Lorsqu'il est développé dans le respect de la culture locale et de l'environnement naturel, le tourisme peut-être un facteur de croissance économique durable. Cette industrie a la particularité d'offrir des produits intangibles dont le succès dépend de la qualité de l'information transmise. L'avènement des nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) est venu transformer cette industrie. À présent, les intervenants touristiques doivent intégrer les TIC dans la gestion de leurs opérations et prendre le virage d'Internet pour promouvoir leurs activités. L'initiative en e-tourisme, mise en place par la Conférence des Nations Unies sur le commerce et le développement (CNUCED), incite les pays en développement à saisir l'opportunité offerte par les TIC pour gérer leur destination de manière plus autonome. La création d'un Système de gestion de la destination (SGD) permet aux pays de promouvoir et de gérer leur offre auprès des voyageurs internationaux. En minimisant les intermédiaires, les pays en développement peuvent retenir une part plus importante des retombées économiques générées par le tourisme. Pourtant, des initiatives nationales en e-tourisme oublient souvent d'inclure des régions rurales défavorisées qui présentent pourtant un potentiel touristique. Tel est le cas de la région de Gracias au Honduras qui ne fait pas partie, à court et moyen terme, de la stratégie nationale de promotion du tourisme. La mise en place d'un SGD au niveau local permettrait à chaque région de construire son propre développement touristique et de gérer sa visibilité auprès des voyageurs internationaux. Or, est-il possible d'implanter un SGD local en milieu rural? Nous avons analysé la faisabilité d'implanter un SGD dans la région de Gracias au Honduras. Pour y parvenir, nous avons évalué le potentiel touristique, l'accessibilité aux TIC, ainsi que la collaboration des acteurs locaux qui sont les trois piliers préalables à l'implantation d'un SGD. Pour faire l'évaluation de ces trois piliers, nous avons réalisé des entrevues avec les acteurs locaux impliqués dans le développement touristique et celui des TIC, et récolté des données par l'intermédiaire de questionnaires. Les principaux résultats montrent que les deux premiers piliers ne posaient pas de problèmes majeurs à l'implantation d'un SGD dans cette zone. En effet, la région de Gracias offre un potentiel touristique à la fois sur le plan culturel, naturel, et patrimonial. Cette région est aussi dotée d'une infrastructure technologique de base pour mettre en place un SGD. En revanche, la difficulté de la collaboration des acteurs locaux constitue l'enjeu clé de la faisabilité d'implantation d'un SGD. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Système de Gestion de la Destination, Tourisme durable, Développement local, Gouvernance participative.

Uppsatsen behandlar ämnet turism och rättvis handel ur en geografisk synvinkel. Utgångspunkten är den ideella organisationen Tourism Concerns kriterier för en rättvis turism, som poängterar researrangörernas uppfostrande roll i marknadsföringen. Enligt detta NGO-perspektiv borde researrangören tillgodose resenären med information som möjliggör ett medvetet val, uppmuntrar resenären till ett mer ansvarsfullt och rättvist beteende väl på destinationen samt en rättvis beskrivning av destinationer i marknadsföringen. De menar att en påläst turist bidrar till ett mer rättvist förhållande mellan turist och lokalbefolkning. Fair Trade – rättvis handel inom turism behandlas i uppsatsen dels som ett medel för en mer rättvis regionalgeografisk beskrivning av platser, dels som en väg till regional utveckling. Uppsatsen syfte är att beskriva och analysera de tre största svenska researrangörerna, Apollo, Fritidsresor och Vingresor, information till resenären gällande ansvarsfullt och rättvist resande, dels genom konkreta råd till resenären, dels i marknadsföringen av destinationer i utvecklingsländer. Vidare undersöker uppsatsen även svenska resenärers inställning till en mer rättvis turism. Uppsatsen beskriver resenärens respektive researrangörens roll för en utveckling av en mer rättvis turism i framtiden. Den empiriska undersökningen baserar sig på analyser av researrangörernas hemsidor och kataloger, en enkätundersökning om svenska resenärers inställning till en mer rättvis turism samt en intervju med Eleonore Fauré på Fair Trade Center. Uppsatsens resultat är att både researrangörerna och resenärerna spelar en stor roll för utvecklingen av en rättvisare turism. I dagsläget krävs förändringar dels hos researrangörerna, dels hos resenären för att en rättvisare turism ska bli möjlig i framtiden. Researrangörerna måste bredda sitt ansvarsområde och även innefatta frågor av ekonomisk, kulturell och social karaktär, inte bara miljöfrågor. De konkreta råden till resenären och beskrivningen av destinationer i marknadsföringen måste bli mer sanningsenlig och öppen med de problem som turismen för med sig. Resenären å andra sidan, måste använda sin konsumentmakt genom att öka sina krav på och ställa frågor till sin researrangör för att dessa frågor ska få högre prioritet. Resultatet av min enkätundersökning visar att i dagsläget är detta inte fallet. Ur ett geografiskt perspektiv är dessa förändringar viktiga, eftersom en mer rättvis turism kan främja den regionala utvecklingen i destinationsländerna.

The reason to return is a phenomenon which tells us that many people want to travel back to a destination they visited before. Even if there are changes in the society with the New tourist who seeks for the authentic, this essay is proving that there still is a dominance of repeat tourism and search for belonging and safety. That implication shows evidence that there still are remaining from old tourism about security with the destination and so on. Further, investigation tells us about the returning tourists, their driving forces and push-factors that create a will for tourists to return. Is it a question of how loyal tourists are to the destination, attitudes and/or tradition when planning the trip? We have made a survey that covers why tourists travel and what impacts are created during their decisions. Also included are the questions about the will of return and the reasons why. Having children proved to be a crucial part of the decision making process, where parents chose destinations out of the children-oriented places. Returning to a destination, on the other hand, is a product of safety-seeking together with a positive experience and beautiful surroundings, all weaved up to raison d'être - just to be.

No description available.

Increasing population levels of physical activity is a key public health priority in combating chronic non-communicable diseases. Epidemiological evidence for the health benefits of moderate-intensity physical activity has aroused interest in active transport, particularly walking. Social ecological models, and specifically policy and environmental approaches to increasing active transport are core elements of public health goals. There is currently limited walking for transport data in Australia that can be analysed using public health criteria. There is some evidence that socio-demographic differentials may exist. Investigations of the correlates of walking for transport suggest that residents of neighbourhoods with greater population densities, more land use mix, greater street connectivity and better walking and cycling infrastructure, tend to walk and cycle more. The studies in this Thesis start to address some aspects of these knowledge gaps by focussing on the social, personal and environmental correlates of adults’ walking for transport. These studies aim to identify how active commuting and transport options might potentially be used to increase adult levels of health-enhancing physical activity, through increased walking. In doing so, it assists in increasing understanding about ways to link public health policy initiatives more strongly to the transport and urban-design fields, and to other sectors with an interest in active transport. The thesis begins with a literature review of the descriptive epidemiology and correlates of walking for transport. Chapter 2 is a secondary analysis of existing data from a statewide survey of adults. It reports socio-demographic variations in moderate to brisk paced walking for transport, and the contribution of walking for transport to health-enhancing physical activity, separately from walking for recreation. The results showed that rates of sufficient walking for transport using public health criteria (10% for men; 9% for women) were slightly less than those for walking for recreation or exercise (14% for both men and women). Few socio-demographic differences emerged in rates of walking for transport. Men aged over 60 years were significantly less likely to walk for transport. Walking contributed more toward meeting the current public-health guidelines among women (15% to 21%) than among men (6% to 8%). The Thesis then examines relevant issues associated with walking to two discrete destinations, within a defined local-community context. The first destination-type was primary schools (Chapter 3). In this study, the prevalence and duration of walking to and from school, together with perceived influences on doing so, were examined among parents of primary school children. Findings showed that, despite the overall low prevalence of walking to school by parents, health-enhancing benefits may be achieved, even when other modes of transport are used in conjunction with walking. Walking was a common (28%) mode of transport for journeys less than two kilometres. Eighteen percent of parents who travelled by modes other than walking also walked for at least 10 minutes. Significantly greater proportions of parents who walked for at least 10 minutes: had only one car in their household; had a child who attended a government school; did not have a driver’s licence; had 10 years or less of education; and, lived within two kilometres of the school. Factors perceived by parents as influencing walking to and from school were: being physically active; safety concerns for the child walking alone; not having to park; walking being the child’s preferred option; there being too much motor vehicle traffic; and, their child’s age and road sense. The second destination-type examined was tertiary education institutions (Chapter 4). In this study, associations of stages of motivational readiness for active transport with perceived barriers and incentives to walking to and from university among students were examined. Common barriers to walking were long travel distances, inconvenience and time constraints. Common incentives were shorter travel distance, having more time, supportive infrastructure and better security. Those not considering active commuting (pre-contemplators) were significantly more likely to report shorter travel distance as an incentive compared to those in the contemplation-preparation stage. Those in the contemplation-preparation stage were significantly more likely to report lack of motivation, inadequate infrastructure, shorter travel distance and inconvenience as barriers; and, having more time, supportive infrastructure, social support and incentive programs as enablers. Chapter 5 explores ways of linking public health policy initiatives with other sectors. Structured interviews with senior and middle level administrators from public, private and community groups were used to assess perceived barriers and enablers to active transport. Key themes emerged from the study relating to infrastructure delivery, public transport services, walk- and cycle-friendly community attributes, political leadership and government coordination, and societal travel norms and culture. There were also themes relating to limited resources and limited relevant technical expertise, institutional and practitioner cultures, and agencies not identifying with their roles in active transport. Broader intersectoral policies and cross-government initiatives were seen to hold promise, including economic incentives and built environment guidelines, campaigns targeting public attitudes and opinions, and community participation in policy-making. The findings from these studies and the implications for increasing physical activity through walking for transport are discussed in Chapter 6. These findings have potential to be used to inform intervention approaches, study initiatives and future research directions across key sectors for specific subgroups and particular destinations. Physical activity strategies and programs could feasibly be designed within community and organisational settings to increase adults’ rates of participation in walking for transport.

Humans are inherently drawn to places of naural scenic beauty. Alone in Australia's national parks; the demand on these locations is increasing because of increased population plus increasing regional domestic travel. It is important to understand how tourists are utilising nature-based tourism resources to ensure that tourist attractions, facilities and services provided in parks are not exposed to loss events. Environmental and human losses, when combined with their likelihood of occurrence, will constitute risk. Heavy use of popular sites in particular times of the year, beyond the carrying capacity, may result in an irreparable environmental loss. Besides, human risks in terms of becoming lost in the wilderness or falling down from the cliff are significant factors that park managers are considering. It is becoming utmost important to investigate how these visitors are interacting with the natural environment, in what ways at highly vunerable sites. Park managers are now required to understand the needs, demands, preferences and motivation of visitors to vist the parks. A proactive planning to manage potential risk particularly in relatively more fragile and vulnerable environments is needed. This thesis documents a study of visitors to Loch Ard Gorge Site within the Port Campbell National Park, Victoria. Visitors were monitored for their spatial behaviour using the GPS receivers. Visitor's attitude, interests, opinions and motives to travel to the study location is surveyed using onsite self-administrated questionnaire. Total 102 individuals were surveyed to determine their preferences and to obtain their socio-demographical profiles.These were latter coupled with their GPS track movements in order to derive their elicited spatial behaviour. It is well-established fact that visitors' attitude, preferences, and socio-demographical profiles are important factors to identify risk taking spatial behaviour. Hence, this research underpins the exhibited spatial behaviour of tourist to deliver their associated spatial behavioural risk typologies. Statistical classifications of visitors, based on survey responses were categorised using K-means Cluster Analysis. As a result, six different tourist types were obtained. They are; • Mid-Allocentics possibly Risk Takers. • Allocentrics and confirmed Risk Takers. • Mid-Psychocentrics and Risk Averters. • Allocentrics and Dependent Risk Takers. • Psychocentrics and confirming Risk Averters. • Psychocentrics and Risk Averters Mass Tourists. The mean values of all clusters (cluster centroids) are interpreted to understand tourist's risk taking and/or risk averting preferences. Visitors' actual spatial behavioural were spatially analysed using movement pattern maps. The typologies subsequently were verified using Discriminant Function Analysis and in this process tests of equality of group means (Significance of F-test), ANOVA classification are discussed. The final part of Discriminant Function Analysis is to determine the linear regression equations for prediction of group membership of data points in future using classification Function Matrix (Fisher's Linear Disceriminant Function). The developed tourist typologies may help park managers to regulate and mitigate human risk prior to its occurrence by understanding the visitors personality and preferences and their risk taking probabilities.

Increasing population levels of physical activity is a key public health priority in combating chronic non-communicable diseases. Epidemiological evidence for the health benefits of moderate-intensity physical activity has aroused interest in active transport, particularly walking. Social ecological models, and specifically policy and environmental approaches to increasing active transport are core elements of public health goals. There is currently limited walking for transport data in Australia that can be analysed using public health criteria. There is some evidence that socio-demographic differentials may exist. Investigations of the correlates of walking for transport suggest that residents of neighbourhoods with greater population densities, more land use mix, greater street connectivity and better walking and cycling infrastructure, tend to walk and cycle more. The studies in this Thesis start to address some aspects of these knowledge gaps by focussing on the social, personal and environmental correlates of adults’ walking for transport. These studies aim to identify how active commuting and transport options might potentially be used to increase adult levels of health-enhancing physical activity, through increased walking. In doing so, it assists in increasing understanding about ways to link public health policy initiatives more strongly to the transport and urban-design fields, and to other sectors with an interest in active transport. The thesis begins with a literature review of the descriptive epidemiology and correlates of walking for transport. Chapter 2 is a secondary analysis of existing data from a statewide survey of adults. It reports socio-demographic variations in moderate to brisk paced walking for transport, and the contribution of walking for transport to health-enhancing physical activity, separately from walking for recreation. The results showed that rates of sufficient walking for transport using public health criteria (10% for men; 9% for women) were slightly less than those for walking for recreation or exercise (14% for both men and women). Few socio-demographic differences emerged in rates of walking for transport. Men aged over 60 years were significantly less likely to walk for transport. Walking contributed more toward meeting the current public-health guidelines among women (15% to 21%) than among men (6% to 8%). The Thesis then examines relevant issues associated with walking to two discrete destinations, within a defined local-community context. The first destination-type was primary schools (Chapter 3). In this study, the prevalence and duration of walking to and from school, together with perceived influences on doing so, were examined among parents of primary school children. Findings showed that, despite the overall low prevalence of walking to school by parents, health-enhancing benefits may be achieved, even when other modes of transport are used in conjunction with walking. Walking was a common (28%) mode of transport for journeys less than two kilometres. Eighteen percent of parents who travelled by modes other than walking also walked for at least 10 minutes. Significantly greater proportions of parents who walked for at least 10 minutes: had only one car in their household; had a child who attended a government school; did not have a driver’s licence; had 10 years or less of education; and, lived within two kilometres of the school. Factors perceived by parents as influencing walking to and from school were: being physically active; safety concerns for the child walking alone; not having to park; walking being the child’s preferred option; there being too much motor vehicle traffic; and, their child’s age and road sense. The second destination-type examined was tertiary education institutions (Chapter 4). In this study, associations of stages of motivational readiness for active transport with perceived barriers and incentives to walking to and from university among students were examined. Common barriers to walking were long travel distances, inconvenience and time constraints. Common incentives were shorter travel distance, having more time, supportive infrastructure and better security. Those not considering active commuting (pre-contemplators) were significantly more likely to report shorter travel distance as an incentive compared to those in the contemplation-preparation stage. Those in the contemplation-preparation stage were significantly more likely to report lack of motivation, inadequate infrastructure, shorter travel distance and inconvenience as barriers; and, having more time, supportive infrastructure, social support and incentive programs as enablers. Chapter 5 explores ways of linking public health policy initiatives with other sectors. Structured interviews with senior and middle level administrators from public, private and community groups were used to assess perceived barriers and enablers to active transport. Key themes emerged from the study relating to infrastructure delivery, public transport services, walk- and cycle-friendly community attributes, political leadership and government coordination, and societal travel norms and culture. There were also themes relating to limited resources and limited relevant technical expertise, institutional and practitioner cultures, and agencies not identifying with their roles in active transport. Broader intersectoral policies and cross-government initiatives were seen to hold promise, including economic incentives and built environment guidelines, campaigns targeting public attitudes and opinions, and community participation in policy-making. The findings from these studies and the implications for increasing physical activity through walking for transport are discussed in Chapter 6. These findings have potential to be used to inform intervention approaches, study initiatives and future research directions across key sectors for specific subgroups and particular destinations. Physical activity strategies and programs could feasibly be designed within community and organisational settings to increase adults’ rates of participation in walking for transport.

This thesis analyses the potential of a complex adaptive systems (CASs) approach based on system dynamics modelling (SDM) to add value to the currently used assessment tools and monitoring practices for tourism sustainability in an effort to advance sustainable development in tourism destinations. While many different concepts and tools for the assessment of sustainability have developed, most of them do not take the complexity and dynamics of tourism destinations into account. It is argued in this thesis that these linear tools need to be complemented with new approaches that can deal with uncertainty, non-linearity and unexpected changes. New knowledge from ecosystem research, which is derived from complex systems theory, suggests that tourism destinations are indeed social-ecological systems, which need to be viewed and studied as CASs. In recent years tourism researchers have acknowledged the necessity to view tourism as a system with interconnected elements, and have discussed the unpredictability of these tourism systems. CASs approaches, which have been successfully applied by ecologists and economists in other areas, are indicated for tourism management, but have been rarely used in order to promote sustainable tourism development and planning. Appropriate methodologies and frameworks for the implementation of CASs approaches into the tourism context are still lacking. Therefore this thesis addresses the aforementioned challenges as follows: • A critical review of the concepts and tools currently used for the advancement and assessment of sustainability in tourism destinations is presented. The review evaluates the suitability of assessment tools for specific sites and situations, and develops guidelines for tool selection. It is concluded that for particular purposes linear assessment tools need to be combined or complemented with tools that can deal with complexity and dynamics. Tools covered include sustainability indicators, environmental impact assessment, life cycle assessment, environmental audits, ecological footprints, multi-criteria analysis and adaptive environmental assessment. • The use of sustainability indicator as one of the most promoted assessment tools for sustainable development in tourism destination is explored further. A systemic indicator system (SIS) methodology based on a CASs approach as an alternative to linear assessments is developed. This methodology is tested using a case study of a holiday eco-village near Lamington National Park in Queensland. The research findings suggest that the SIS has the potential to enhance system understanding and adaptive management of tourism destinations, and can foster collective learning processes amongst stakeholders. • A framework is developed for a Learning Tourism Destination (LTD) based on the concept of the Learning Organisation, and using SDM as a tool for strategic planning and the promotion of organisational learning. The concept of the LTD is discussed on the basis of 6 case studies, where SDM has been applied primarily for predictive reasons, and through evaluation of the potential of SDM as a tool for the implementation and enhancement of collective learning processes. The results reveal that SDM is capable of promoting communication between stakeholders and stimulating organisational learning. It is argued that the effectiveness of SDM may be greatly increased through incorporation in the foundation of an LTD. • A practical approach for the implementation of an LTD is presented. Preliminary results from a case study undertaken at the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia are discussed. Surveys were conducted to verify if the LTD forms a useful framework for fostering consensus building, dialogue and collective learning processes amongst stakeholders. The preliminary results of the study suggest that the implementation of an LTD on the Ningaloo Coast will improve the capacity of the local industry to take more responsibility for the sustainable development, and thus has the potential to enable a more effective transition to sustainability in the region. Through its multi-methodological approach, this thesis demonstrates the importance of considering tourism destinations as CASs. New concepts and assessment tools for sustainable tourism are needed that acknowledge the complex and dynamic nature of tourism and tourism development. Together, the SIS methodology and the LTD framework provide an initial platform from which to conduct further research.

This thesis analyses the potential of a complex adaptive systems (CASs) approach based on system dynamics modelling (SDM) to add value to the currently used assessment tools and monitoring practices for tourism sustainability in an effort to advance sustainable development in tourism destinations. While many different concepts and tools for the assessment of sustainability have developed, most of them do not take the complexity and dynamics of tourism destinations into account. It is argued in this thesis that these linear tools need to be complemented with new approaches that can deal with uncertainty, non-linearity and unexpected changes. New knowledge from ecosystem research, which is derived from complex systems theory, suggests that tourism destinations are indeed social-ecological systems, which need to be viewed and studied as CASs. In recent years tourism researchers have acknowledged the necessity to view tourism as a system with interconnected elements, and have discussed the unpredictability of these tourism systems. CASs approaches, which have been successfully applied by ecologists and economists in other areas, are indicated for tourism management, but have been rarely used in order to promote sustainable tourism development and planning. Appropriate methodologies and frameworks for the implementation of CASs approaches into the tourism context are still lacking. Therefore this thesis addresses the aforementioned challenges as follows: • A critical review of the concepts and tools currently used for the advancement and assessment of sustainability in tourism destinations is presented. The review evaluates the suitability of assessment tools for specific sites and situations, and develops guidelines for tool selection. It is concluded that for particular purposes linear assessment tools need to be combined or complemented with tools that can deal with complexity and dynamics. Tools covered include sustainability indicators, environmental impact assessment, life cycle assessment, environmental audits, ecological footprints, multi-criteria analysis and adaptive environmental assessment. • The use of sustainability indicator as one of the most promoted assessment tools for sustainable development in tourism destination is explored further. A systemic indicator system (SIS) methodology based on a CASs approach as an alternative to linear assessments is developed. This methodology is tested using a case study of a holiday eco-village near Lamington National Park in Queensland. The research findings suggest that the SIS has the potential to enhance system understanding and adaptive management of tourism destinations, and can foster collective learning processes amongst stakeholders. • A framework is developed for a Learning Tourism Destination (LTD) based on the concept of the Learning Organisation, and using SDM as a tool for strategic planning and the promotion of organisational learning. The concept of the LTD is discussed on the basis of 6 case studies, where SDM has been applied primarily for predictive reasons, and through evaluation of the potential of SDM as a tool for the implementation and enhancement of collective learning processes. The results reveal that SDM is capable of promoting communication between stakeholders and stimulating organisational learning. It is argued that the effectiveness of SDM may be greatly increased through incorporation in the foundation of an LTD. • A practical approach for the implementation of an LTD is presented. Preliminary results from a case study undertaken at the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia are discussed. Surveys were conducted to verify if the LTD forms a useful framework for fostering consensus building, dialogue and collective learning processes amongst stakeholders. The preliminary results of the study suggest that the implementation of an LTD on the Ningaloo Coast will improve the capacity of the local industry to take more responsibility for the sustainable development, and thus has the potential to enable a more effective transition to sustainability in the region. Through its multi-methodological approach, this thesis demonstrates the importance of considering tourism destinations as CASs. New concepts and assessment tools for sustainable tourism are needed that acknowledge the complex and dynamic nature of tourism and tourism development. Together, the SIS methodology and the LTD framework provide an initial platform from which to conduct further research.

Submitted by Tatiana Lima (tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2016-03-22T19:19:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Brito, Alex Silva de.pdf: 3346563 bytes, checksum: 4ee3e58c375a0e2808f23db3f05b7dab (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima (tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2016-04-19T18:22:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Brito, Alex Silva de.pdf: 3346563 bytes, checksum: 4ee3e58c375a0e2808f23db3f05b7dab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-19T18:22:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Brito, Alex Silva de.pdf: 3346563 bytes, checksum: 4ee3e58c375a0e2808f23db3f05b7dab (MD5) / Atualmente um dos maiores desafios que enfrentam os destinos turísticos, as empresas e as organizações neles inseridos, está relacionado com o tema governança em territórios turísticos, sua sistematização e processo de intervenção nos espaços públicos (territórios turísticos). Com a contribuição do mesmo para o processo de sustentabilidade do destino e dos negócios visando à melhoria na qualidade de vida das pessoas que vivem e trabalham nas cidades inseridas no destino. Para isso, é necessário respeitar o ambiente, proporcionar equidade social, e promover o desenvolvimento econômico e social e pensar no processo de cooperação social e empresarial. Face aos atuais hábitos culturais da sociedade, considera-se de extrema importância que exista um processo metodológico de intervenção na renovação das organizações públicas e privadas, tendo em vista o fortalecimento de uma instância de governança sustentável. Diante disso, escolheuse como tema deste trabalho “Governança como fator de competitividade e de desenvolvimento do destino turístico Costa das Baleias (BA): Uma análise comparativa com Bento Gonçalves (RS)”. O objetivo geral do estudo foi identificar nas práticas de governança do município de Bento Gonçalves-RS, ações que possibilitem desenvolver uma estratégia tecnológica de governança que fortaleça a gestão dos destinos turísticos da Costa das Baleias-BA. Para tanto, foi necessário: conceituar e explicar as terminações “governança” e “gestão”; contextualizar a governança no setor turístico; identificar as práticas de governança no turismo aplicadas no município de Bento Gonçalves e os desafios enfrentados para sua implantação; identificar os desafios enfrentados e as práticas de governança no turismo aplicadas na Costa das Baleias; e, verificar os pontos que necessitam de fortalecimento no destino Costa das Baleias. O trabalho foi desenvolvido por meio de um estudo exploratório e descritivo, baseado na pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Utilizou-se também a observação participante. No final da pesquisa foi possível concluir que Bento Gonçalves é efetivamente uma zona turística consolidada do Destino Serra Gaúcha, com uma liderança participativa e cooperativa, com uma Instância de Governança consolidada, baseada em alicerces da iniciativa privada, tendo total apoio do setor público. No que tange à Costa das Baleias, tem-se uma zona turística do Destino Bahia em franco crescimento, tendo que se adotar algumas medidas quanto ao modelo da Câmara de Turismo, no entanto, percebe-se que há um terreno fértil para o desenvolvimento da Instância. Currently one of the biggest challenges facing tourist destinations, businesses and organizations that they carry, is related to the theme of governance in tourist areas, and its systematic process of intervention in public spaces (tourist areas). With its contribution to the process of sustainability of the destination and the business aimed at improving the quality of people life living and working in inserted in the destination cities. For this, it is necessary to respect the environment, provide social equity, and promote economic and social development and thinking in social and business cooperation process. Considering the current cultural habits of society, it is counted of utmost importance that there is a methodological process of intervention in the renewal of public and private organizations in order to strengthen an instance of sustainable governance. Therefore, we chose as the theme of this paper "Governance as a competitiveness and development factor of the tourist destination Whale Coast (BA): A comparative analysis with Bento Gonçalves (RS)". The overall objective of the study was to identify the governance practices of the city of Bento Gonçalves (RS), actions that enable develop a technology strategy of governance that strengthens the management of tourist destinations in Costa Whale (BA). Therefore, it was necessary to: conceptualize and explain the terms "governance" and "management"; contextualize governance in the tourism sector; identify governance practices applied in tourism in the city of Bento Gonçalves and challenges to its implementation; identify challenges and governance practices applied in tourism in Whale Coast; and check points that need strengthening in the destination Whale Coast. The work was developed through an exploratory and descriptive study, based on literature, documentary and field research. We also used participant observation. At the end of the research it was concluded that Bento Gonçalves is effectively an established tourist area of Fate Serra Gaúcha, with a participatory and cooperative leadership, with an consolidated Instance of Governance, based on foundations in the private sector, with full support from the public sector. Regarding the Whale Coast, has become a booming tourist zone of the Bahia Destination, having to adopt some measures regarding the model of the Chamber of Tourism, however, one realizes that there is a fertile ground for the development of instance.