Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses the interaction between fishermen and tourists at the Atafona's beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By considering the ambiguous status of the “vacationer”, who has a simultaneous condition of host and guest, the paper seeks to reveal interesting situations to consider notions such as identity and belonging in the anthropology of tourism.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses the notions of identity and belonging taking into account the relationship between tourists and fishermen at Atafona, a beach situated in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Unlike other Brazilian beaches, the type of tourism in Atafona is the "second residence" one, where the "summer time" deconstructs differences between "hosts and guests" (Smith, 1989). The regular attendance of tourists during the summer is quite old and coexists with the presence of fishermen, which attaches great importance to both groups in the process of the construction of the town. In this sense, the discussion of the local identity considering this type of tourism - the veraneo (Caletrío, 2011) - alerts us about the relevance to see the tourism as a cultural phenomenon in which the borders are undefined and have constant motion.