Local tourist guides and their contributions to the management of State Parks Caverna do Diabo, Ilha do Cardoso and Tourist of Alto Ribeira (Ribeira River Valley, Brazil)

Abstract

The tourism in the natural protected areas in the State of São Paulo has been regulated since 1998, with the legal seal of the professional known as “monitor ambiental” (local tourist guide). Its performance was justified, initially, to fill a gap that the State could not meet, of having professionals accompanying visitors on tourist routes in the territories under its management. In this context, tourist guiding gained strength in regions such as Vale do Ribeira, a territory affected by several protected natural areas and with precariousness in the offer of jobs and income-generating opportunities. The present research was developed in the context of three State Parks in that region and sought to assess the vision of local tourist guides about their contribution to the management of the State Parks. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with local tourist guides, in order to obtain their vision of their performance, both as conductors of visitors and in other activities that they may develop. The results allowed us to conclude that the local tourist guides have a clear understanding of the theoretical and practical meaning of participatory management, as well as its wide performance and the problems of this relationship with the State.