Social entrepreneurship at the Transcarioca Trail (RJ/BR)

Transcarioca Trail (Trilha Transcarioca, TT) is a long-distance trail, which original track is approximately 180 km long, passing through seven protected areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro, connecting west, north and south... [ view full abstract ]

Transcarioca Trail (Trilha Transcarioca, TT) is a long-distance trail, which original track is approximately 180 km long, passing through seven protected areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro, connecting west, north and south zones. It starts in the Municipal Natural Park of Grumari (Parque Natural Municipal de Grumari) and ends in Sugar Loaf Natural Monument. The implementation of this trail is an opportunity to promote the establishment of touristic enterprises, stimulating the economic development of underprivileged communities surrounding it, associated with nature conservation. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for choosing the locations and activities for the promotion of sustainable enterprises in the area of influence of the trail. Interviews and meetings were carried out with the managers of the affected protected areas and  the heads of Movimento Trilha Transcarioca, who are responsible for organizing the voluntary efforts for signaling and conservation thereof. Communities that are already offering some touristic service, and also potential communities for the implementation of this type of service, have been identified in the area surrounding Transcarioca Trail. Also, a mapping using Government data in order to identify existing communities up to two kilometers away from TT has been made. The identification of the services to be offered was conducted through the benchmarking about other long-distance trails in the world, and about what services are popular among hikers. Ideal sites for service provision would be those closest to overnight stay points, where TT hikers would be resting after a day's walk. Transcarioca Trail has 17 points for overnight stay and mapping indicated the existence of a total of 114 communities up to two kilometers away from the trail, ranging from 1 to 23 communities in the surroundings of each overnight stay point. The crucial services are: Lodging, meals and transportation of heavy luggage from a hosting to another. A case study was carried out in three communities visited in order to check how these services could be encouraged in each of them. These communities are located in the north, south and west zones of the city. It has been verified that there is great diversity among existing initiatives and each community prospectively selected must be visited and have a specific project in order to promote the touristic services designed. All showed great potential and interest, but the realization of this service provision depends directly on the demand on the part of TT hikers. Fostering the social enterprises focusing on tourism in UC and long-distance trails - focusing on communities in the areas of influence of these sites - is a potential way of promoting social inclusion, associated with nature conservation and sustainability in the development process.