The “Quatrilho” agritourism route of Gramado (RS, Brazil): an analysis for the repositioning

Abstract

In Gramado (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) four agritourism routes are offered: “Mergulho no Vale”, “Raízes Coloniais”, “Encantos Coloniais” and “Quatrilho”. Released and promoted through the Festa da Colônia (Colonial Festival), some of them receive expressive number of visitors, while the “Quatrilho” (that includes the village where the real drama that inspired the book took place) faces a critical moment of its life cycle. As a research technique it was adopted the direct observa- tion, unstructured interview, and documents research. This reflexive analysis is based on elements of participant management, marketing and communication theories, aiming identifying aspects that can contribute for the route repositioning in the market and increase its visitants demand. Such theoretical contributions indicate the importance of innovation and participation of entrepreneurs in the regional management of tourism as a way of extending the life cycle of this tourist product.