The creation of protected areas, in the world context, constitutes nowadays as an essential instrument for the natural resources protection. However, Brazilian protected areas face a great challenge in the public usage management, trying to conciliate historically divergent objectives: nature preservation and visitation activities. This study follows the hypothesis of conflicting rationalities presenting tourists in national parks. In other words, the opposition between the traditional tourism conception and the national parks management wills of biodiversity preservation and conservation. This context instigates an observation of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, which has serious limitations for the public usage management, confronting itself with a significant increase in the number of visitors, motivated by constant incentives of federal, state and municipal agencies to promote the recognition of its scenic attributes. In the same direction, the communities that live inside the protected areas cannot remain inhabiting the Park, even though tourist and entrepreneurs can explore the region’s natural resources. This study seeks to understand how tourism organization in the city of Barreirinhas contributes to the sustainable tourism development in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. Therefore, the following specific objectives were defined: describe and analyze the management system of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park; identify the influence and the relation of the main local segments, Trade and public administration, with the protected area management and, finally, investigate the population participation and its perception concerning to the tourism in this Park. The adopted methodology was based on an investigation in the city of Barreirinhas, as well as on theoretical reference through documentary research in primary and secondary resources. The investigation technique was based on a non-probabilistic and qualitative sample, using semi-structuralized interview scripts and the application of questionnaires containing open and closed questions. Data analysis proofed the existence of three rationalities: opposite, shocking the environmental management and the intentions of public administration and local Trade; different, environmental logic of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and the needs of the resident communities, complementary, having the same desires the public administration and the local Trade. This paper’s conclusions were based on the diverse evidences of Barreirinhas’ tourism development process: manage difficulties among the local tourism development; conflicts due to local communities’ relocation; opposite interests between the Lençóis Maranhenses environmental management and the tourism development of Barreirinhas; impacts on the natural resources and the local community.
