Cartagena de Indias: a destination of contrasts from the perspective of local stakeholders
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3176-2000
Cartagena de Indias has established itself as one of the leading tourist destinations in the Colombian and Latin American Caribbean; however, its tourism and territorial configuration transcends the homogeneous narratives associated with heritage, historicity, cultural legacy, and international
positioning. This article aims to characterize Cartagena de Indias as a destination of contrasts from the perspective of local stakeholders in the city. Using a qualitative approach, specifically Glaser and Strauss's (1967) grounded theory and, more recently, Strauss and Corbin's (2002) processual and explanatory approach, the perceptions, experiences, meanings, and interactions of institutional, productive, territorial, and academic actors linked to the local tourism system are examined. The findings allow us to characterize Cartagena de Indias as a destination of contrasts expressed in three interrelated dimensions: i) a shared identity in which social openness and conformity coexist; ii) a dual tourism system in which an institutionalized offering converges with informal and illegal dynamics; and iii) active participation and peripheral influence, revealing differentiated levels of articulation and capacity for influence among stakeholder groups. It is concluded that Cartagena de Indias is neither a homogeneous destination nor one with balanced participation; rather, it is configured as a tourist scenario where inclusion, exclusion, appropriation, and disarticulation reveal the relationships between identity, tourism offerings, and the differentiated interaction of local stakeholder groups. The study provides an interpretive reading of the internal tensions that characterize the destination and contributes to understanding its complexity from the perspective of the actors who participate in its tourism dynamics in the construction of the destination's brand.
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