Turismo e criatividade: possibilidades para a gestão pública e desenvolvimento regional do turismo no Espírito Santo (ES)

Abstract

The Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, located in the Southeast region of the country, offers a diverse range of resources and tourist attractions. In parallel, platforms dedicated to the international promotion of Brazilian tourist destinations, such as Feel Visit Brasil, created by the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur) and the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises (Sebrae), represent potential communication and marketing channels capable of enhancing the visibility and positioning of this tourism supply in international markets. Within this context, the research problem addressed in this study is as follows: What possibilities exist for public management and regional development of tourism in Espírito Santo (ES) with regard to the interface between tourism and creativity? The general objective of this study was, therefore, to identify, based on the relationship between tourism and creativity, the possibilities for creative tourist activities and attractions that could contribute to public management and regional development of tourism in Espírito Santo (ES). The relevance of this study lies in its contribution to the debate on strengthening creative tourism as a regional development strategy, as well as in broadening the discussion on the state's integration into international tourism promotion policies. Methodologically, the research is exploratory and descriptive in nature, adopting a qualitative approach. It was grounded in the following procedures: (a) a narrative literature review on tourism, creativity, and regional development; and (b) analysis of secondary data on the tourist regions of Espírito Santo and on experiences featured on the Feel Visit Brasil platform. The results made it possible not only to identify attractions with potential to constitute creative tourism experiences within the context of tourism regionalization in Espírito Santo, but also to propose a future agenda for public tourism managers regarding the importance of communication and marketing as tools linked to creative tourism for local and regional development.