Tourism and stratification in Nazaré

Abstract

The literature on stratification indicates that those with the means of production gain greater benefits than those without, and that the introduction of a new mode of production, in this case tourism, affects the distribution of income in a community. This research attempted to determine the impact of tourism on household incomes and the pattern of stratification in fishing village of Nazaré. It also shows the various coping strategies which families employ to deal with economic change. This study concludes that housing is a key means of production because of the importance of tourism to the economy of Nazaré, and that those families who have housing can significantly increase their incomes and evelvate the position of the family in the community hierarchy, although acess to the elite strata is limited and tourist revenues have not affected the overall pyramidal form of stratification in the village.