Effects of Cultural and Tourism Policies on Local Development: the Case of Food Trails in Medellín, Colombia

Maria del Pilar Leal Londoño; Francesc Xavier Medina

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6757

Authors

Maria del Pilar Leal Londoño Ostelea School of Tourism & Hospitality – GRIT Ostelea

She holds an international PhD and a MSc in Geography, Territorial Planning and Environmental Management (University of Barcelona). She has also been a guest lecturer in tourism in Colombia and Spain and has been a guest researcher at the Scottish Rural College in Scotland and the University of Heidelberg in Germany. She has published several articles in different languages about food, tourism and territorial development. Currently she is the academic director of the Bachelor Degrees at Ostelea International School of Tourism & Hospitality, Barcelona.
Francesc Xavier Medina Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) – GRIT Ostelea

He holds a PhD in social anthropology (University of Barcelona). He is the Director of the Department of Food Systems, Culture and Society of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona. He is also Director of the UNESCO Chair on “Food, Culture and Development” at the same university. He is currently the Chair of the European section of the International Commission on the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition (ICAF), and director of the interdisciplinary Research Group on Tourism, GRIT-EAE. He is also the author or editor of a dozen of books and more than 150 papers in scientific journals.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6757

Keywords:

Tourism and Cultural Policies, Food Tourism, Heritage, Territorial Development, Cities

Abstract

The emergence of Food Tourism worldwide has encouraged the rise of numerous food tourism strategies and initiatives everywhere, including Colombia. These are flourishing thanks to the tourism and cultural policies that recognise Colombian food processes and practices as intangible cultural heritage. One of the most representative strategies nowadays is the case of Medellín Sí Sabe (Medellín has a taste). The programme has been led by the local authorities and has been backed by different local organisations. This paper outlines an exploratory approach based on literature review, public documents, policies and the information obtained through nine semi-structured interviews applied to key stakeholders responsible for the implementation of this initiative in Medellín. The information provides some insights into how this strategy has had relevant effects on the local economic revitalisation by linking small and medium-sized food enterprises, which base their activity mainly on traditional dishes and products of the region. Firstly, it analyses the strategy’s structure and its link to national tourism and cultural policies based on the main concepts of territorial development: knowledge, learning and innovation. By analysing Medellín (Colombia) as case study, it recognises the role played by local authorities in the promotion of food tourism.

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doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2016.02.003