Caminho da fé: utilização de indicadores de turismo sustentável (ITS) na avaliação da sustentabilidade da rota de peregrinação religiosa

Abstract

The Caminho da Fé (CF) (Brazil), a pilgrimage route located between the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, inspired by the ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela, was designed and developed to provide infrastructure for people who have always practiced the pilgrimage to the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Conception, offering them the necessary support points, assistance and, above all, information. The Caminho da Fé (CF) is approximately 2,000 km long, including secondary branches and local roads, routes, forests and asphalt, among others, of which approximately 400 km cross the Mantiqueira Mountains. With a diversity of landscapes, the CF provides moments of reflection and faith, physical and psychological health and the possibility of integration between man and nature. Pilgrimage tourism is growing globally and attracts visitors with diverse motivations, such as religious, cultural, sports, gastronomic, adventure or leisure reasons. In this context, sustainability becomes an essential factor, referring to the ability to preserve resources and systems in the long term, balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social equity. The objective of this dissertation is to understand the current stage of sustainability in tourism on the CF religious tourist route, within the municipality of Águas da Prata - SP, as a pilgrimage site, thus contributing to its development and the potentialization of tourism. The work was based on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data on pilgrimages in various forms (on foot, bicycle, jeep, tractor, etc.) related to CF as a religious tourist destination and their contributions to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of local economies. The research used indicators from the SISDTur set (System of Sustainability Indicators for Tourism Development), developed by Hanai (2009), in sections of CF in Águas da Prata/SP. The analysis of each of the dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, cultural, institutional-tourism) showed that the current stage is one of recognition of the importance of sustainability and gradual implementation of measures for its development, but still requires advances, especially in environmental monitoring and integrated tourism management to ensure the sustainability of the route. Challenges such as the need to study the carrying capacity and environmental impacts need to be overcome, but this dissertation shows that management focused on sustainability can bring benefits to all parties involved, such as strengthening socioeconomic development and preserving cultural identity. Through the data analyzed, some guidelines were proposed, seeking to strengthen sustainable development on the Caminho da Fé (CF) pilgrimage route.