A trajetória de desenvolvimento da Instância de Governança Regional Rota Pantanal-Bonito-Serra da Bodoquena no estado de Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The tourism sector is in evidence for being an activity which is able to generate economic results, jobs, social, cultural, and historical interactions, capable of promoting the development of communities and providing improvement in people's quality of life. To keep the growth of tourism activity in Brazil, the Ministry of Tourism has been implementing some public policies, especially the Tourism Regionalization Program (PRT), which presents a more decentralized institutional structure, with autonomy and conditions to manage policies, projects, plans, and actions that benefit the sector. The PRT integrates governance in tourist regions and, for better management, formally establishes Regional Governance Bodies (IGR). In view of the aforementioned, the objective of this thesis is to develop a substantive theory about the trajectory of the IGR route Pantanal Bonito Serra da Bodoquena in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. To achieve this goal, it is specifically proposed to describe the trajectory of IGR since its conception from the perspective of those involved, describe the process and the categories of interactions present in the trajectory, and introduce the substantive theory based on the description and conceptual ordering. A theory consists of a set of developed categories that systematically interrelate to build a theoretical framework, explaining some relevant phenomena. The substantive theory presents, in an integrated way, the concepts of a specific area. As a methodological procedure, qualitative research based on Grounded Theory was carried out, using semi-structured interviews and document analysis of the tourist route. The study is relevant because the tourist region made other attempts at formalization, without success. It is also important to highlight the international visibility of the region, which is considered the inductive destination of the state. It was evident that the trajectory of the IGR shows elements of advances and adversities experienced by the actors involved, such as the fulfillment of legal acts to structure the tourism sector in the state; the search for the practice of governance to establish assertive communication and effective management; the need for cooperation to promote integrative actions and market strategies; the search for knowledge; fundraising to strengthen the businesses and the sector, and the breaking of paradigms to achieve cultural and institutional changes. Thus, the following categories were identified: professionalization, efficient governance of the IGR, need for cooperation, legal aspects for formalization, cultural and institutional aspects, construction of territorial identity, and the central category called resistance in the institutionalization of actions. These categories are part of a theoretical framework and are based on empirical data, and are related to the trajectory of IGR, the local context, and social and corporate relations. All the elements discussed in the research represent the processes and transformations existing in the phenomenon, influenced by internal and external factors. The results presented in this research contributed to new elements, regarding the implementation process of the regional governance instance, relating resistance to factors of professionalization, process, reorganization and obligation. Thus, knowing that IGR is not consolidated, but under construction, being something mutable, the research contributes to presenting the events present in the trajectory of IGR and offers insights to strengthen the attempt to formalize it.