A agenda governamental local: o caso da política de turismo em Ouro Preto

Abstract

This paper seeks to analyze the factors that influence the tourism policy changes in the local governmental agenda based on theoretical approaches that explain the agenda-setting process. A single case study, Ouro Preto - Minas Gerais, was important to comprehend in-depth a topic that is still underexplored, which can contribute as a reference to analyze a global phenomenon - the tourism. The data were collected through documental research and semi-structured interviews with governmental managers involved in this field, local leaderships, and representatives from private and non-governmental organizations, and they were analyzed through a content analysis method. The findings show that the political changes were explained by an alternation between two ideas – promoting tourism to economic development and the preservation of the historic heritage – influenced by specific actors who were key to build consensus around these antagonistic and irreconcilable ideas. We conclude that the way tourism was historically seem in the governmental of Ouro Preto was influenced by the political context and ideas that local actors have about the tourism impact in the city's development.