The objective of this study was to analyse the dynamic between different governing
organizations under the interventions associated with the Programa de Regionalização do
Turismo (PRT – Regionalization of Tourism Program) in the municipalities of Santarém
and Belterra, in western Pará state, in the Brazilian Amazon. To this end, six research
objectives were developed: 1) identify the process through which these organizations were
created; 2) outline the primary elements in the decision-making process that the
municipalities of Santarém and Belterra have adopted; 3) analyze the conduct of PRT
through the practice of these governing organizations; 4) characterize the governing
institutions that participate directly in the PRT; 5) examine the relationships between the
representatives of these governing organizations; 6) and identify the role of these
governing organizations with respect to tourism development. Research looked at the
relationship between governance, public policy and tourism from a descriptive and
exploratory methodological approach on. In addition to bibliographic sources, data were
collected in loco by way of structured surveys administered to institutional representatives
that compose the three (03) levels of governance in the municipalities of Santarém and
Belterra, and which interact directly with PRT: Grupo Gestor Santarém Belterra; Conselho
Municipal de Turismo – COMTUR Santarém; and Fórum Regional de Turismo –
FORETUR Tapajós. The data were analysed through an extensive theoretical lens such as:
Souza (2000: 2002); Barquero (2001); Bourdenave (1994); Boullón (2005); Schneider
(2005); Castoriadis (2002); Azevedo & Anastasia (2002), among others. The results
demonstrate that certain elements such as: a) the electoral process for members of the
organizations; b) the balance of representation among the organizations; c) organizational
performance; d) qualitative participation between members of the organization; e) the
presence of systematic group evaluations; f) quantity and quality of partnerships between
the organizations; g) and dissemination and access of information between members of the
organization, have the power to stimulate local development. The logic behind holding
public consultations takes into consideration many sectors of society, including tourism.
However, given the political rationale behind these public consultations which
democratically discuss the best decisions to take towards tourism planning and
management, it can be said that public consultations to negotiate tourism development in
the municipalities researched are linked to a process of aggregated individual preferences
and are infused by legal representatives, rather than a deliberate stricto sensu dimension
that also involves the formation and transformation of preferences in the construction of
consensus and in the discussion of disagreements. In addition, the governing organizations
discourage participation in planning and management given overlapping actions that have
resulted from numerous failed policy attempts directed towards tourism in the region, since
the 1970s. Finally, the tourism governing organizations are organized in order to attend to
individual economic preferences, whereas PRT is directed towards the construction of
material products generated from the creation of tour packages. Thus, the interests of PRT
are commercially driven, rather than with promoting local and regional development.
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