Hospitality network: community tourism and solidarity economy in Ceará

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the constitution of solidarity networks established based on an integrated system of cooperation, held in communities located on the east coast of Ceará State. The study is very provocative, in that the development of tourism known as community-based, we could observe the emergence of social ties established in those communities that directly or indirectly been organized along the lines of solidarity economy, a system which assumes a relationship of respectful exchange among tourists, local community and nature. For this paper we present partial results of research carried out in eight of twelve communities TUCUM Network - Community Tourism Network of Ceará. The study is designed as a reference, the system of the gift, a model of social exchange, suggested by Marcel Mauss (1974), based on a chain of gifts and counter gifts that can succeed indefinitely and that is the basis of relations of hospitality and also by the author Paulo Henrique Martins (2002) which depicts the bases of solidarity in modern society, through urban social practices. This is a qualitative research with explanatory case study, which uses the methods of formal interview, in addition to gathering information on documents and bibliographic sources. In the villages studied, the groups are organized in family-based design collective, the idealized community tourism is based on ethics and solidarity to establish trade relations and exchanges between the community and visitors, and management is based on building a relationship between society, culture and nature in favor of social and environmental sustainability. It may be noted that tourism activities in these areas are held by local communities through collaborative networks established from social ties created spontaneously as proposals for a management partnership that excels in the exchange of knowledge and experiences with each other, with the goal of developing knowledge and skills for all involved.