LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM PUBLIC POLICIES: THE CASE OF A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK IN THE SOUTH OF BRAZIL

Abstract

Since 2003, the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism has adopted decentralized management policies in order to promote sustainable development through the joint efforts of various social actors, from planning to acting processes. This definition promoted a series of initiatives that resulted in the formation of advisory boards, forums, committees, management committees and networks of cooperation. This article describes the evolution of the Brazilian Tourism Policy since 1995 and the inclusion of the rural tourism segment as a key element for local development. Further, we discussed the articulation of actors in the promotion of rural tourism, focusing the study on Grupo Gestor de Turismo Rural (Management Committee of Rural Tourism), in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). As a result, we proposed to characterize this group as a collaborative network, based on Camarinha-Matos (2009) studies.