Gestão de práticas turísticas nos Lençóis Maranhenses: percursos entre o mercado e a conservação ambiental para o desenvolvimento do turismo de base comunitária

Abstract

Not all community-based tourism practices can be immediately classified as Community-Based Tourism (CBT) initiatives. In the Lençóis Maranhenses, each community faces specific challenges in balancing tourism with the needs and demands of external agents. As a result, local residents' leadership is often strained by competing interests that extend beyond those of tourists. Given this context, this research aims to analyze the management of community-based tourism practices and their intersections with environmental conservation and the market in the Lençóis Maranhenses. The methodology employed was structured as a descriptive and exploratory qualitative study, based on bibliographic and documentary research, followed by field research involving interviews and questionnaires. Additionally, direct observation, focal travel or visits, and content and social field analysis methods were applied. The investigation sought to identify, characterize, and map community-based tourism practices based on the perception of their agents; to understand the management approaches and guiding principles of these practices; to analyze the market mechanisms and environmental conservation factors influencing their management; and to demonstrate the fields of community-based tourism practices in the Lençóis Maranhenses by considering the position, disposition, and relationships of their social agents. The main findings indicate that the conventional tourism market influences the management of community-based tourism practices. However, the institutional environmental conservation agency, ICMBio, plays a protective role for the communities, acting as a moderator and regulating these interactions. Furthermore, the communities develop their own protective mechanisms, rooted in habitus. Consequently, environmental conservation and its agents create a favorable environment for the development of Community-Based Tourism. At the same time, there is a growing market segment catering to agencies and tourists who are conscious of and committed to more responsible tourism.