Tourist experience at Serra do Espírito Santo Attraction located in Jalapão State Park (TO, Brazil)

Abstract

The present research analyzes the visitors' experience in tourist attractions in the Parque Estadual do Jalapão, Tocantins, in the northern region of Brazil. The general objective is to identify the quality of the experience perceived by the tourist when visiting Serra do Espírito Santo, an attraction of the park, based on the theoretical principles of the experience economy, which proposes to understand the consumer relation from four realms or dimensions: entertainment, educational/learning, escapism/evasion, and esthetic/contemplation. In terms of the extent to which the problem can be explored, the research is characterized as exploratory, allowing the researcher to assimilate the intricacies of the topic discussed. As for the approach to data collection and processing, it focuses on the qualitative form, characterized as an unstructured investigative process that enables the researcher to examine a topic to understand the context in which the phenomenon occurs. Regarding discussing the data, it is descriptive, to build an overview of a situation, event, or person or even to demonstrate how the objects of study are related to each other. Thus, the research is exploratory, qualitative, and descriptive, as it aims to describe the characteristics of the experience, analyzing comments about Serra do Espírito Santo, posted by tourists on the TripAdvisor platform. The methodology used for text examination followed the precepts of Content Analysis. Textual analysis techniques contained in R software packages were used for systematizing the texts, generating a set of tetragrams that were interpreted and organized according to the concepts of the realms of experience. Tetragrams with recreational meaning were labeled in the entertainment realm, while those that presented tips or information were labeled in the learning realm. The reports that refer to the sensation of contemplation were labeled in the esthetic realm, and ones that get away from reality or transcendence composed the set of reports in the escapism realm. The concentration of tetragrams showed that Serra do Espírito Santo is most perceived for its Esthetics (35%), followed by Learning (31%) and Entertainment (28%), with little variation between them. Escapism is the least evidenced realm (6%). It is observed, however, that the attraction has the potential to help travelers break the routine cycle and transport them to another reality at the time of the visit. On that account, Serra do Espírito Santo needs to improve the Escapism realm to provide a memorable experience.