Rio Grande do Norte Regional Development and Governance
- Client: Secretariat of Planning and Financing – SEPLAN
- Partners: Secretariat of State for Tourism, UES/SETUR and UGP with the support of Tourism Regional Councils of the Poles/Areas as well as the State Tourism Board
- Project Duration: February 1, 2016- February 1, 2017
Project Overview
Brazil depends on the tourism industry for much of its GDP, which helps contribute to major growth in their economic development and sustainability efforts. Until recently, Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte, with its superior scenery and improved infrastructure, had experienced increased numbers as a domestic and international tourist destination. While many factors can be attributed to a decrease in tourism, a detailed and thorough study of the sector can help mitigate further declines in the industry. Solimar International sought to implement a long-term, strategic development and marketing plan for the promotion and commercialization of Rio Grande do Norte in order to attract and engage more tourism in the areas around Natal. Solimar outlined guidelines and strategic actions to identify Rio Grande do Norte’s competitive advantages as a destination. The project consisted of diverse studies, analyzing which areas are capable of sustaining tourism projects in the future. This research on Rio Grande do Norte is necessary in order to continue supporting socio-economic development in Brazil.
Major Activities
- Identifying and studying the Tourist Offer, which includes describing and registering State attractions, tourist facilities and services, number of people working on the equipments, and analyzing any supporting infrastructure to the existing tourism sector. This information will be used for future planning as well as managing and monitoring tourist activities.
- Quantifying and qualifying the Tourist Demand for Rio Grande do Norte, identifying the socioeconomic profile of the visitors, their habits, main motivations, and evaluations of goods and services offered
- Outlining a diagnosis of the current tourism sector in Rio Grande do Norte, which will include an analysis of the tourism market and demand for tourism in the following areas: Costa das Dunas, Costa Branca, Seridó, Serrano, and the Agreste/Trairi region
- Systematizing the collected information to guide, direct and evaluate tourism policies of Rio Grande do Norte, identifying specific actions for rural tourism
- Developing Prospective Tourism Scenarios for the State
- Providing support to formulate policies and guidelines to subsidize government and private sector strategic planning, helping identify business opportunities in the tourism sector
- Defining proposals for the development of the tourism sector in the State, through an Action Plan
- Developing a Marketing Plan to coordinate promotional and marketing efforts in the public and private sectors in order to achieve an appropriate market positioning
Results
- A Study of the Tourist Offer, where the infrastructure to support tourism will be analyzed
- Development of a diagnosis, in which the elaboration and development of the five poles/touristic areas of Rio Grande do Norte will be considered
- A Report of the Study of the Tourism Demand, in which existing secondary data and applied research quantify and qualify the demand of the Poles of Rio Grande do Norte, identifying the socioeconomic profile of visitors
- Development Strategies for Rio Grande do Norte Through which the formulation of strategies for tourism in the state are formulated and defined
- A Marketing Plan for Rio Grande do Norte which includes the development of a marketing map and marketing strategy
- An Investment Plan for Tourism of Rio Grande do Norte
- The production of a final report called Consolidated Version of the Strategic Plan for Tourism Rio Grande do Norte, merging all previous reports.
