The construction of tourist services as a new expression of sociability in a rural environment: a case study in ‘Caminhos da Fronteira’ Region

Abstract

Natural resources, history, and culture can be used as a basis for structuring the supply of products and services. The objective of this article is to explore the transformations in the dynamics of rural social life and establish the connection with the development of services in tourism enterprises in the Caminhos da Fronteira region - Santa Catarina. The data collection involved semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight managers of tourism enterprises in eighteen municipalities. By reconstructing the history of regional formation, it is demonstrated that elements of nature, history and rural social life are considered resources to support the supply of services. As in other regions, the data collected show that tourism in rural environments has been expanding and diversifying. The supply of each enterprise tends to start with different resources, and the choice for greater specialization depends on the demand and the conditions of the family to provide the supply.

Keywords: agroturism; territory; basket of territorial goods and services.