The strategies of the real estate-tourism sector and the incorporation of socio-environmental measures on the coast of Brazil

Abstract

Tourism and real estate activities are becoming increasingly prevalent along the Brazilian coast. These activities are generally situated in environments with complex socio-environmental characteristics, where environmental protection is both a legal obligation and a social imperative. Entrepreneurs in this sector have employed strategies to enhance their businesses. It is hypothesized that the development of a new generation of tourist resorts - comprising complexes, resorts, and beach condominiums - intensively utilizes zoning regulations and environmental restrictions to their advantage. This is due both to the increase in monopoly profits and the spatial exclusivity derived from environmental “barriers”, which can strengthen processes of socio-residential homogenization and forms of tourist appropriation. Methodologically, a multi-scalar socio-territorial interpretation was applied, based on documentary research and, primarily, material collected during fieldwork conducted along stretches of the Brazilian coast, specifically in Bahia, Ceará, and Pernambuco. The findings indicate that business groups implement various socio-environmental strategies that impact zoning regulations, usage restrictions, and the economic valuation of developments. It can be asserted that mechanisms for environmental protection are being established in coastal areas based on market principles, particularly those related to the real estate and tourism sectors, as evidenced by models of low-density residential occupation that remain inaccessible to lower-income strata of society.

Keywords: Sustainability; Zoning; Protection; Urbanization.