Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; v. 2, n. 21/22 (2014); 363-375
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Resumo: This paper is based on the assumption that tourism possesses an increasing role in the reconfiguration of rural territories in contemporary societies, both in material and in symbolic terms and as a consequence of their (also growing) institution as consumption spaces particularly oriented to leisure and recreation activities. In this sense, the touristic promotion of rural areas seems to place great emphasis, particularly in the last few years, in the features that constitute those areas as attractive spaces, full of leisure opportunities and able to provide unique and wholesome experiences, combining tradition and modernity elements. The promotion of the rural is based on and simultaneously appeals to the urban imaginary on rurality, representing it as ‘idyllic’, ‘authentic’ and ‘genuine’. Based on the content analysis of the textual components of the promotional materials produced by Turismo de Portugal between 1986 and 2012 an specifically oriented to the promotion of rural destinations, the paper aims to analyze the representations of the rural territories and to debate the main transformations in the symbols and narratives used during that period. Empirical evidence demonstrates a clear orientation, in the last two decades, to the promotion of the rural as a natural and preserved space, devoted to tourists and apparently neglecting the local inhabitants and their activities.
