From discourse to practice

sustainability and legitimation in Brazilian traveltechs through the lens of Strategy-as-Practice

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v20.3462

Keywords:

Documentary netnography, Interface sustainability, Strategy-as-Practice, Traveltechs, Legitimacy

Abstract

This article examines how Brazilian tourism startups publicly communicate sustainability in digital environments, approaching it not as a fixed organizational attribute but as a situated strategic practice mediated by sociomaterial artifacts. Grounded in Strategy-as-Practice and Sustainability-as-Practice, the study adopts a qualitative interpretivist methodology based on documentary netnography of 22 Brazilian traveltechs. The analysis mobilizes a performative density typology structured into five levels (0–4), conceived as a heuristic device to understand trajectories of public stabilization of sustainability practices. The findings identify patterns ranging from fragmented communication to more robust forms of symbolic institutionalization, revealing what is termed interface sustainability, an arrangement in which socio-environmental commitment concentrates on the visible layer of the user experience, while structural and climate dimensions remain characterized by limited public traceability. The article concludes that sustainability operates as a selective symbolic repertoire of legitimation shaped by the visibility pressures inherent to digital platforms.

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Author Biographies

Karen Cristina Martins de Oliveira, Universidade de São Paulo

Mestranda em Turismo no PPGTUR na USP, pesquisa sustentabilidade, inovação e empreendedorismo. Possui MBA em Gestão de Projetos Sociais e Culturais (Anhembi Morumbi, 2021), graduada em Gestão de Turismo (IFSP, 2018), com foco em Turismo de Base Comunitária. Atuou como Agente Local de Inovação (CNPq/SEBRAE, 2020-2024), pesquisando produtividade em micro e pequenas empresas. Tem experiência em pesquisa aplicada, mentoria, avaliação e palestras sobre inovação, empreendedorismo e diversidade de gênero. Contribuições: Conceituação, Curadoria de dados, Análise formal, Investigação, Metodologia, Administração do projeto, Redação do manuscrito original, Redação - revisão e edição.

Giovana Bueno, Universidade de São Paulo

Docente no Curso de Lazer e Turismo e no Programa de Pós Graduação em Turismo, PPGTUR da EACH-USP. Doutora e Mestra em Administração pela Univali, foi Visiting Scholar na IE University (Espanha) via PDSE/CAPES. É graduada em Turismo e em Administração, com MBA em Gestão Empresarial. Atuou como Agente de Inovação da FAPESC. Ganhou o prêmio internacional Literati Awards Emerald e conquistou o 3º lugar no concurso da SETUR-SP com o projeto Observatório PITCH. Áreas de Pesquisa: Estratégia, Inovação e Gestão no Turismo. Contribuições: Conceituação, Análise formal, Metodologia, Administração do projeto, Supervisão, Validação, Redação - revisão e edição.

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Published

2026-08-28

How to Cite

Oliveira, K. C. M. de, & Bueno, G. (2026). From discourse to practice: sustainability and legitimation in Brazilian traveltechs through the lens of Strategy-as-Practice. Revista Brasileira De Pesquisa Em Turismo, 20, 3462. https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v20.3462

Issue

Vol. 20 (2026)

Section

Articles - Tourism Management

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Copyright (c) 2026 Karen Cristina Martins de Oliveira, Giovana Bueno

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