Turismo rural sustentável: uma análise das práticas de sustentabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos no Oeste do Paraná

Abstract

The tourism as a socio-economic sector becomes job opportunities and income generator, and means of contributing to the reduction of regional and social inequalities. In turn, sustainable tourism emerges as a way to keep the economic performance so as not to harm the environment, meeting the needs of both tourists and local that receive simultaneously, making it necessary to meet the economy, society and the environment, without neglecting the regional culture, biological diversity and ecological systems that coordinate life. In this scenario, rural tourism seeks to contribute to the quality of life of the rural population. To that end, the general objective of this research was to analyze the environmental sustainability practices used by rural tourism enterprises track called "Turismo Sustentável de Base Comunitária no Oeste do Paraná by way of the Barometer of Tourism Sustainability. In order to achieve the main objective, the following specific objectives were outlined: a) characterize the rural tourism projects comprised in the track, relative to the main tourist attractions and areas of operation; b) examine how the tourism enterprises contribute to the development of local and regional actors (externalities) as well as the entrepreneurs themselves; c) to analyze environmental sustainability practices of the tourism enterprises by way of the Barometer of Tourism Sustainability; d) analyze existing local and regional public politics for rural tourism enterprises. Therefore, the development of the study was initially by means of literature, followed by descriptive and qualitative research. Empirical data were collected through interviews on the spot in rural properties, with the entrepreneurs responsible for enterprises. The main results point to the fact that environmental sustainability actions undertaken by enterprises the tourist track, in the current situation, are classified as potentially sustainable. Empirical research has identified still, the rural tourism activity generates socio-cultural, imprint of contributions, mostly economic and environmental, as much to entrepreneurs, as tourists and to society. Overall, the research shows the environmental sustainability activities undertaken by enterprises of the roadmap investigated, presenting the sustainability levels achieved in each of the five systems (water, use of resources, species and populations, ground, air) that make up the scale environmental barometer of tourism sustainability, and the most satisfactory results match the systems "use of resources" and "species and populations".