Fonte: Journal of Tourism & Development; 2012: E1; 9-18
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Resumo: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in industrial tourism which has resulted in the emergence of numerous projects in this area. In Europe and other continents, these projects focus on routes and itineraries of industrial tourism. Currently, industrial tourism is experiencing a rapid evolution where exploratory projects are transformed into professional forms of tourism supply due to the high interest of companies in exploring the activity considered promising from the economic point of view. The rate by which this transformation takes place prevents an adequate reflection about the type of products that are offered to the consumers on the general designation of 'industrial tourism'.This paper intends to address the origins and current situation of industrial tourism by analyzing its relationship with an adequate use of the industrial heritage, pointing out its weaknesses and opportunities. The development of this work aims to confirm the growth of the sector, to reflect on the necessary requirements in safeguarding industrial heritage and to promote the region’s socio-economic development where they are established
