Etnias, cultura e turismo: estudo para o desenvolvimento turístico sustentável do município de Ijuí, RS

Abstract

Cultural diversity is responsible for the formation of the world's identity. Due to migratory movements, Brazil welcomed immigrants of many nationalities and, in the municipality of Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul, this multicultural formation produced its own identity, whose customs and traditions of the colonizing peoples have been maintained throughout history, through organized ethnic groups and with the promotion of ethnic-cultural events. Seeing this ethnic movement as a differential, this study has as main objective to propose a study to expand the sustainable development of Ethnic-Cultural Tourism in that municipality, considering the understanding of ethnic identity in the historical formation and cultural organization of the municipality, the contextualization of the ethnic movement , rescuing its chronology and identifying its current situation and the perception of representatives of society about the current situation and possibilities for future development. A quantitative study was carried out, with the application of six hundred questionnaires, in four distinct segments of the population (participants of ethnicities, businessmen; community in general and non-residents in Ijuí). The questionnaire categories were defined based on the dimensions proposed by Beni (2004) and Sachs (2009), and the questions were structured in accordance with the following categories: Infrastructure, Economic, Social, Cultural, Environmental, Superstructure and General. It was possible to highlight some bottlenecks for the development of sustainable ethnic tourism, culminating in the proposition of specific actions. In the Infrastructure Category, actions concerning the accessibility of spaces (both public and private) and the use of existing spaces for events stand out; in the Economic Category, it is proposed to encourage participation in existing tourist routes, in addition to the elaboration of a Regional Tourism Development Plan; in the Social Category, it is suggested to carry out awareness-raising actions about the positive effects of tourism on the local community; in the Cultural Category, there was essentially a need to carry out activities throughout the year, in addition to the specific seasonal period of FENADI/Expofest; in the Environmental Category, environmental education is proposed for the local community and, also, during tourist and cultural events and activities, raising awareness about the use of certain materials; in the Superstructure Category, the need for attention and government action in the tourist context is mainly perceived, especially in the elaboration of a Municipal Tourism Plan and in the use of digital platforms for the dissemination of local services that can boost tourism; finally, in the General Category, the organization of other peoples and ethnicities is suggested, further enriching the cultural universe of the municipality of Ijuí, RS.