Spatial Distribution Analysis of Tourist Supply in the Tourist Circuits of Minas Gerais Using GIS

Abstract

This study examines the spatial distribution of tourist supply within the 45 tourist circuits of Minas Gerais using the 2022 official inventories, which contain more than 22,000 records of services, facilities, and attractions in categories B and C. The data were geocoded and cleaned to address gaps and inconsistent coordinates, after which density maps were produced in ArcGIS through kernel interpolation and natural-breaks statistical classification. Results reveal an intense concentration of supply in the Gold Circuit, which alone accounts for 1,966 inventoried items, whereas most circuits show very low density; the extreme case is the Nascente do Rio Doce Circuit with only 90 records. The pattern displays a south–north gradient in the availability of tourism infrastructure and suggests regional imbalances in investment access and inventory quality. The resulting mini-atlas, accompanied by public shapefiles, provides practical support for managers to identify priority areas for incentives and to improve inventory updates. The study concludes that the integrated use of Geographic Information Systems and official inventories enables the diagnosis of inequalities and guides policies for decentralization and technical capacity building, contributing to more balanced tourism development in Minas Gerais.