Impacto econômico do circuito de cicloturismo "Cidade das Pedras" em empreendimentos locais: um estudo exploratório.

Abstract

Cycling tourism is a type of rural tourism that has been gaining increasing visibility due to the benefits it brings, both in terms of health and sustainability, as well as in the economic aspect, and is boosted when there is articulation between public and private entities, with a focus on local development, such as the “Cidade das Pedras Cycling Tourism Circuit”, in the municipality of Queimadas-Paraíba, with articulation between the City Hall, the Department of Culture, Tourism, Sports and Leisure, and local entrepreneurs, who would be located along the aforementioned circuit. The objective of the research is to analyze how the “Cidade das Pedras” Cycling Tourism Circuit economically influences the businesses located along the route. The research was descriptive and exploratory, with a qualitative approach, with data collected through structured interviews conducted in seven businesses in person and online, via Google Meet. The results were tabulated and analyzed using Bardin's (2011) content analysis technique. As a result, it was observed that there is a consensus among the owners/managers of businesses that cycling tourism in the municipality benefits the municipality in several aspects, with emphasis on the economic and cultural aspects. The circuit has a positive impact on the economic factor of the businesses, since the interviewees observe an increase in revenue, either directly or indirectly, and in some cases, it also generates employment and income for the population. As limitations of the research, the number of businesses interviewed stands out: despite there being seventeen businesses, only seven were interviewed due to the unavailability of some entrepreneurs, which did not allow the desired number of interviews to be reached.