Entre-Lugar (Dec 2017)
Effective snow or just reference? relationship between snow and tourist flow to Gramado/RS
Abstract
Located in Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, Gramado is an extremely popular tourist destination for Brazilians due to its temperate climate, european architecture, family-friendly activities and ecoturism options. The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfb), with winter seasons that are often rigorous with temperatures below 0 °C, leading to the occurrence of severe frost and the possibility of snow. The study aims to relate the occurrence of snow and the touristic fl ow in Gramado (RS). The data from the meteorological station of Canela (RS) (temperature, dew point, humidity and precipitation) were used, and observed during the month of June to September in 2009-2012 (INMET). For the same period, vehicles’ data fl ow from all toll locations with access to the city of Gramado (BRITA RODOVIAS S.A). It was found that the fl ow of vehicles at toll locations relate more to weekends and scheduled events, than to snow thathad been forecasted or that ended up occurring. The study shows that, in Gramado, the natural phenomenon "snow" gives way more and more to the "snow" artifact resulting from human production.
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