Plastic Waste in the sun and beach tourism segment: initiatives, perceptions and behaviors in the municipalities of Costa do Sol/RJ
Sustainability. Plastics. Sun and Beach Tourism. Integrated solid waste management. Circular economy
The research object of the thesis is plastic waste in the Sol e Praia tourist segment. Thus, the general objective is to analyze the initiatives, behaviors and perceptions of key actors in the tourist destinations that make up Costa do Sol/RJ. The specific objectives are: Characterize how public policies for the management of plastic waste cover the tourism sector on the Brazilian coast; Identify initiatives to replace and eliminate plastic artifacts and dispose of plastic waste in the public sector and F&B tourism businesses; Verify the perceptions and behaviors of Sol e Praia tourists and food and beverage service providers regarding the use and disposal of plastic artifacts in the coastal area. To this end, the qualitative and exploratory study will use the methodological resources of bibliographic and documentary research and field research, when it will include the techniques of non-participant observation and unstructured interviews. For the interviews, representatives of municipal management and their departments, food and beverage service providers and tourist consumers of this segment of tourism in the municipalities of Costa do Sol/RJ, in Brazil, were considered. The coast selected for field research is known for its tourist interest. It, one of the regions of the Brazilian Tourist Map Regionalization Program, is made up of 13 municipalities. The questions raised mention global plastic policies and initiatives, highlighting the management of this material in terms of the use of utensils and packaging (reuse, recycling, replacement) and disposal.