TOURISM AND INFORMATION: RESEARCH ON EFFECTIVE TOURIST DEMAND IN DIAMANTINA/MG

ABSTRACT:

The relationship between academia and society represents a rich field for exploration in the area of tourism, especially in tourism development based on applied research, through studies originating in Universities or Research Institutions. However, this relationship is not guaranteed, as is clear in this study, which aims to understand why existing information on tourist demand is under-utilized by tourism stakeholders in the town of Diamantina, State of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil. This article is based on exploratory research, carried out in the form of a case study. First presents a theoretical framework that discusses the importance of information for tourism and the relationship between information and science when it comes to the language used and the organization of information. Next, a qualitative approach is used, focusing on the Municipal Tourism Council of Diamantina/MG, whose members were interviewed using a four-part script in order to identify the gap between the research results provided by academia and decision-making by tourism stakeholders. Among the main findings, it was seen that there are barriers between the way research results are generally presented by the university and the means used to gather information by those whom it is hoped will make use of those results, if the information is to become meaningful and become part of the development process of the destination. It was also found that the socioeconomic context is important for optimizing analysis of results in the applied social sciences.

KEYWORDS:
Information for Tourism; Specialized Language; Research on effective tourist demand in Diamantina/Brazil