ECOTOURISM IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BARREIRINHAS/MA UNDER THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS OF A PROFESSIONALIZING COURSE

Abstract

This paper aimed to discuss the understanding of teachers, who work in professional education, regarding the tourist phenomenon. Being the main activity of the municipality of Barreirinhas, Maranhão, main seat of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, ecotourism is the object of study of this work. We tried to understand the sharing of teachers' reality, based on the theoretical framework of Social Representations. Tourism was also presented from the perspective of SISTUR. In this sense, it is an exploratory and descriptive research, with a qualitative approach. Teachers' representations of tourism in Lençóis Maranhenses demonstrate that tourist services and public management have hampered the development of tourism in the region. The studied group recognized that there is great potential in the activity, due to the structure of means of accommodation and the natural heritage in which ecotourism is its main activity.