Tourism and social participation in the management of the Historic Center of Salvador (BA)

Abstract

Increasingly close to business sectors, tourism has become the target of recurrent criticism for distancing from social sectors during designing and monitoring public policies and/or programs to restore historic centers, especially in urban areas. Based on international recommendations, national projects, newspapers and direct observation, this article aims to evaluate the impacts of tourist activity in Salvador historic center preservation and revitalization projects. The first part of the text will deal with the recognition of tourism as an instrument of diffusion and sustainability for urban historical zones through international regulations and national initiatives. Subsequently, it will be observed how such normative and legal devices were incorporated in the actions of tourist development and revitalization projects in the historical center of Salvador, Bahia. Therefore, it is expected to contribute to urban studies and other research that deal with participative management in historical areas and intense tourism activity.