HOW TOURISTS PERCEIVE THE ATTRIBUTES OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN BONITO/MS, BRAZIL? AN ANALYSIS BASED ON NETNOGRAPHY PRINCIPLES

ABSTRACT:

The tourist increasingly bases his perceptions and decisions about a tourist destination through texts, maps, images, and videos produced mainly by other tourists and made available on the internet. This information is part of the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and is the target of this article, which aims to analyze the main attributes valued by tourists who commented on the TripAdvisor website about tourist attractions visited in the city of Bonito/MS - a relevant tourist destination in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul and Brazil. To achieve this purpose, qualitative research was conducted, with critical sampling and based on principles of netnography, in addition to the use of the Iramuteq software for data processing. It was found that tourists value attributes related to the environment, corroborating the emphasis of Bonito/MS in activities related to nature and adventure tourism, especially with the water element occupying a prominent position to attract tourists. In addition, it was investigated how the figure of the ‘guide’, ‘price’ and leisure activities practiced in the region impacted the general assessment of tourists.

KEYWORDS:
Tourism; eWOM; Tourist behavior; Bonito-MS, Brazil