The importance of cultural dimension in the qualification processes of tourism in the Brazilian territories of the Bioceanic Route

Abstract

This article aims to propose guidelines for a qualification program in tourism aimed at Brazilian municipalities under the influence of the Bioceanic Route, based on the premise of respecting the cultural specificities of the territory and the respective participation of communities in this process. In methodological terms, we start with a qualitative approach, in which we conduct a set of six conversation circles with different actors who are in permanent contact with the communities in the territory. Regarding the theoretical-analytical perspective employed in the construction of the article, we make use of Cultural, Post-Colonial and Decolonial Studies, having as a premise to think, propose and contribute to qualification initiatives in tourism that break with the logic of coloniality and, therefore, help in the processes of emancipation of communities and affirmation of their cultural manifestations. In this way, the article starts from a central axis – which we call the Culture Axis – and suggests a set of five guidelines that may be central in the dissemination of tourism qualification initiatives among communities in the Brazilian territory of the Bioceanic Route. We hope, with the reflections present in this manuscript, to contribute to making visible the reality of the communities around the Bioceanic Route, calling attention to the importance of these communities being fully contemplated in all the dynamics that involve the activities directly or indirectly stimulated by the Bioceanic Route, including, in this area, the activity of tourism itself.