Desenvolvimento rural e pluriatividade: o turismo rural em Santa Maria do Herval

Abstract

The economic formation of the location where, in 1824, São Leopoldo’s Colony was established, differs to a large extent from the historical and economic process experienced by other Brazilian regions. The development of the called "Old German Colony", from the arrival of the first immigrants, through the migratory movement, until reaching the diffuse industrialization in the 1970s, carries with it a characteristic that is easily found even today in that space, the pluriactivity of rural families. In the municipality of Santa Maria do Herval-RS, located in that region, the objective was to understand and know from different actors perspectives, factors that restrict the rural tourism development. In addition to pluriactive families, it is possible to observe traditions and cultural aspects of German colonization, both in the buildings and in the customs of the local inhabitants. There are several agricultural and non-agricultural activities that can be developed by families in rural areas, from handicrafts and agribusiness to rural tourism activities and services. Despite this, there are several challenges and concerns related to the future of this environment, perceived by representatives of public agencies of the municipality and by family farmers, both of an economic and productive nature. For the development of this research, the methodological option was the case study, in which the aim was to develop effective questions to understand the behavioral and interpretative roots of tourism development in the municipality rural area. In this research, the aim is to analyze the different groups' perceptions, in order to understand their similarities and differences related to the limitations and development of these activities. Among tourist services and products most found in the municipality's rural area are leisure, hosting and food, despite this and the Santa Maria do Herval tourism potential, there are still slight initiatives for these types of activities in the municipality.