Coffee tourism in the Caparaó from the potential tourist perspective

Abstract

Located in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, the Caparaó region is increasingly important as a coffee-related tourist destination. Many specialty coffee consumers and coffee professionals visit there motivated by the local coffee culture and the association of the region's image with the quality product from family farming and with Denomination of Origin. This research aimed to understand the profile of the potencial coffee tourist in the Caparaó region. With qualitative, exploratory and descriptive character, this study had a methodological approach divided into two main stages: bibliographical and data collection. The first stage was a literature review in national and international databases on the theme of consumer behavior in tourism and coffee tourist profile. The second stage consisted of data collection through questionnaires with coffee consumers and semi-structured interviews with roasting entrepreneurs who work exclusively with Caparaó’s specialty coffees. Among the results, two main groups were identified: coffee lovers (appreciators) and traders (entrepreneurs). Despite the different characteristics of consumer behavior, both act jointly for the benefit of local economic development and the appreciation of the territory's social, cultural and environmental aspects.