Resource-Based View As a Perspective for Public Tourism Management Research: Evidence from Two Brazilian Tourism Destinations (Report‪)‬

Introduction Official data from World Tourism Organization [UNWTO] in 2005, confirms 806.8 million worldwide displacements originated by tourist activities, corresponding to a sum of US$682.667 billion dollars, disclosing its significant importance and impact on the global economy (UNWTO, 2006). In Brazil, the Ministry of Tourism (2006) informs that, in 2005, 5,358,170 international tourists visited Brazil, pouring 3.2 billion dollars of revenue into the country. Meanwhile, Parana State welcomed an influx of 7,319,475 tourists in 2006, who generated an income of 1,509,000 U.S .dollars. According to official data, 41% of these tourists live in the state, 46% live in other regions of Brazil and 12.7% are foreigners (Secretaria de Estado do Turismo [SETU], 2007). The well-known cities, Curitiba and Foz do IguaCu, are Parana State's most important tourist destinations, in combination receiving 49% of the total number of tourists- respectively 2,201,295 (Viaje Curitiba Instituto Municipal de Turismo, 2007) and 1,434,067 (SETU, 2008) tourists in 2006.