Abstract

LOPEZ, María José. Valuations and Social Meanings In The Renovation Of The Tourist Territory: The Case of Necochea, Argentina. El periplo sustentable [online]. 2017, n.33, pp.723-759. ISSN 1870-9036.

Necochea was proposed a tourist renewal. In this process the material spaces are transformed to reorganize and qualify the physical-functional space, but should also consider the symbolic spaces associated with meanings, values and expectations that residents and tourists have for the territory. The aim is to examine the social weights destination to capitalize on effective transformations. To do this, from a qualitative approach, valuations of residents and tourists from the territory are addressed in perspective: functional and symbolic. Regarding residents, the diagnosis made for the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism and a survey of participants revealed the functional and symbolic keys to renewal. As for tourists, the analysis of the survey conducted by the ENTUR 2014 revealed the functional and symbolic aspects positively and negatively valued. In the imaginary residents have a cognitive orientation associated with tangible attributes; there is a strong attachment, tourist expectations are favorable, environmental quality is a significant attribute and demand a tourism and environmental culture. In the tourists, the images relate to nature and have a symbolic content where experiential and sensory benefits is a central axis.

Keywords : Tourist renewal; Necochea; social valoration; symbolic space-functional space.