The objective of this study was to outline the profile of tourism companies and analyze the socioeconomic contribution of these companies to tourism in the municipal district of Canindé de São Francisco, in the semi-arid region of Sergipe. It uses a combination of bibliographic and documentary methods, as well as field research, which enabled the collection of primary data. It was observed that the municipal district has eleven private tourism establishments, distributed in the following sectors: catering, accommodation, tourism agency, nautical transport and the sale of handicrafts. These companies generate 103 direct, formal jobs, with the average salary ranging from 1 to 1.47 minimum salaries. The work concludes that tourism still does not make a proportionally significant contribution to the generation of jobs in the municipal district, since formal jobs generated by local tourism companies represent just 1.6% of the total EAP (Economically Active Population) of the district, though the fact that they are formal jobs (i.e. noted on the official workers' card) makes a big difference. Key words: tourism companies, economic and social impacts of tourism.