Abstract

DE PADUA CARRIERI, Alexandre et al. The Tourist Activity: A Strategy for Central Markets Metamorphosis. The Case of São Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile. Estud. perspect. tur. [online]. 2012, vol.21, n.1, pp.88-107. ISSN 1851-1732.

This article aims to discuss culinary tourism as a strategy for the survival of old central markets, using two case studies: Mercado Central de Santiago (the Central Market of Santiago - Chile) and Mercado Municipal de São Paulo (São Paulo City Market, São Paulo- Brazil). The theoretical approach used was a strategic practice arisen from practice of everyday life and experience. Such strategies were found to be in place through the means of social representations. It was believed that this would be the viable way, since two complex organizations comprehending several family organizations were under examination. These organizations are made of subjects who interact and who improve on their practices based on the inter-relations established within the common space of the markets. This article may therefore be regarded as having a descriptive-exploratory character, whose focus is the relationship between the subjects and the hegemonic media discourse with the purpose of observing the relationship between them concerning the representations surrounding the strategies implemented. To this end, a qualitative approach was used collecting data from observations made on the spot, newspapers' reports and semi-structured interviews, which were interpreted by the Discourse Analysis method. The strategic axis in place was clearly shown to be that of culinary tourism, however still explored in a little sustainable way, generating with plenty of conflicts. The result of this study is a firm belief that getting the subjects to systematically reflect upon the advantages and disadvantages of the tactics in place would provide for improved outcomes of the strategic practice in use.

Keywords : Tourist activity; Central markets; Social representation; Strategy; Discourse analysis.

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