Based on the theories of the social production of the space of Henri Lefêbvre and of the space as social instance of Milton Santos, this work establishes reflections about the production of the tourist space in Belém, capital of the Pará state, in particular on the Environmental Protection Area of Combu Island (APA Combu), located in the southern part of the city. Environment endowed with biological and cultural diversity important for the quality of life and well-being of the groups that inhabit it, has been undergoing long and slim bureaucratic processes in order to make sustainability of the use of natural resources difficult. The main objective is to analyze the perceptions, tensions and conflicts related to the practice of tourism by the different social actors that use this fraction of space (management institution, businessmen, organized civil society, local and external visitors, old and new residents), considering the urban and regional diversity in which APA is inserted. To carry out the study, the following methodological procedures were used: a) theoretical-conceptual bibliographical review of relevant themes, theories, concepts and notions; b) a bibliographical review of a historical-geographical character and a survey of secondary data on the southern part of the island and the insular region of Belém, as well as on the public policies pertinent to the environmental and tourism; c) Photographic survey of the Combu island. and surroundings with systematic observation in the field about the interaction between city-river-várzea-forest; d) conducting individual interviews recorded with semi-structured questions with technicians, planners and representatives of the public institution, linked to the policies of planning and environmental and tourism management of the Combu island; e) analysis and systematization of the data collected in relation to the theoretical framework previously defined and revised. The results showed us that the way of conceiving space has been transforming the lives of the residents of Combu, influenced by the presence of external agents, who have different interests regarding the use of space for leisure and tourism purposes. The presence of the new actors has repercussions mainly on promotional actions and interventions carried out by the State, making the island a place conducive to the search for new economic aspirations, the construction of commercial establishments and leisure activities, inspired by the growth of tourism in the place, happens to occupy one of the center of space disputes. In this way, it is understood that local-based tourism, which goes beyond the representation of sustainable discourse, should be strengthened, so that local populations maintain control over the processes imposed on them, prevailing the right to difference and collectivity, so present in the dimension of riverine experiences.
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