Perception of tourism workers in the Lençois Maranhenses National Park

Abstract

The workers in the tourism sector of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park play a crucial role in contributing to the protection and conservation of the environment in their area of operation. A study conducted in 2013 revealed that 53.8% of people working in ecotourism in the region had little knowledge about the purpose of creating national parks, and a significant portion had not received any preparatory training specifically focused on tourism. Therefore, this work aims to assess the current perception of people working in ecotourism in the municipalities that encompass the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Barreirinhas, Santo Amaro, and Primeira Cruz). The research was conducted through an online questionnaire created on the Google Forms application and made available from June to November 2021. We identified the profile of the respondents, considering characteristics such as origin, age range, gender, occupation, education level, personal opinions regarding the park, and issues related to tourism, training of individuals, and the benefits associated with this practice. It was found, after 7 years, that there has been an increase in education levels and knowledge about the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. However, 43.6% of respondents still could not indicate the objective behind its creation. Despite the increased percentage of correct answers compared to the previous survey, there is still much room for improvement, considering that the respondents are directly in contact with visitors. Based on these data, it is evident that there is a need to provide training focused on the basic knowledge of the specific conservation unit in which the guides operate. This could be addressed through the fulfillment of the requirements stated in Ordinance No. 769, where the content is tailored directly to the reality of each Conservation Unit.