Catracas e contradições: o discurso da gestão turística do patrimônio cultural mundial no Brasil (2015-2021)

Abstract

The discourse of tourism as a source of development and the calls for cultural heritage preservation have been widely reproduced in the field of public policies for more than half a century. This has led to management practices that go beyond the use of this heritage for touristic purposes, directly affecting the dynamics of their surrounding space and the life of their local communities, i.e., the work relationships, housing, sociability, sense of belonging, and affection that these people establish with the territory and its heritage. Given the exponential growth of tourism in this period, especially from the 21st century and after, it became necessary and urgent to question and challenge this discourse and how it became normalized, despite the contradictions evidenced by the communities involved, academia, the media, non-governmental organizations, and other social movements. Thus, amidst the severe crises we are experiencing in the "present of the embodied past" (DOSSE, 2012) and given the tensions and uncertainties that haunt the notion of the future, this thesis tackles the projection and inversion of this discourse from 2015 onwards, focusing on World Heritage tourism management. From an international perspective, the research was based on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and analyzed how this unfolded in the World Conferences on Tourism and Culture, promoted by the World Tourism Organization and Unesco, focusing on the contradicting discourse around various renowned European tourism destinations. In Brazil, the work investigates the development of the National Policy for World Heritage Touristic Management by the current Brazilian government with an inter-ministerial committee led by the Ministry of Tourism. We sought to evidence the appropriation, reproduction, and use of the aforementioned discourse in this policy and, later, to reflect on its intentions regarding the actions, projects, and programs performed under President Jair Bolsonaro, also encompassing articulations with the Brazilian World Heritage Cities Organization (OCBPM). This analysis was inspired by Michel Foucault's proposals to elucidate knowledge, powers, and dangers of discourse. We also discussed previous experiences between Unesco and Brazil, particularly the case of the Historic Center of Salvador –known as Pelourinho and also recognized as a World Heritage Site – from a historical perspective focused on its relationship with tourism, evidencing the controversial discursive plot described above. The conclusions of this work point to the need to confront the relentless ongoing discourse that is the object of this research and to seek other potential solutions for World Heritage tourism management to act in view of the current expectations of the future.