Aplicativos turísticos de abrangências regional e não regional: semelhanças e diferenças na aplicação de princípios da comunicação visual entre os aplicativos Eu Turista - Silveira Martins e Tripadvisor

Abstract

This dissertation addresses how visual communication can contribute to the development of regional tourism smartphone applications. Mobile devices are increasingly prevalent in people's lives, yet many tourist regions do not utilize apps to promote their attractions. To understand this relationship, two tourist apps with different scopes were chosen: the first, with a regional scope, is "Eu Turista - Silveira Martins," developed in 2022 as a product of the Research, Development, and Innovation (PD&I) discipline of the Postgraduate Program in Communication and Creative Industry. It focuses on the tourism scenario of the municipality of Quarta Colônia, which had its Geopark recognized by UNESCO in 2023. The second chosen app is Tripadvisor, which originated as a website in 2000 and has become a global platform for tourist destinations. References from visual communication experts such as Donis A. Dondis (1997), Richard Hollis (2001), and Luiz Renato Ignarra (2003) in the field of tourism were used to establish visual communication principles applicable to the development of tourist apps. Based on literature research on tourism fundamentals and mobile devices, an analysis protocol was established to determine the similarities and differences between the two apps in terms of technical and symbolic aspects of visual communication. Screenshots were used to make observations and establish comparative tables between the two products regarding various relevant aspects of the study. As a result, recommendations regarding graphic design for the creation of regional tourist apps were identified, which can assist students and professionals in the related fields.