O perfil do geoturista no território proposto para o geoparque serra do Sincorá - BA

Abstract

Over the past 25 years, the term geodiversity has gained prominence. In 1995, the term geotourism emerged and from 2004, the World Geoparks Network (RGG) was established. In Brazil there is only the Araripe Geopark and one of the projects that seeks integration with RGG is the Serra do Sincorá Geopark, in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Tourism uses geodiversity, as the main attraction in this territory associated with the history of mining, which can be told in the four cities, formerly called Lavras Diamantinas: Andaraí, Mucugê, Lençóis and Palmeiras. The study sought to analyze the geotourist's profile based on attitudes, behaviors, travel and destination preferences, the importance of travel aspects and affinity with the concepts of geological heritage, geotourism and geoparks. Based on the analysis of the socioeconomic aspects of the municipalities that receive tourism in the territory, there was great social inequality, a consequence of the economic cycle of diamond mining. The geodiversity and the associations with the biotic and historical-cultural heritage, evaluated in five UNESCO world geoparks, allowed us to identify in two of them that these characteristics suggest the vocation for an excellent geotourism in the territory of the Serra do Sincorá Geopark Project. The municipality of Lençóis was chosen to assess satisfaction with infrastructure, attractions and services and equipment and to analyze the geotourist's profile, as it is considered the gateway to Chapada Diamantina. Three research instruments were used, in the form of a form and questionnaire, applied to more than 100 tourists in the city of Lençóis. As the main results found in the survey, it is highlighted that tourists were satisfied with the attractions, services and equipment of Lençóis, although the tourist infrastructure has not been well evaluated. The geotourist with a strong affinity for the practice of geotourism corresponded to 29% of the sample. This tourist showed attitudes, behaviors, travel preferences and the importance of aspects of the trip according to the concept of Arouca (2011), being motivated, mainly, by leisure and geology, when visiting attractions considered geosites. In addition, they are interested in learning more about the geological, geographical and historical aspects. The need for the municipality of Lençóis to promote geotourism becomes evident, improving the offer of products related to geodiversity. Due to the search for the UNESCO seal for the Serra do Sincorá Geopark Project and for territorial development to occur, municipalities must work in an articulated and integrated manner, distributing geotourism and geotourists among them, minimizing social inequality.