The History of Tourism Practices at Social Service of Commerce in Sao Paulo (Sesc-SP)

This article is a result of an investigation in final stage of textual review, which happens since 2011 - held on the Doctorate in History, Politics and Cultural Goods of Getulio Vargas Foundation, directed by Professor Bianca Freire-Medeiros - regarding the constitution of tourism at Sesc-SP, examining the circumstances in which tourism become relevant to its policies. We try to comprehend the changes and readjustments that guided the institution's actions, guidelines, postures and intentions. The methodology privileged in the research was the thematic oral history, in order to make the historiographical record of professionals involved with tourism at Sesc-SP. Twenty two interviews with (former) professionals were performed and were made some visits to the library of Sesc-DN (national department) and to the memory and documentation sector of Sesc-SP, places that keep relevant documents related with the history of tourism in institution. The chronological period embraces since the first steps of Sesc-SP with tourism (1948), passing through 1979 year that the regional administration of Sao Paulo starts to develop excursions, tours and travel more frequently and attempts a conceptual deepening on social tourism, approaching from international bodies of political relevance in the area - to the actions taken in 2013, when the field reserarch and the interviews were finished.