Hiking as the Facilitator of Tourism Destination Competitiveness: An Analysis of the Opportunities for the City of Pelotas, RS, Brazil

Abstract

This paper presents an adaptation of Hassan (2000), Determinants of Market Competitiveness in an Environmentally Sustainable Tourism Industry, applied to evaluate the hiking as an activity that can act on the tourism competitiveness of destination, generating environmental, cultural, social, health and economic benefits. It makes a brief theoretical review about hiking, followed by an analysis of the necessary attributes for a destination in which includes the hiking as part of its competitive tourism. It uses qualitative methodology, descriptive-exploratory. It was developed a case study of the Pelotas city in south of Brazil, which has great strength as a cultural and rural destination. The methodological design implies elements of comprehension, extend description and situational analysis in the local context and whole. Emphasize opportunities for rural communities that offer hiking, taking advantage that is a modality which requires low investment, but can provide recovery of rural areas with an economy deficit. We then conclude that in Pelotas city, the hiking could promotes a botton-up development, because it enables the inclusion of small farmers and SMEs in the tourism chain of the region.