VELHO CHICO: da narrativa audiovisual ao turismo de telenovelas em Pirapora (MG)

Abstract

Film-induced tourism is an emerging line of research that deals with the contribution that audiovisual productions can make to the formation of social imaginary about tourist destinations. From this conception the city of Pirapora, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was used as the locus of study, and the object of the analysis was the national television series Velho Chico, a telenovela. The following objectives were established for this research: a) to investigate the contribution of the images reproduced in the series in the formation of the imaginary as the tourist destination of Pirapora; b) to discuss the role played by organizations focused on destination management, in the staging of the audiovisual production and the later use of the cultural product; and c) to identify the promotional elements resulting from the showing of the telenovela that make direct reference to the destination. The theoretical-conceptual framework was designed to allow an understanding of the elements pertinent to the theory of tourism induced by films, considering the main audiovisual product in the Brazilian context, of the telenovela. In addition the presentation of concepts and aspects related to the marketing of tourist destinations, with a focus on marketing strategies for tourism induced by audiovisual productions, and in particular the contextualization of the São Francisco River Valley, considering geographic and cultural aspects that shape the communities in its surroundings. To achieve the proposed objectives, a qualitative approach was chosen as a research methodology, using bibliographic research and content analysis. Initially, the analyzes were carried out based on selected scenes, observing symbolic aspects for the formation of the imaginary about the São Francisco River and the riverside peoples, which includes the imaginary of the city of Pirapora. This step was complemented and enriched with data related to promotional actions carried out in the period and with the testimony of two key informants who, in 2016, were involved in destination management organizations (DMO), namely, the Municipal Tourism Company of Pirapora (EMUTUR) and the Guimarães Rosa Circuit (CGR). The results obtained indicate the convergence between tourism and soap operas in the city of Pirapora. With regard to the contribution of the images reproduced in the telenovela in the formation of the imaginary of the tourist destination, it was found that Velho Chico addressed important geographical, social and cultural aspects present in the São Francisco River Valley. Pirapora gained prominence through Vapor Benjamim Guimarães, one of the last passenger steamboats, its main tourist attraction. Regarding the role played by organizations focused on destination management, the strategies adopted for capturing audiovisual production and further promoting the destination from that point on were identified, highlighting EMUTUR's role in this process. Promotional elements arising from the telenovela that made direct reference to the destination in the pre-production period for about two months before televising were also identified. There were reports, launch parties, engagement campaigns and other actions described in the analysis. As immediate benefits, the city obtained resources for minor repairs to Steamboat Benjamim Guimarães, increased economic activity related to the expenditure of the production team and an increase in tourist flow during the initial period of the soap opera exhibition.