Tourism image and identity related to cultural practices and heritage perceived by residents: perspectives from the city of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract Proposal: The growth of tourism leads to a large increase of tourism products offered in the market. Before travel decision making, and among the many options available, the tourist seeks information about the various destinations. The destination image created in this search process is a key driver for tourists. Despite the variety of factors that make up a given destination image, the cultural identity is composed of the destination own heritage. Also, to create an identity of a place involves the participation of the residents of the destination. Objective: This study seeks to analyze the brewing culture, as a possible cultural identity of the city of Blumenau and therefore considers the attitudes of the residents. Methodological Design: The research is considered exploratory and descriptive, with quantitative approach. From the review of the literature on the subject, we established twelve hypotheses. We performed data collection and analysis using the following statistical procedures: Cronbach's Alpha, Spearman's correlation, and the hypothesis test, using SSPS software. Results: The results obtained in the research, confirmed seven of the twelve hypotheses, indicating the existence of positive relations between the influence of the habits of the residents and the dimensions of the identity of Blumenau. Originality: It is concluded that it is possible to use the brewery culture as a cultural identity of the city, thus suitable for tourism promotion