O turismo como agente de desenvolvimento social e a comunidade Guarani nas “Ruínas Jesuíticas de São Miguel das Missões”

Abstract

The expansion of the touristic activity has given place a new reflection about the process of local and regional development that tourism produces, for it has capacity of increasing profit in the regions where it occurs. Taking into account that the cultural tourism is an agent of development, this article deals with the trajectory of the Guarani Mbya community from 1988 to 2003 in the county of São Miguel das Missões, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where the touristic attraction is the “Jesuitic Ruins of Saint Michael of the Missions”. The article tries to identify the benefits wich the community has had, due to the local touristic activity. It was confirmed that the Guarani, as a result of this activity, are now the owners of the land and that their permanence in the Inhacapetum reserve is a way of showing the development factor in this analized period of time and the role that touristic activity has had in their lives. Even though the State of Rio Grande do Sul has claimed it is the responsible for all this ac-complishment, this isn’t confirmed. Citizens related to the local government where the indian settlement is located, are main responsibles for the benefits reached by the Guarani community

Keywords

• Cultural tourism
• Local development
• Guarani Indians
• “Jesuitic Ruins of Saint Michael of the Missions”