A variável ambiental no planejamento de eventos turísticos : estudo de caso da Festa Nacional da Uva - RS

Abstract

An event needs to work out the environmental variable during all planning’s phases in order to accept its environmental responsibility. This present research plans to examine the established relationships between the environmental variable and a tourist event. Therefore, the subject of research originated from the following question: is the environmental variable considered when planning the National Grape Festival 2006? With this in mind, the objective of this study is to identify the consideration given to the environmental variable when planning the National Grape Festival 2006, which happened in Caxias do Sul – RS – Brazil. Along with the general objective, the following specific objectives are pointed out: a) to check the established relationships between environmental information and the Festival’s planning; b) to identify how solid waste produced at the Festival is handled; c) to examine the solid waste prevention principle at the Festival’s planning; d) to identify environmental education actions at the Festival’s planning; e) to examine water, eletric power and residuary water’s variables at the Festival’s planning; f) to check environmental criterion consideration when choosing the Festival’s sponsors and exhbitors. In an effort to meet the objectives suggested, direct observation was carried out regarding the Grape Festival at two different periods of time. On top of that, 19 people were interviewed, including the chairman, vice-chairman and the directors of the Festival’s organizing commitee. The interview script consisted of questions concerning: a) environmental practices; b) solid waste; c) Festival’s advertising; d) sponsors and exhbitors; e) parades; f) local Olympic Games; g) water; h) power; i) residuary water (sewage). Through the results obtained in the research, we are able to conclude that there are many environmental actions introduced in an isolated manner at the Festival. However it is important to build a new planning concept for it, which might effectively include the environmental variable. With regards to it, undergraduate courses such as tourism, hotel management and stricto sensu tourism have responsibility for developing studies which consider the environmental variable. As it was possible to conclude through the research, there are many relationships yet to be established between the environmental variable and tourist events’ planning. Therefore, a new look at tourist events, planning them under an environmental view, is essencial.