Classification of long-distance trails into nature-based tourism niches:

Abstract

Hiking tourism has intensified in Brazil in recent years. Among the evidence of this process is the creation, in 2018, of the Brazilian Network of Long-Distance Trails (RBT), which brings together trails that require at least one overnight stay to complete their route. Considering the country's potential in this field and the rapid growth of this tourist offer, the research sought to develop and test a methodology to classify these trails according to niches in the nature tourism segment. To this end, it collected data from RBT websites and social media and from the Long-Distance Trails (LDT) of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as applied online questionnaires with managers to identify evidence that would make it possible to associate these trails with certain niches of nature tourism. As a result, it obtained a preliminary classification of the Long-Distance Trails of Rio Grande do Sul in relation to the niches of the nature tourism segment, as well as identified important aspects to be considered for the construction of methodologies with the same purpose.