Tourism as a Vector of Local Development: a look through the ideas of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer

Abstract

This essay seeks to understand the relationship between tourism and development. For that, it relies in a bibliographical research and emphasizes the ideas of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. Although this authors have not discussed the thematic of tourism, their ideas related to make valuable positivist science and its influence to legitimate the data and economical facts that support governmental investments, can contribute to a critical reflection. Highlights also to their discussions about Cultural Industry, where merchandizing of cultural activities and making leisure valuable contribute to criticism of men. The developing countries are pushed to direct their strategies to an social-economic growth in the sense of optimize sectors capable of generating jobs and stimulate population’s quality of life. This article assumes that questioning touristic potential whilst vector of development should not be denied. It assumes, after all, that the basis of the development model should be best analyzed to beyond instrumental rationality, in order to avoid a critical perception of touristic activity, as well as inappropriate adoption of development models that don’t attend the needs of local community.