Turismo religioso comunitário na terra santa dos Alagados: entre a matriz “Paróquia de Alagados” e os atores sociais a partir de uma pesquisa participante

Abstract

Community Catholic Religious Tourism allows respect for human beings and the process of social development of the territory, as it values the customs and beliefs of the population, assuming the position of a model of touristic activity in which the community is the main agent. In an attempt to understand this dynamic and to propose a technology for territorial development, this academic research was carried out with the aim of articulating the touristic activities of the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Alagados and St John Paul II in the Alagados Territory, in the Uruguai District; describing the historical process and its interventions based on the actions presented in the researcher's Timeline; understanding the contribution and participation of the "local social actors" regarding territorial development; and identifying and ordering the Catholic religious touristic routes in the territory with the participation of the social actors. Based on participatory research, the experience of the Catholic faith and the researcher's experience of community life with residents of the Uruguai District, the research was carried out with social implication through observation-action, interviews, and documentary analysis. It also proposes the innovative concept of community-based Catholic religious tourism, a contribution to studies of social management and territorial development; it identified and organised the “Alagados, Land of Three Saints" itineraries of community-based religious tourism which integrate the parish into the territory, providing benefits to the population living in its surroundings and contributing to improving the community's quality of life by expanding the links and providing greater flexibility in the territory's tourism production chain.