Throughout the twentieth century, many realities of the rural world could be observed in several countries. This way, countless discussions emerged on subjects such as: being a part-time farmer, promoting non-agricultural activities in rural areas, having multiple jobs, seeking diversified income sources, etc. Hence, the fact that the rural is now recognized for new roles that go beyond agriculture and farm production. Bertrand Hervieu (1996) emphasizes this idea in his work by describing the great ruptures observed in contemporary societies from the agriculture and rural world point of view since the end of the twentieth century.

In the 1980s, changes and economic difficulties in Brazil affected the agricultural sector and stimulated many owners to diversify productive activities on their rural properties. The alternative found by some owners residing in the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul was to open their properties to visitors who would like to spend the weekend getting to know and experiencing the day-to-day farm life. Shortly afterward, these owners realized that they could offer an overnight stay, which culminated in the creation of several rural lodges (Brazil, 2004)

When confronted by the existing literature, we realize that there are several development theoretical approaches used to think about the rural. However, only in the 1990s did the subject attracted researchers in Brazil. In this context, we can highlight the works of Graziano da Silva, Grossi and Campanhola (2002), Schneider (2003), and Kageyama (2004). In this context, new perceptions of rural tourism began to gain strength and visibility, since it had (and has) positive aspects, such as: economic strengthening and diversification; the possibility of developing rural areas; an active role in culture, history and environmental valorization and conservation; the generation of local, direct and indirect jobs, as well as income; an alternative way of occupying the rural space; etc.

As for these many positive aspects of rural tourism, from the late 1990s on there has been a significant increase in the number of owners working in this segment in Brazil. However, due to the owner’s low professionalism and their lack of technical base, negative issues also arose when their activities’ implementation began to progress. In this sense, we can point out issues related to environmental degradation, legal problems, and environment and tourism activity de-characterization. Hence, as a means to reversing these issues, public policies containing specific actions and projects were developed for the rural tourism segment (Brazil, 2004).

As shown in Table 01, some elements contributed to the very start of discussions on rural development in Brazil. In this sense, the emergence of the new Brazilian rural features is due to the modernization process itself, where the rural can no longer be considered exclusively agricultural because of the population growth and their occupation with non-agricultural activities. Therefore, the rural world is bigger than the agricultural one, since it incorporates activities previously considered as hobbies or exclusive to small enterprises. This way, it was transformed into profitable businesses: now there are multiple fee-fishing ponds, leisure sites, country houses, fruit farming, floriculture, besides a series of services, such as restaurants, clubs, farm-hotels (Graziano da Silva, Grossi, & Campanhola, 2002; Brazil, 2004).

Rural development integrates new products and services into new markets. “Activities such as landscape management, nature conservation, agrotourism, organic agriculture, regional specialties production, direct sales, among others, are considered new practices that make rural development a multifaceted process” (Kageyama, 2004: 384). In addition, rural development seeks a new paradigm, hence the creation of new products and services for new markets, with different aims, such as the production of public goods (landscape); generation of income complement to the owner; preservation and conservation of natural, cultural and historical heritage; valorization of culture and regionalism; visitors’ integration with the local history; the search for synergies with local ecosystems, the economy of scale with the rural households pluriactivity (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015; Blanco, 2004; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019; Dias, 2003; Machado, 2005; Ploeg, 2008).

Table 01:
Elements that triggered discussions on rural development in Brazil

Source: Adapted from Schnider (2010).Table 01 Elements that triggered discussions on rural development in Brazil

Historically, the concept of pluriactivity emerged in France during the 1980s with the agricultural policy redirection, which was a result of the agricultural overproduction crisis in the 1970s. However, in Brazil, this process occurred differently. It happened during the period of re-democratization (the 1980s) as a result of the rural workers’ social struggles and the conservative modernization model legitimacy crisis. This way, the debate about the viability of small family farms reemerged strongly, especially with the creation of the National Program for the Strengthening of Family Agriculture (PRONAF, in Portuguese) and with the constitution and consolidation of the concept of family farming.

Concerning this scenario, it is possible to point out that studies allow us to conclude that, although it has existed for a long time in rural areas, pluriactivity is a stable and diversified phenomenon that has only recently been studied under this denomination. It is also known that pluriactivity is a strategy of rural families’ social reproduction, who turn to external activities for different reasons (adaptation, reaction, lifestyle), that is, poverty is not the only reason.

As for this literature, it can be stated that the practices of non-agricultural activities in rural areas are increasingly responsible for the countryside economic occupation by the introduction of new strategies in the rural properties’ management, with rural tourism being one of these practices. In this sense, we can indicate some examples of Brazilian municipalities where rural tourism is verified: Apodi, state of Rio Grande do Norte (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015); Bento Gonçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo do Sul (Marques, & Santos, 2014) and Dois Irmãos (Blanco, 2004), state of Rio Grande do Sul; Blumenau, state of Santa Catarina (Reis, & Vavassori, 2013); Castrolanda, Entre Rios and Witmarsum (Soares et al., 2017) and Quatro Pontes, Marechal C. Rondom, Itaipulândia, Medianeira, Foz do Iguaçu, São Miguel do Iguaçu and Matelândia (Schmidt et al., 2016), state of Paraná; Ilhéus, state of Bahia (Araújo et al., 2017); Planaltina, state of Distrito Federal (Duarte, & Pereira, 2018); and Santana do Livramento, state of Rio Grande do Sul (Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019).

The interaction of the big urban centers’ people with the rural environment is considered as a new global trend because the tourist no longer wishes to be just a spectator of his/her trip, but a protagonist who actually experiences the culture in the new destinations visited (Idestur, 2013; Brazil, 2004). As for tourism activities, the practice of rural tourism is developed in productive properties combining agricultural practices and valuing the direct contact of the tourist with the place’s culture which can also generate development actions and provide the historical, cultural and natural heritage rescue and regional valorization (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015; Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Caliari et al., 2016; Carvalho, Lima, & Kastenholz, 2014; Cipolat et al., 2019; Dias, 2003; Machado, 2005; Pérez, 2013).

Following the guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism (MTur, in Portuguese), tourist activities in rural areas comprise the services, equipment and products offer of: lodging; food; reception; visits to rural properties; recreation, entertainment, and pedagogical activities linked to the rural context; among other actions characterized as tourism or that constitute the visitation reason (Brazil, 2004, 2010). Their ordering and strengthening require the articulation of government agents’ actions in partnerships with the private sector, the community involvement, and the adequate infrastructure – not to forget the professional training of the people involved in the process.

Brazilian rural tourism has been presented as an entrepreneurial opportunity that allows the development of income complement alternatives and the countryside occupation. Also, it enables the construction and support of an interdependent sectors chain of activities and social actors (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015; Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Blanco, 2004; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019; Marques, & Santos, 2014). A rural tourism project usually presents the region’s natural attractions, ecological trails, and archaeological sites. All these places must respect the principles of sustainability, since planned and executed tourist activities based on sustainability strengthen the local and regional culture preserving the social identity, promoting the cultural diversity of communities, groups and regions, and motivating people (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015;Brazil, 2007).

Visiting rural properties is an ancient and common practice in Brazil, but just a little more than twenty years ago it started being considered an economic and tourist activity. Brazil has enormous potential for cultural richness and natural landscapes, where activities related to rural tourism can be developed. Nowadays, there are countless rural estates scattered throughout the country, initiating and developing tourism activities. There is also the encouragement of some state and municipal governments. This is also seen in several countries, such as Argentina (Schlüter, 2015; Mattioli, 2021), China (Liu, & Wong, 2019), Spain (Castrillon, Canto, & Cantorna, 2009; Martín et al., 2017), Estonia (Bardone, & Kaaristo, 2014), Georgia (Khartishvili et al., 2019), Hungary (Lakner et al., 2018), Iran (Hemmati, 2020), Italy (Garau, 2015), Mexico (Peréz, 2013), New Zealand (Mackay, Perkins, & Taylor, 2014), Portugal (Carvalho, Lima, & Kastenholz, 2014), Romania (Tiberiu et al., 2018) and Vietnam (Long, & Nguyen, 2018).

In Brazil, the Pampa biome covers 63% of Rio Grande do Sul’s territory. It is worth highlighting that the Pampa biome also extends to the territories of Argentina and Uruguay. Regarded as one of the most important ecosystems in the world, the Pampa biome is unique, with species of plants and animals that do not exist anywhere else in the world. In addition, its population socio-cultural expressions are unique and exclusive.

The Brazilian Pampa biome, also known as Gaucho Pampa or Campos Sulinos, is located within the largest proportion of natural preserved areas in Brazil, occupying 176.5 thousand km² - i.e. about 2% of the national territory. The landscaped and urban architectures of the old estancias, the charqueadas, the stables, and the extraordinary natural beauty portray the diverse historical phases of Rio Grande do Sul. The beautiful prairies of the Pampa biome region and its fauna and flora diversity make it possible to practice ecotourism and to experience the nature preservation, on trails and hiking, abseiling, and climbing in the main natural refuges (used by those who took part in the revolutions fought in this microregion of the border, such as the Farroupilha Revolution and the Federalist Revolution of 1893).

Amidst the cattle and sheep farming and the horse breeding, the practice of rural tourism makes it possible to experience the countryside life. And in addition to the observation of the different manners of the rural farmer in working the land and managing the cattle farming, it is also possible to enjoy the countryside culinary with varied typical dishes, such as the sheep’s neck-ends, the charque, and the traditional gaucho barbecue. Concerning the pastries, we can highlight the sweet rice, the ambrosia, and a great variety of jams and fruit jellies.

When it comes to culture, the Pampa biome region shows its historical richness through old buildings, in the landscapes crossed by coxilhas (hills) and prairies, and by being marked by several deeds during the Farroupilha Revolution. The richness of folkloric cultural manifestations in traditional dances, traditional festivals, and typical gauchesque dances as well as wool, leather, and wood handicrafts make Rio Grande do Sul peculiar. However, even with such potential, the exploitation of rural tourism in the Brazilian Pampa biome region is still incipient. This way, measures that can add value to the entrepreneurs that form the basis of this activity are yet to be taken.

Santana do Livramento, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul, is part of the tourist region called “Pampa Gaúcho”, located in the so-called “Gaucho border” microregion (Picture 01). According to the interviews and data collected, it was verified that the process of implementing rural tourism in the municipality occurred in 2005, with courses promoted by the National Service for Rural Apprenticeship (SENAR, in Portuguese) and the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE, in Portuguese). Also, through the Rural Union, new owners showed interested in diversifying their activities by implementing and performing rural tourism practices.

Picture 01
Location of Santana do Livramento in the state of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil
Source: Elaborated by the authors. Based on images from the Internet.

In 2008, the first tourist route was created and called Martin Fierro. This route covers the Brazilian Pampa biome region and has as its central theme the “epic guasca” verses. The rural itinerary was carried out in two wineries: Almadén Vineyards and Cordillera de Santana Viticulture. This itinerary was also divided into four rural properties: Estância da Glória, Fazenda Palomas, Estância Vento Aragano and Estância Cerros Verdes. This project aimed to provide the possibility of getting in touch with the regional language, the gastronomy, the countryside life, the new forms of economic occupation of the region, thus enabling the tourist to learn a little about the history of the region. The itinerary included the city center, a visit to the exhibition hall that has a collection about the gaucho culture, a visit to the house where José Hernandez stayed in his exile in Santana do Livramento, and where the gaucho folklorist Paixão Cortês was born.

In the following years, in spite of the initial stimuli and Martin Fierro route creation, there was a period of discouragement, disagreements, and changes in the city’s administration. This way, the unleashing of these factors led to the weakening of rural tourism activities. It was only five years later, in 2010, that the mobilization and discussions on the practice of rural tourism in the region reemerged. Therefore, this scenario allowed the continuation of the process and the formation of a new group consisting of Estância da Glória and 16 other entrepreneurs.

Thus, in December 2010, Livramento-Rivera Integrated Tourism was created, and this system included lodges, wineries, tourist routes and trade in Brazil and Uruguay. Among the participating lodges were: Arteche, Cerros Verdes, Estância da Glória, Fazenda Palomas, Guest House Pousada Guimarães, Pousada Del Bosque, Pousada Lunarejo, Pousada La Vivienda, Pousada Rural Vento Aragano, Recanto Verde. The participating wineries were: Almadén, Don Noel Winery, Viñas del 636 and Cordillera de Santana Viticulture.

The tourist routes suggested were the international city tour, the Pampa Gaúcho wheel, and the wine route on the gaucho border. In the Trade area the places suggested were: Loja Nativa, in Brazil, and, in Uruguay, Barão, Camibag, Casa América, Casa de los Importados, Cara Oriental, Class, Colonial, Córdoba, Dante and Siñeriz Freeshop. A website was also created to publicize the route. Unfortunately, the process was weakened again, and the meetings between the participants did not happen anymore. Also, there are no data on the efficiency and effectiveness on the implementation of the Livramento-Rivera Integrated Tourism project due to the lack of continuity of participants' involvement.

Simultaneously with this initiative, in 2009 the municipality of Santana do Livramento was benefited by the URB-AL Project, with which the participation of new entrepreneurs started again. According to the interviews made in this research, the contact made by those in charge of implementing the program was constant, but after its consolidation, the information about the implementation and operationalization of the actions proposed in the URB-AL III project and information about the funds’ destination was not reported. For those interviewed, this neglect creates discontent since there is a need for improvements, especially on the routes roads and on the roads that allow access to the properties.

On July 19, 2014, a new meeting was held with the participation of Santarém municipal government representatives - Mayor and Secretary of Tourism - at the request of Estância da Glória’s owner with the purpose of trying to rescue the Livramento-Rivera Integrated Tourism Group.

Estância da Glória started its activities in 1917. It is a family rural property and its main activity is cattle farming. Currently, it belongs to six brothers, and it is managed by one of them, Mr. Luiz Carlos Santana, who has leased the whole property. Estância da Glória is located in the environmental protection area (APA, in Portuguese; Ibirapuitã Environmental Protection Area, created by Decree No. 529 of May 20, 1992) in the Cerros Verdes region, 20 km from the city center.

Estância da Glória has promoted rural tourism activities since 1995, and it is considered one of the pioneers in rural tourism in the region. Initially, Estância da Glória promoted some activities of visitation more focused on cattle farming, such as horseback riding, auctions, dinners, and nature contemplation tourism. According to the interviewee, it was only ten years later, in 2005, amidst the search for an alternative income complement for the property that a more orderly and planned structuration began through a process of rural tourism implementation and formalization. This way, they invested in infrastructure and qualification. In this brief account, Estância da Glória’s owner made it possible to notice that his property has a rich history, with culture and traditions built over the years. Also, that he is engaged in order to participate and contribute in the process of rural tourism development in the region.

By its turn, Fazenda Palomas was founded in 1897. It is located at Vila Pampeiro, in the rural area of Santana do Livramento. It is a family business which is currently managed by the fourth generation of the same family. Its engagement with rural tourism began in 1995 with the current owner Atilio Ibargoyen. The Farm works with different activities - it works mainly with beef cattle, sheep farming, and horse breeding. Therefore, rural tourism was eventually implemented as an auxiliary income complement to other activities. Fazenda Palomas also offers lodging for tourists, from Thursday to Sunday, only by previously booked reservations. After some time, Fazenda Palomas started to operate during the holidays, and the period may not be from Thursday to Sunday.

It is extremely necessary to provide the conservation of vicinal roads and dirt roads in the municipality by maintaining their drivability and by allowing them to have adequate environmental conditions (Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019). It is important to highlight that despite of their strategic importance for rural tourism, these roads suffer from a lack of maintenance which brings environmental and economic damages. This way, rural tourism is negatively affected, and the environment is harmed in the process of soil erosion. Picture 02 shows the access characteristics of the properties.

Picture 02
Access to Estância da Glória and to Fazenda Palomas
Source: Elaborated by the authors. Based on the collected data.

Due to the lack of maintenance of the roads, the owner of Estância da Glória has major complaints about the access conditions of his property, since this neglect makes access difficult, leading to the decrease of guests at some periods of the year because the road causes damages to the vehicles. Hence, the financial losses are also remarkable.

After 21 years, the owner of Fazenda Palomas paralyzed tourist activities due to the poor traffic conditions of the vicinal roads and dirt roads that give access to the property, whose conservation and maintenance is the responsibility of the municipal government. It is important to mention that this is the main obstacle reported by both interviewed, as the precarious structure of these roads inhibits the flow of tourists and compromises the economic viability of the activity.

According to the literature review, in order to develop rural tourism, it is necessary to meet the characteristics needed for this tourism segmentation, such as attractions, adequate infrastructure, and the tourist services and products demanded (Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015; Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019; Marques, & Santos, 2014; MTur, 2007; Reis, & Vavassori, 2013; Schmidt et al., 2016; Soares et al., 2017). It is not necessary to create new structures in the properties, but to adapt what exists to guarantee comfort and safety to the tourists. The structures can be residential or B&B, but must maintain their rustic features. Picture 03 present the structure and facilities offered in the properties studied.

Picture 03:
Structure and Facilities of Estância da Glória and Fazenda Palomas
Source: Elaborated by the authors. Based on the collected data.

In the properties studied, the priority is authenticity and rusticity, but always with comfort and quality. The guests’ demand goes throughout the whole year, but during the holidays there is a greater demand, mainly during the winter, due to visitors who seek the typical cold of the region. Guests usually stay for an average of two to three days.

The rural environment offers countless services and activities to its visitors. Several national studies (Araújo et al., 2017; Azevedo, & Rodrigues, 2015; Bidarte, & Pinto, 2021; Blanco, 2004; Caliari et al., 2016; Cipolat et al., 2019; Duarte, & Pereira, 2018; Marques, & Santos, 2014; Reis, & Vavassori, 2013; Schmidt et al., 2016; Soares et al., 2017) and international studies (Bardone, & Kaaristo, 2014; Carvalho, Lima, & Kastenholz, 2014; Castrillon, Canto, & Cantorna, 2009; Garau, 2015; Hemmati, 2020; Khartishvili et al., 2019; Lakner et al., 2018;Liu, & Wong, 2019; Long, & Nguyen, 2018; Mackay, Perkins, & Taylor, 2014; Martín et al., 2017; Mattioli, 2021; Peréz, 2013; Schlüter, 2015; Tiberiu et al., 2018) show cases in which the owners take advantage of the properties' potential to develop tourist and/or recreational activities in rural areas, related to the use of natural, historical and cultural resources.

The activities and attractions at Estância da Glória and Fazenda Palomas vary according to the year and to the seasons. During the summer and the spring, they offer more attractions, since these seasons have longer days. During the winter, activities are greatly reduced due to nature's own cycle. In the following pages, we present some tourist services and equipment, as well as tourist activities that can be developed in rural properties or in the region, as shown in Picture 04.