OS EFEITOS DO TURISMO NO ESPAÇO RURAL NA GERAÇÃO DE RENDA E EMPREGO: O CASO DE SÃO MARTINHO (SC)

The contemporary rural space needs to be considered in all its diversity. The non-agricultural activities, particularly those that involve leisure and tourism, have become increasingly important and may contribute to the local economy dynamics. The aim in this work was to identify the effects of tourism on income and job generation in the rural space. The basis of the qualitative research was a case study in São Martinho, a city in Santa Catarina state. Semi-structured interviews were done with the ten people responsible for the tourism enterprises in the district’s rural area. It was noticed that the resources originating from tourism were responsible for most of the entrepreneurs’ family revenue, contributing to an improvement in their lifestyle. There was, in the properties open for visitation, a restructuring process in which the activities related to tourism started to gain priority. The tourism-related jobs created were evaluated as meaningful