consideration specific parameters of measurement, measurement ways, types of measurement unit and analyses criteria mentioned in the dimension boards in the methodological route of SISDTur. For primary data analysis, simple arithmetic mean and variation coefficient were used. According to SISDTur results, sustainability standards established in the methodological route, local social actors´ point of view and sustainability level of tourist activity in the town of Conde/PB are in an unsustainable partially situation. From the six dimensions presented by SISDTur, two of them are acceptable for the sustainable development of tourism, such as the economic dimension and the institutional one. Four of them are unfavorable, such as: the environmental, cultural, social and tourist dimensions. In this respect, these dimensions need special attention of public managers concerning the accomplishment of investments and public policies which can make viable their improvement and contribute to the sustainable development of tourism.