Phases of development of tourist destinations: the case of beach Pipa- Brazil

Abstract

The article approaches the case of a touristic consolidated coastal destination in Brazil, Pipa Beach - located in Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte. The main objective is "to rescue historically the tourism development process in Pipa."The qualitative study makes a literature review, supported by research on secondary and primary sources, on-site visits which allowed non-participant observation and opportunity for greater contact with the local reality. Thus, it was possible to illustrate a graph with the transition from four major stages of development of Pipa for understanding the touristical path, and it was found that the town went from a fishing village to become a consolidated destination because of the exploitation of coastal tourism. With the understanding of the phases, it is evident a series of considerations regarding the lack of planning, ranging from exclusion of natives from their homes, appropriations on uneven areas and reordering of land use, with damage to the environment, endangering the very maintenance of the touristic activity.