Coordination and Governance among Tour Agencies and Tourist Attractions: An Analysis of Tourism Production Systems in Brazil

The successful planning and development of tourism requires systemic coordination and participation of agents from various economic sectors. This study analyzes the coordination and governance among tourist attractions and tour agencies in the city of Bonito, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, a leading ecotourism destination in that country. Transaction cost economic theoretical framework is used in this paper, taking transactions as the unit of analysis. Four tour agencies, three tourist attractions managers, and five representatives of institutional environment were surveyed in the city of Bonito. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to tour agencies and tourist attractions managers, and personal interviews were conducted with   institutional and organizational agents. Research results suggest predominance of hybrid forms of governance among tour agencies and tourist attractions. Moreover, the institutional environment in the analyzed tourism system is highly significant with respect to the coordination and structural configuration of the tourism system, minimizing potential uncertainties and opportunistic behavior of agents in the analyzed tourism system. Keywords : Tourism. Governance Structure. Tourism Production Systems. Bonito, MS, Brazil Coordenacao e Governanca entre Agencias de Turismo e Atracoes Turisticas: Uma analise de Turismo Sistemas de Producao no Brasil - O sucesso do planejamento e o desenvolvimento do Turismo requerem uma coordenacao sistemica e a participacao dos agentes de varios setores economicos. Este estudo analisa a coordenacao e governanca entre as atracoes turisticas e agencias de turismo da cidade de Bonito, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil, um destino de ecoturismo lider no pais. E usado um quadro teorico [framework ] custo de transacao economica, tendo como unidade de analise as transacoes. Foram pesquisados, ​​na cidade de Bonito, quatro agencias de turismo, tres gerentes de atracoes turisticas e cinco representantes do ambiente institucional. Um questionario semiestruturado foi aplicado nas agencias de turismo e com os gestores de atracoes turisticas, e entrevistas pessoais foram realizadas com agentes institucionais e organizacionais. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem predominância de formas hibridas de governanca entre agencias de turismo e atracoes turisticas. Alem disso, o ambiente institucional analisado e altamente significativo no que diz respeito a coordenacao e configuracao estrutural do sistema de turismo, minimizando potenciais incertezas e comportamento oportunista dos agentes no sistema de turismo analisados. Palavras-chave : Turismo. Estrutura de Governanca. Sistema de Producao Turistica. Bonito, MS, Brasil. Dyego de Oliveira Arruda - Master. Professor at Federal Center of Technological Education ‘Celso Suckow da Fonseca’, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Curriculum: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5222976964204691 . E-mail : dyego.arruda@gmail.com Milton Augusto Pasquotto Mariani - Doctor. Professor at School of Management and Business in the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Curriculum: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0935409945176042 . E-mail : miltmari@terra.com.br Dirceu Tornavoi de Carvalho – Doctor. Professor in the School of Economics, Business, and Accounting at the University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Curriculum: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8239366580041946 . E-mail: dirceutornavoi@gmail.com