Um comportamento socialmente responsável no setor turístico: o caso da Associação Lousitânea

Abstract

This paper aims at analysing the social responsibility in the tourism sector. By way of a case study, the research was focused on the role played by the local development association Lousitânea, in order to understand the factors contributing to the local and regional development of tourism, focusing on the cultural authenticity and environmental conservation and considering the local community as the driving force.
The in-depth interviews conducted with Lousitânea employees allowed the identification of a set of social responsible practices which triggers the local community involvement in the process, suggesting that this represents a great potential for tourism development in this territory and at the same time for the settlement of the population.