Strategic tourism planning model for the development of sustainable tourism in Santa Marta

STRATEGIC TOURISM PLANNING MODEL FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURISM SECTOR IN THE TOURIST, CULTURAL AND HISTORIC DISTRICT OF SANTA MARTA COLOMBIA

MODELO ESTRATÉGICO DE PLANIFICACIÓN TURÍSTICA PARA EL DESARROLLO SOSTENIBLE DEL SECTOR TURISMO EN EL DISTRITO TURÍSTICO, CULTURAL E HISTÓRICO DE SANTA MARTA COLOMBIA

SEGIO ANDRES USMA ESTUPIÑAN sergio.usma@icloud.com ANGELA PEÑUELA FORERO anropefo@gmail.com

SUPERVISOR ASUNCIÓN BLANCO ROMERO, PhD.

OSTELEA SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MASTER IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DESTINATIONS AND REGIONAL TOURISM PLANNING

2021

ABSTRACT There are successful destinations where tourism has become an engine of Comprehensive Regional Development thanks to adequate strategic planning processes. It is the dream of many to replicate these actions in regions that require help. The District of Santa Marta - Colombia, the case study of this work, is a beautiful place with high tourism potential but serious structural and economic problems that make a significant portion of its population live in extreme poverty. With the certainty that adequate tourism development can give the District an option to get out of its stagnation and improve the living conditions of its inhabitants, this thesis was raised. In the first place, the present research aims to obtain a precise diagnosis of the District situation to understand in detail its dynamics and problems, thus responding to one of the hypotheses raised; in the second place, to apply the knowledge acquired during the master's degree in strategic planning to develop a viable tourism planning model following local needs. A mixed methodology was used to achieve the proposed objectives by collecting data in the field (workshops with sector actors, survey) and reviewing bibliographic sources and socio-economic statistics, both local and regional, and national. The result of the work provides, in response to the second hypothesis raised, a robust tourism planning model with two transversal axes, that is, two subjects that are immersed in all the actions proposed: governance and sustainability. It is important to note that, in addition to the great importance of sustainability in tourism, the actions related to this axis also want to align the destination with the strategies and provisions established by the Colombian National Government on the matter. Although important aspects that determining comprehensive regional development are addressed, it is intended to exalt community social capital value, and it is proposed to implement different tools for its strengthening and enhancement. Finally, it is clarified that this work seeks to be the basis of a future viable strategic tourism plan for Santa Marta; supposing that plan is adopted and well-executed by the District Administration. In that case, it will be a tool for sustainable endogenous development, it will allow communities to diversify their sources of income, strengthening the local economy; positively impacting the generation of decent jobs and stable jobs generated by tourism, and preserving their natural capital.

Keywords: regional development, strategic planning, tourism governance, sustainability

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RESUMEN Existen casos exitosos de destinos donde el turismo se ha convertido en un motor de Desarrollo Regional Integral gracias a la implementación de procesos adecuados de planificación estratégica y es el sueño de muchos replicar estas acciones en regiones que requieren ayuda. El Distrito de Santa Marta – Colombia, caso de estudio de este trabajo, es un lugar hermoso con un alto potencial turístico, pero con problemas estructurales serios que dejan a buena parte de su población viviendo en situaciones de pobreza extrema. Con la certeza de que un adecuado desarrollo del turismo puede darle a la ciudad una opción para salir de su estancamiento y lograr el mejoramiento de las condiciones de vida de sus habitantes se planteó esta tesis. La presente investigación tiene como objetivos, en primer lugar, obtener un diagnóstico preciso de la situación del Distrito para entender en detalle sus dinámicas y problemáticas dando respuesta así a una de las hipótesis planteadas. En segundo lugar, se quiere aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos durante el máster sobre planificación estratégica, para elaborar un modelo de planificación turística viable y acorde con las necesidades locales. Para el logro de los objetivos planteados se utilizó una metodología mixta mediante la recopilación de datos en campo (mesas de trabajo con actores del sector, encuesta) y la revisión de fuentes bibliográficas y estadísticas socio económicas, no solo locales, también regionales y nacionales. El resultado final del trabajo aporta como respuesta a la segunda hipótesis planteada, un modelo de planificación turística robusto con dos ejes transversales, es decir, dos temas que están inmersos en todas las actuaciones planteadas: gobernanza y sostenibilidad. Es importante señalar que, además de la gran importancia que tiene la sostenibilidad en turismo, las acciones relacionadas con este eje también quieren alinear el destino con las estrategias y disposiciones establecidas por el Gobierno Nacional de Colombia en la materia. Aunque se abordan aspectos importantes para el desarrollo regional integral, se quiere exaltar el valor del capital social comunitario y se propone implementar diferentes herramientas para su fortalecimiento y puesta en valor. Finalmente, se aclara que este trabajo busca ser la base de un futuro plan estratégico de turismo viable para Santa Marta, plan que de ser adoptado y bien ejecutado por la Administración Distrital sea una herramienta de desarrollo endógeno sostenible y de a las comunidades la oportunidad de diversificar sus fuentes de ingresos, fortaleciendo la economía local e impactando positivamente en la generación de empleos dignos y puestos de trabajo estables generados por la actividad turística.

Palabras clave: desarrollo regional, planificación estratégica, gobernanza turística, sostenibilidad

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TABLA DE CONTENIDO 1.

PRESENTATION ....................................................................................................................... 10

1.1.

JUSTIFICATION .............................................................................................................. 10

1.2.

HYPOTHESIS .................................................................................................................... 12

1.3.

OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................... 12 1.3.1.

1.4.

1.3.2. Specific objectives .............................................................................................. 12 METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................. 13 1.4.1.

1.5.

2.

General Objective ............................................................................................... 12

Steps for the elaboration of the proposed model ................................................ 14

DOCUMENT STRUCTURE ............................................................................................ 15 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, AND TOURISM .......................................... 16

2.1.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MODELS IN LATIN AMERICA............................. 16

2.2.

TOURISM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT .......................................................... 20

3.

3.1.

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL TOURISM CONTEXT........................................................ 26 TOURISM IN COLOMBIA: AN ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT. ............................. 26 3.1.1.

National tourism competitiveness....................................................................... 27

3.2.

3.1.2. National entities with competence over tourism ................................................ 27 3.1.3. Legal framework tourism in Colombia............................................................... 28 SANTA MARTA: SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT. ................................................... 30

3.3.

SANTA MARTA AS A TOURIST DESTINATION ...................................................... 32 3.3.1.

3.3.2.

Tourism value chain analysis.............................................................................. 36 Analysis of tourism demand. .............................................................................. 39

3.4.

3.3.3. Profile of the visitor and position in front of the care of the environment. ........ 39 3.3.4 District Tourism Institute – INDETUR. ............................................................. 43 IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS ON THE TOURISM SECTOR ... 43

3.5.

ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND REACTIVATION ..................................................... 44

3.6.

TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. .................................................. 45

4.

4.1.

DIAGNOSIS AND MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM. ...................................................... 47 SPECIFIC PROBLEMS .................................................................................................... 48

4.2.

ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR .......................................................................................................................... 48 4.2.1.

4.2.2.

4.2.3.

4.3.

Strengths ............................................................................................................. 48 Weaknesses ......................................................................................................... 49 Opportunities ...................................................................................................... 49

4.2.4. Threats ................................................................................................................ 50 ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL FORCES BY PESTEL MATRIX .................................. 51

5. PROPOSAL OF TOURIST PLANNING MODEL FOR THE DISTRICT OF SANTA MARTA ................................................................................................................................................ 52

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5.1.

OBJECTIVES OF THE MODEL .................................................................................... 52

5.2.

LINES OF ACTION .......................................................................................................... 53

5.3.

TOURISM GOVERNANCE ............................................................................................. 54

5.4.

5.5.

5.3.1.

5.3.2.

Coordination and Institutional Strengthening..................................................... 55 Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations .......................................................... 56

5.3.3.

5.3.4.

5.3.5.

Participatory Citizen Processes........................................................................... 57 Networks and Alliances to facilitate the development of the Sector .................. 57 Financing and Monitoring of proposed actions .................................................. 58

INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT FOR COMPETITIVENESS ....................................... 59 5.4.1.

5.4.2.

Investment in Infrastructure for Tourism ........................................................... 59 Formalization and Decent Employment ............................................................. 61

5.4.3.

5.4.4.

5.4.5.

Incentives and investment promotion ................................................................. 62 Support and financing of productive projects ..................................................... 62 Territorial Planning, Information Systems, and Tourist Security....................... 63

5.4.6.

5.4.7.

Sector Professionalization .................................................................................. 65 Innovation and New typologies of Tourism ....................................................... 66

COMMUNITY SOCIAL CAPITAL ................................................................................ 67 5.5.1.

5.5.2.

5.6.

5.5.3. Generation of Cooperation and Associativity..................................................... 70 TOURISM PROMOTION AND DESTINATION POSITIONING ............................. 71 5.6.1.

5.7.

Strengthening the sense of community ............................................................... 68 Rescue and exaltation of traditions and cultural and historical memory ............ 69

Market intelligence ............................................................................................. 72

5.6.2. Positioning of the destination in specialized markets ......................................... 73 5.6.3. City Brand Management ..................................................................................... 74 SUSTAINABILITY AND BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION. ...................................... 75 5.7.1. Tourism Environmental Performance Information System................................ 76 5.7.2. Destination Management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems .................................................................................................................... 77 5.7.3. Adaptation to climate change ............................................................................. 80 5.7.4. Sustainable Tourism Quality .............................................................................. 81 5.7.5.

5.7.6.

Raising awareness and changing worldviews..................................................... 82 Creating sustainable and regenerative products ................................................. 84

6.

CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................... 86

7.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................... 89

8.

REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 90

9.

ANNEXES ................................................................................................................................... 95

Annex 1. Characterization of tourism service providers in the District of Santa Marta. .......... 95 9.1.1.

9.1.2.

Survey format. .................................................................................................... 95 Results................................................................................................................. 96

9.1.3.

Process limitations. ............................................................................................. 99

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Annex 2. Distribution map of the Tourist Service Providers of the District of Santa Marta. ... 99 Annex 3. Matrix of actions and indicators of the Tourism Planning Model. ............................ 100 Annex 4. Photographic record. ...................................................................................................... 102

LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Main national-level entities that regulate tourism in Colombia. Own elaboration ............ 27 Table 2. Main rules of the national order that govern the tourist activity. Own elaboration. ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Table 3. Identification of Cultural and Natural Resources Relevant to the Destination.

Own elaboration ............................................................................................................................... 32 Table 4 Number of national tourism registers issued and active in Santa Marta 2020.

Source: (FONTUR, 2020) ................................................................................................................ 37 Table 5. External factors that generate or influence the problem. PESTEL analysis methodology. .................................................................................................................................... 51 Table 6. Summary table of actions by program ............................................................................... 53 Table 7. Program No. 1 - Coordination and Institutional Strengthening. ........................................ 55 Table 8. Program No. 2. Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations ................................................ 56 Table 9. Program No. 3. Participatory Processes of Citizenship. .................................................... 57 Table 10. Program No. 4. Networks and Alliances to facilitate the development of the Sector. ............................................................................................................................................... 57 Table 11. Program No. 5. Financing and Monitoring of the proposed actions. ............................... 58 Table 12. Program No. 6. Investment in Infrastructure for tourism. ................................................ 60 Table 13. Program No. 7. Formalization of the activity and Decent Employment. ......................... 61 Table 14. Program No. 8. Incentives and promotion of investment................................................. 62 Table 15. Program No. 9. Support and financing of productive projects......................................... 63 Table 16. Program No. 10. Territorial Planning, Information Systems, and Tourist Security. ............................................................................................................................................ 64 Table 17. Program No. 11. Professionalization of the Sector .......................................................... 66 Table 18. Program No. 12. Innovation and New typologies of Tourism. ........................................ 67 Table 19. Program No. 13. Strengthening the sense of community. ................................................ 68 Table 20. Program No. 14. Rescue and glorification of traditions and cultural and historical memory. ............................................................................................................................ 70 Table 21. Program No. 15. Generation of Cooperation and Associativity....................................... 71 Table 22. Program No.16. Market intelligence. ............................................................................... 72 Table 23. Program No. 17. Positioning of the destination in specialized markets. .......................... 73 Table 24. Program No. 18. Management of the City Brand. ........................................................... 74 Table 25. Program No. 19. Tourism Environmental Performance Information System.................. 77 Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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Table 26. Program No. 20. Destination Management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems..................................................................................................... 78 Table 27. Program No. 21. Adaptation to climate change. .............................................................. 80 Table 28. Program No. 22. Sustainable Tourism Quality. ............................................................... 81 Table 29. Program No. 23. Awareness and change of worldview. .................................................. 83 Table 30. Program No. 24. Creation of sustainable and regenerative products. .............................. 85 Table 31. Axes and problems to be solved. ...................................................................................... 87 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Macrolocation of the District of Santa Marta. Source:(Invest in Santa Marta, N.d.) .................................................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 2. Overall rate of participation, occupation and unemployment in Santa Marta.

Source: DANE, 2018. ....................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 3 Categorization of tourism service companies by size according to number of employees. Source: Own elaboration ............................................................................................... 37 Figure 4 Structure of the tourism sector in the District. Adapted from the model of Cook et al. (2018) ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 5. Trade union structure of tourism in the District of Santa Marta. .................................... 38 Figure 6 Distribution of tourists and visitors by gender. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ................................................................................................................................................. 39 Figure 7. Distribution of visitors according to the country of origin. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Figure 8 Distribution of visitors and national tourists by Department. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) .................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 9. Distribution of the population of national tourists by municipalities. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) .................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 10 Areas of greater concurrence of tourists. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ................ 41 Figure 11 Interest in the environmental conservation of the population of visitors to the District of Santa Marta. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ............................................................ 41 Figure 12. Percentage of the population of tourists and visitors who dispose of their solid waste irresponsibly. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ......................................................... 41 Figure 13 Level of education of the tourists surveyed. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) .............. 42 Figure 14 Distribution of respondents by type of occupation. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019). ................................................................................................................................................ 42 Figure 15 Size of the travel group. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ........................................... 42 Figure 16 Previous travel planning time. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ................................. 42

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Figure 17 Making reservations with travel agencies prior to arrival in the city. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) .................................................................................................................. 42 Figure 18. Distribution of tourists and visitors who plan to visit the Tayrona Natural Park. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)........................................................................................... 42 Figure 19 Social network most used by tourists and visitors. Source: ). (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019) ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Figure 20 Structure of INDETUR. Source: INDETUR (2020) ........................................................ 43 Figure 21 Tourism reactivation and repotential plan – lines of actions. Source: INDETUR (2020) ............................................................................................................................. 44 Figure 22. Problem tree. Low level of tourism competitiveness of the District of Santa Marta. ............................................................................................................................................... 47 Figure 23 Summary of the DOFA Matrix formulated for the case study. ....................................... 50 Figure 24 Tree of objectives. Model of planning and ordering of the tourist activities of the District of Santa Marta. .............................................................................................................. 52 Figure 25. Model of Axes for the tourist planning of the District of Santa Marta. Source: Own elaboration. .............................................................................................................................. 53 Figure 26. Axis No 1 Tourism governance structure. ..................................................................... 54 Figure 27 Axis No. 2 Programs Integral Development for Competitiveness. ................................ 59 Figure 28. Axis No. 3 Community Social Capital Programs. ......................................................... 68 Figure 29. Programs of Axis No. 4 Tourism Promotion and Destination Positioning programs. .......................................................................................................................................... 72 Figure 30. Logo brand city. Source: INDETUR (2020)................................................................... 75 Figure 31. Axis No. 5 Sustainability and Biodiversity protection programs. ................................. 76 Figure 32 Annex 1. Survey format carried out for the characterization of tourism service providers. .......................................................................................................................................... 96 Figure 33 Table of data collected by survey. Data processed through Excel................................... 97 Figure 34 Annex 1. Type of service provider surveyed according to your position or occupation. ....................................................................................................................................... 97 Figure 35 Annex 1. Location of service providers according to tourist concurrency area. ............. 97 Figure 36. Annex 1. Distribution of tourism service providers according to the type of establishment or activity carried out. ............................................................................................... 98 Figure 37 Annex 1. Distribution of tourism service providers according to the size of the company. .......................................................................................................................................... 98 Figure 38 Annex 1. Identification of the training and technical assistance needs of the surveyed population. ........................................................................................................................ 99 Figure 39 Annex 3. Strategic axes of the proposed tourism planning model................................. 101

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Figure 40 Annex 3. Preliminary view of the matrix of actions and indicators proposed by the Tourism Planning Model formulated by the research thesis .................................................... 101 Figure 41 Annex 4. Socialization of the initial model with the presidents of the guilds of COTELCO, ANATO, ProRodadero, Travel Agencies of Rodadero, and the general director of INDETUR. .................................................................................................................... 102 Figure 42. Annex 4. Workshop of data collection for the elaboration of the diagnosis with providers of tourist services of the rural areas. ...................................................................... 102 Figure 43 Annex 4. Photographic record. Data analysis process through the use of agile methodologies. ............................................................................................................................... 102 Figure 44 Annex 4. Workshop of data collection for the elaboration of the diagnosis with members of the tourist value chain of the historic center. .............................................................. 102

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1. PRESENTATION This research establishes the methodological bases for constructing a tourism planning and ordering model for the District of Santa Marta, capital of Magdalena Department in Colombia. Multiple variables and structural aspects that affect destination competitiveness, promotion, positioning, and management processes were analyzed during the study.

The analysis was carried out through qualitative and quantitative research techniques based on the experience and knowledge of the territory shared by some members of local entities in which tourism is regulated, tourism services providers, rural communities in areas such Don Diego, Buritaca, Minca, and Guachaca, as well as actors associated with the tourism value chain: union representatives, hoteliers, travel agencies owners, tourism transport companies, tourism service providers associations and entrepreneurs dedicated to tourism and its complementary activities.

The results are a diagnosis of the sector needs and the formulation of programs and actions for sustainable tourism development in the District. These elements contributed to structuring a planning model with five fundamental pillars: tourism governance; support and foster development to achieve tourism competitiveness; strengthening social capital through tourism; marketing, tourism promotion, and destination positioning; and management of sustainability and biodiversity protection.

1.1. JUSTIFICATION The Sustainable Tourism Destinations and Regional Tourism Planning master program has a main objective: Designing strategies and plans for dynamizing and differentiating tourism products and destinations based on sustainable tourism management, both in well-established and emerging destinations; in the same way, it seeks to provide knowledge of tourism destination planning and management with the application of sustainability (OSTELEA Tourism Management School, 2020). That is why this thesis approach is to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the different subjects to create a strategic tourism planning model appropriate for sustainable tourism development in the District of Santa Marta, based on the needs and problems of the tourism services market, value chain members, local communities and all the different stakeholders.

The case study is Santa Marta because of the great challenge that the destination implies. Although it has beautiful, unique, and recognized attractions, not only at the national level, it has sought its positioning in international tourism markets without success. This statement is confirmed in national statistics related to the number of foreign visitors that show that the city received only 6% of the foreigners that Cartagena received, its direct competitor, in 2019 (CITUR - MinCit, 2020).

An additional advantage for the election lies in the experience within the public sector of the team members and the contractual link of one of them with the District tourism Institute INDETUR. This facilitated the management of logistical resources and access to front-line sources of information. This affinity could allow the future implementation of the resulting model in the tourism planning processes of the city.

On the other hand, it should be noted that, according to the analysis carried out during the study, it was evident that the District lacks a current tourism planning model. There are plans in which some actions related to tourism were formulated, but there is not a specialized plan for tourism development. Among the prepared plans, the following stand out: Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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i.

Fifth Centennial Master Plan 2018 – 2030 or Plan 500 years, formulated in 2014 when Carlos Caicedo Omar was the District Mayor. This plan contemplates 25 short, medium, and long-term projects among which stand out: the construction of a tourist service center in the Minca area, the development of hotel complexes in Pozos Colorados sector, the creation of new ecological trails from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the sea, a network of cable cars, the creation of a Linear Park in the lower area of Ziruma Hill, as well as multiple tourist enabling construction works (Alcaldía de Santa Marta, 2016). ii.

District Development Plan 2020 – 2023 "Santa Marta Corazón del Cambio". It is not directly specialized in tourism, but it contemplates actions for developing the sector in all its strategic axes. Axis 3, "Change with opportunities in innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship", considers the implementation of three government programs to promote tourism development: 1. Tourist routes, 2.

Infrastructure for tourism and 3. Tourist enablers (Alcaldía de Santa Marta, 2020). However, the indicators are assigned to multiple district entities in a dispersed manner. This assignation hinders the implementation and leaves the actions open to the interpretation of non-specialized or non-competent tourism agencies.

As it was mentioned, there is no specialized tourism strategic plan at the district level.

That fact hinders multiple processes necessary for the development of the sector, such as resource allocation, the management of tourism governance, and the integration of stakeholders in decision-making, policy, and strategic plans formulation processes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a tourism planning model that lays the foundations to incorporate strategies for good governance, territorial integration, citizen participation, and the adoption of sustainability criteria in tourism planning and management processes. Another particularity identified during the analysis of the mentioned plans is that they consider sustainability as a concept, not as a vital tool for development. This situation can be evidenced by the absence of indicators and actions related to fulfilling environmental preservation and conservation goals during the development of tourism activities.

In the same way, it seeks to incorporate methodologies and theoretical-practical knowledge that can provide solutions to the lack of formalization and quality in the tourism value chain. These problems are generated mainly by the poverty condition in which thousands of inhabitants live. Most of them reside in foothills adjacent to the tourism sites and attractions in belts of misery; this situation coincides with the population's informality, unemployment, and low educational achievement. These phenomena have turned multiple tourism sites and attractions into places of street vending, where unregulated products and activities are offered mainly by mothers households, older people, people in situations of extreme poverty, and migrant population; they look for their and their family livelihood through selling their products to tourists and visitors in sites such as beaches, public squares, and historical sites (Meisel-Roca & Ricciulli-Marin, 2018).

Therefore, it is essential to study the problems that have prevented the development and consolidation of the District of Santa Marta as a sustainable tourism destination, as well as the definition of strategies to raise the tourism competitiveness index and to achieve the sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the local cultural and historical heritage. It is hoped, then, to define viable and comprehensive strategies that, if the District adopted them in the future, would allow local communities to diversify their incomes, strengthen the local economy, and positively impact the generation of decent and stable jobs generated by tourism activity. This could contribute to the destination integral development, the reduction of Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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extreme poverty and the generation of opportunities for the most vulnerable populations, strengthening governance processes and reducing existing levels of social inequality.

It should be noted that the main motivation of this work lies in the team desire to help meet the district's need to strengthen the tourism sector and consolidate it as a tool to promote the development of rural and urban communities that mostly live below the poverty line because of the internal armed conflict, forced displacement, violence and the presence of illegal armed groups engaged in drug traffic in the region. Without a doubt, these problems have impeded economic development, cutting off opportunities for improving the quality of life for younger population groups.

1.2. HYPOTHESIS Based on the above, this work raises two main hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: The low tourism competitiveness level of the District of Santa Marta is a direct cause of the local structural problems related to monetary and multidimensional poverty, the low educational achievement of the population, and the low level of economic development and diversification. Those factors have generated high unemployment and social inequality levels, and their impacts are reflected in the predominance of informality and the lack of diversification in tourism services and products.

Hypothesis 2: Despite the current situation of the District and based precisely on this situation, it is possible to develop a strategic tourism planning model that includes axes, strategic lines, actions, or programs clearly defined. The model must be oriented to tourism development and strengthening and the empowerment of vulnerable communities to improve their well-being and life standard by executing activities related to tourism.

1.3. OBJECTIVES 1.3.1. General Objective Develop an appropriate strategic tourism planning model for sustainable tourism development in the District of Santa Marta, capable of being implemented through the construction of a strategic plan or decennial tourism plan. It must be based on a detailed diagnosis of the problems that prevent the tourism services diversification and affect tourism competitiveness levels according to the methodology of the Regional Tourism Competitiveness Index of Colombia and the needs and problems manifested by trade union representatives and members of the tourism value chain.

1.3.2. Specific objectives •

Make a diagnosis of the current state and background of tourism activity in the District of Santa Marta, emphasizing tourism positioning, competitiveness, services supply, tourism infrastructure, quality in service, human capital qualification, institutional management, and employability.

•

Define the main rules, policies, and plans that govern tourism activity in the District of Santa Marta.

•

Carry out an analysis of the stakeholders and main actors of the tourism value chain, delimiting their competencies, roles, and functions in the destination.

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•

Delimit the competencies of the leading national, departmental, and district entities that influence or regulate tourism activity.

•

Carry out participatory dynamics with tourism service providers and members of the value chain to collect data related to the needs and problems of the destination.

•

Analyze the destination weaknesses, opportunities, strengths, and threats through information collection instruments such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis from primary research sources.

•

Define the tourism planning model´s strategic lines for sustainable development and improve tourism competitiveness in Santa Marta.

•

Develop an action plan for the tourism planning model implementation, delimiting strategic axes, strategies, suggested programs, indicative actions with their respective indicators, goal lines, and execution deadlines.

It should be noted that the strategic plan that could be formulated based on the proposed model will have its own objectives. The most important will be: improve tourism planning and management processes, facilitate the governance of the tourism sector, reduce the local dependence on tourism, adopt tourism as an activity that generates employment and socio-economic development, and facilitate the protection and restoration of nature attractions affected by tourism activities carried out without environmental sustainability criteria.

1.4. METHODOLOGY The methodology used in this research work is a mixed methodology based on the development of experimental tools through the collection of data in the field, review of bibliographic sources, interviews, and participatory workshops with public entities members, tourism service providers communities, rural communities, and actors associated with the tourism value chain such trade union leaders, hoteliers, travel agencies owners, multimodal tourist transport operators, tourism service providers and entrepreneurs dedicated to tourism complementary activities.

Part of the qualitative methodology was applied when the Regional Tourism Competitiveness Index of Colombia, developed by the Tourism Thinking Center of Colombia – CPTUR, was analyzed. It considers the socio-economic characteristics of the country, the regional development of tourism activity, and the interrelationship of tourism with other productive sectors. The model helped to identify the destination capacity to insert itself in the market in a sustainable way through the articulation of public and private actors; its ability to create high quality, innovative and attractive tourism products capable of generating added value to tourists and visitors through the sustainable and responsible use of the District natural and cultural heritage (CPTUR, 2019).

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1.4.1. Steps for the elaboration of the proposed model a) Firstly, an analysis of previous technical documents and strategic plans relating to tourism development was carried out. Subsequently, information related to tourism development in the District was gathered by analyzing and investigating primary and secondary information sources. These data were acquired mainly from the District Town hall archives, Economic Development Department, and the District Tourism Institute INDETUR. Additionally, sectoral and population statistics for 2016 – 2019 were analyzed to delimit trends and key economic aspects and understand the tourism dynamics and variations. This analysis was made for the diagnosis, base of the strategic line’s formulation, and the model planning process. b) Review and analyze national policies and strategies related to tourism to align the model to the national level. Some of the documents analyzed were the sustainable tourism policy, the tourism quality policy, the policy for ecotourism development, the national policy of the Oceans and Coastal Spaces, the National Policy of Sustainable Production and Consumption, the National Policy for the Integral Management of Biodiversity and its ecosystem, the tourism sector plan 2018-2022. c) Review and analyze departmental and district policies and strategies related to tourism to align the model to the regional level. A total of four documents were identified with their respective technical annexes. They are the Departmental Development Plan "Magdalena Renace 2020 – 2023"; the Magdalena Tourism Sector Plan "Research, planning, and development of the Department's potential towards sustainable and community tourism 2009-2019"; the District Development Plan "Santa Marta Corazón del Cambio 2020 – 2023"; and the Sectoral tourism Plan for the Tourist, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta 2015 Tourism Sustainability! "Boys and girls first." d) Diagnosis elaboration, through the case study of the Tourist, Cultural, and Historic District of Santa Marta, contemplating data and qualitative and quantitative information related to population, territorial extension, economy, unemployment, occupation index, distribution of economic activities, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the sector. e) Conducting surveys, meetings, and interviews with tourism entrepreneurs and workers to collect key data related to the dimensions analyzed by the Regional Tourism Competitiveness Index of Colombia, which correspond to environmental, cultural factors, marketing strategy, destination management, business sector, and infrastructure. f) Sectoral technical workshops for the diagnosis and strategic lines of the model construction; meetings with authorities, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the different associations and tourism service providers cooperatives present in the District.

The workshops were essential to analyzing needs, challenges, difficulties, and strengths through SWOT methodology and characterization of external factors of vast influence on tourism development by elaborating a matrix under the PESTEL methodology. g) Review and analysis of tourism and regional development theory was made to confirm or complement important variables that promote development within the model. h) Formulation of the tourism planning and management model for the sustainable tourism development of the District of Santa Marta, based on the competitiveness model of the Tourism Thinking Center of Colombia, the different aspect that can foster regional development, the indicators established in the National Sustainable Tourism Policy and the diagnosis made.

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i) Finally, according to strategic lines proposed in workshops, diagnoses, characterizations, and analysis carried out, a battery of actions and basic indicators was elaborated.

1.5. DOCUMENT STRUCTURE The document content goes orderly through (7) seven distinct chapters that begin with a theoretical framework. It summarizes in broad outlines the planning models applied in Latin America, their limitations, and results on regional development, and strategic planning used to tourism as base concepts of the research work. This theoretical framework constitutes Chapter 2.

The third chapter introduces the case study. This chapter describes in great detail the current situation of the District of Santa Marta. It explains the local tourism system elements, the tourism value chain main actors delimiting their competencies, roles, and functions in the destination.

In the fourth section, the results of the analysis carried out are presented. Through the SWOT and PESTEL analysis tools, the critical factors that affect the District tourism sector are offered. There is also a problems tree through which the identified problems and the direct cause of local tourism sector competitiveness are presented briefly.

The fifth chapter presents the proposed tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta. The model consists of five lines of action, 24 programs, and 156 actions shown concretely and practically. The actions are presented in a table structure, with their basic indicator, target line, and execution time suggested.

The two following chapters correspond to the conclusions and research limitations, respectively. Finally, the document closes with chapter 9, where the technical Annexes that support this research are presented. All the elements mentioned constituting the final thesis project of the Master Sustainable Tourism Destinations and Regional Tourism Planning program studied at Ostelea, Tourism Management School.

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2. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, AND TOURISM The purpose of this thesis work is the elaboration of a planning model that leads to adequate tourism sector development in the District of Santa Marta with the aim that, in the future, the activity becomes an engine of development at the local level, understanding the concept of development as a positive change associated with the quality of life, incorporating variables related to the satisfaction of personal and collective needs, with material and cultural progress, with social organization, with the ability to become part of economic networks, with the governability (Soms, 2007). Thus, for a better understanding of the case study context and the objective proposed for this document, the regional development approaches applied in Latin America, the term strategic planning, and its application in tourism will be reviewed.

2.1. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MODELS IN LATIN AMERICA Although development was approached eminently from the point of view of economic growth initially, today, social, political, and cultural aspects, among others, have been included in its study, demanding more holistic, multidimensional, and complex planning strategies for its promotion. Since its inception, development theory has also dedicated resources to understand why some countries are growing and others are not. It has studied the reasons for the backwardness and underdevelopment of some regions, and it has proposed different approaches and models that aim to achieve their economic growth.

As an example of this, Latin America can be cited. Its countries have not achieved the desired levels of development, levels that are in accordance with the large number of resources they hold. Despite the implementation of different models and investments, many regions remain underdeveloped, and their inhabitants live in poverty, without even opportunities to meet their basic needs.

It could then be affirmed that development is an objective of the regions and states, the desired future, and, therefore, achieving it will depend on the planning processes that are designed and implemented, understanding planning as a future-oriented and strategic decision-making process that aims to direct human actions to a desired and mutually agreed direction(s) (Saarinen, Rogerson, & Hall, 2017).

There is no literature available that speaks accurately about the development planning processes in Latin America during the first half of the twentieth century. In addition, with the economic ideas of free markets in force at that time, governments fulfilled only regulatory functions. However, with the rise and adoption of Keynesian theories, state interventionism in economic matters was implanted at the global level, consolidating fiscal policy as the ideal instrument to modify the behaviors of stagnant economies through the boost of aggregate demand and establishing the well-being of the population (health expenditures, education, housing, etc.) as a responsibility of the State, demanding active policies by governments (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014).

It was also expected that central governments would design such policies to promote regional growth processes that would eliminate the disparity between regions. Some academics attributed the existence of backward and impoverished areas to the phenomenon named the vicious circle of poverty. This concept explained how the interrelationships between the different variables created a cumulative process that, in the case of variables that promoted development, enhanced and promoted it, but otherwise promoted its stagnation (Martinez Piva, 1998). Myrdal (1957) also explained how free-market mechanisms could Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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accentuate this phenomenon by widening economic differences between regions, this enhanced the need for state interventionism in the economic and social spheres.

In order to fulfill their functions, Governments have applied different models seeking economic development and the reduction of regional disparities. However, none of them has achieved the expected effectiveness. According to De Mattos (1984) and Boisier (2006), the first model of regional development applied by some countries was the river basin development planning and management, copied from the one implemented in 1933 by President Roosevelt in Tennessee, United States. The model sought to promote comprehensive regional development in backward and marginal areas, with significant investments in hydroelectric and basic infrastructure works complemented by agricultural development programs generally.

Although the strategy was successful in the United States, in Latin America, it showed great weaknesses that led to its abandonment since the regions chosen for the projects were not the least developed and with the highest poverty rates and did not have the conditions to retain the results of their growth process, allowing the surpluses to go to the central regions and with greater relative development.

After the Alliance for Progress, an economic and social aid program proposed by the United States and accepted by the countries members of the American States Organization, except Cuba, in 1961, further growth and regional planning strategies came from France.

They were associated in many cases with implementing the Growth Poles theory and development centers under the assumption that the gravitation of the complex of industries immersed in a pole would cause positive effects in both the urban center in which it was located and in its surrounding region. (De Mattos, 1984).

Paelinck (1963) defines this concept as follows: "a growth pole is formed when an industry, through the flow of goods and incomes which it can generate, stimulates the development and growth of other industries related to it (technical polarization); or determines the prosperity of the tertiary sector by means of the incomes it generates (income polarization); or stimulates an increase of the regional economy by causing a progressive concentration of new activities (psychological and geographical polarization)”.

Despite the great deployment of the model, it did not achieve the proposed success since, taking into account what De Mattos (1984) explained, the implications, requirements, and investments necessary to consolidate an industrial complex capable of forming a Growth Pole were not understood and, therefore, the model foundation was altered from the beginning, and it was confused with the mere idea of urban agglomeration. Moreover, in cases where a higher level of implementation was achieved, the studies found no evidence to show that the benefits described in theory (technical, income, psychological and geographical polarization) were important either for the urban center or for its surrounding region.

In the same period, and as a complement to the polarization strategies designed for urban centers, Integrated Rural Development (IRD) strategies began to be disseminated. The model theoretical underpinnings were based on the experience of cooperative agricultural development in Israel and involved excellent coordination of functions between the different planning levels (from national to local) and the various planning disciplines or sectors.

Despite the wide dissemination of actions for the model implementation, obstacles such as the ownership and tenure of rural land, the distribution and size of agricultural establishments, the prevailing mechanisms for the marketing of agricultural production, the conditions for accessing rural credit and technical assistance in force, among others, they did not allow to achieve its successful execution. In addition, overcoming these obstacles Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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required structural transformations that were not reflected in the political projects promoted in the region (De Mattos, 1984).

Considering the poor results of the mentioned strategies, planners began to include in their analyses considerations regarding the geographical location where investments were made, producing a change of perspective in the vision of regional development. Development then begins to be thought of as something that should be built on the capabilities of local actors and not as something imposed from the top down. Thus, a new trend in development planning that can be called "participatory regionalism" was born in the Latin American scenario (De Mattos, 1984).

Within this trend can be found several proposals. According to the analysis carried out

by Díez, Gutierrez, and Pazzi (2014), the proposals known as Negotiated Planning and Multifunctional Planning raised by Sergio Boisier in 1979 and 1982, respectively; Participatory Planning formulated by Pablo Haddad in 1980; the Bottom-Up Paradigm worked by Walter Stöhr and Franz Todtling in 1979; the concept of Local Development by José Arocena and the concept of Endogenous Development can be compiled within participatory regionalism planning trend.

Although they have different approaches, all these proposals have a fundamental axis: the exaltation of the existing resources in the territory and the need for their potentization.

They put to the organized and driven action from the own territory that is intended to benefit, as the development protagonist. Its main objectives are the retention of the surplus generated at the local level, growth based on own resources, the promotion of local entrepreneurs, the promotion of innovation in the territory, and greater participation of local actors (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014) These postulates coincided with the trend towards the decentralization of public decisions implemented in Latin America in the '80s and '90s, which gave greater decisionmaking power to the local State in economic matters, reaffirming the importance of the role of the regions within their own development (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014). Three approaches stand out within the participatory regionalism trend: •

One highlights entrepreneurship as growth agents, the entrepreneur as an indicator of regional development, and the generator of wealth and innovation as a competitive capacity within the markets. This approach promotes actions to strengthen among the population personal skills that favor entrepreneurship under the premise that "anyone in the community is a potential entrepreneur" (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014).

•

Another argues the need for more significant intervention by the local government in economic matters to promote the constitution and consolidation of new companies and investment attraction. Thanks to the municipal modernization caused by the decentralization of functions from the central to the local levels, the regions got the option of formulating public policies through the concept of "strategic planning" and implementing them through mechanisms such as "publicprivate cooperation".

Policies aimed at fostering local economic development can be first-generation (investment in infrastructure) or second-generation (improvement of territorial and urban competitiveness), according to Von Haldenwang (2000).

Among the second-generation policies, Díez (2004) identifies five types of government policies that impact the local economy directly: offer of business services and the promotion of productive projects, financing programs for micro

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and small enterprises, projects that promote cooperation and business networks, programs for the creation of territorial information systems, and finally those that enable the training of human resources and the monitoring of local employment.

•

The last approach is based on the consolidation of society with identity and sense of belonging, capable of generating plans and projects of impact in the territory.

For some authors, the difference in development between peoples is due to their capacity for collective action. Weak local economies may result from limitations in their Community Social Capital, understood as "attitudes of trust that occur in combination with behaviors of reciprocity and cooperation" (Durston, 2002). They also propose the existence of a close relationship between culture and economic development since the different cultural aspects - customs, ethics, norms promote or hinder the process of capital generation and accumulation (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014).

Within this scheme, it is desired to empower local actors and improve the social organization through techniques that work on elements of shared identity and historical memory, reinforced by training sessions, credits, and subsidies to territorial organizations with the aim of implementing associative productive projects. In addition, these initiatives are easily sponsored and financed by international cooperation programs because they also allow the break-up of paternalistic and clientelist structures prevailing in some territories (Díez, Gutierrez, & Pazzi, 2014).

Despite the deployment of the strategies mentioned above and the support of international organizations for their implementation, the results have not been as expected.

The lack of an adequate legal framework for initiatives, the low autonomy of local action, the insufficiency of adequate human and technical resources for territorial management, the neglect of social tensions, the disappearance of regional entrepreneurs, clientelism, corruption, technological or financing problems, the impossibility of creating true social capital, among others, are local aspects that have limited the implementation of these strategies in depressed areas of the continent (Díez & Gutierrez, 2008) Despite the failure or lack of results of participatory regionalism models, it cannot be denied that the mobilization and strengthening of the regions' endogenous resources are the keys to achieving adequate and long-term territorial development. This puts endogenous growth as an essential strategy to overcome underdevelopment for some regions in Latin America. Therefore, it is crucial to understand endogenous development as the ability to transform the socio-economic system; the ability to react to external challenges; the promotion of social learning; and the ability to introduce specific forms of social regulation at the local level that favor the development of the above characteristics; endogenous development is, in other words, the ability to innovate at the local level (Garofoli, 1995).

In the same line, for example, for Von Haldenwang (2000), the consolidation of development must be based on territorial policies competitiveness-oriented, which work for the mobilization of endogenous resources, the consolidation of regional economic clusters, the democratization of incentive structures, the creation of intermediate-level institutions that promote development in a decentralized way and the institutional strengthening especially.

Boisier (2006), in addition to explaining that the growth of a region depends on its interaction with its environment (exogenous) and its development on the interaction between its internal factors (endogenous), ensures that local endogenous capacities can be energized Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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through territorial action, only when existing cognitive deficiencies related to the functioning of the territory as an open and complex system (structural) and to the way in which the different inter-factors and relationships must be managed to achieve growth and development (functional), are closed. By do this, Boisier focused its proposal on the strengthening and specialization of those in charge of planning.

Finally, Diez et al.(2014) affirm that the conceptual framework necessary to overcome controversies and difficulties evidenced in the different development strategies must have broad participation and social organization for its formulation. That conceptual framework must start from a precise diagnosis of the reasons for the backwardness or disparity of the region and the situation and capacity of the private sector to boost the local economy. Due to the social tensions present in all development processes, there must be a transparent Government Administration capable of defending and guaranteeing the rights of the weakest and most vulnerable sectors. These axes imply better levels of governance and institutional strengthening.

However, in more recent years, some trends explain how globalization, the basis of the world economic system and widely supported by neoliberal governments, is the cause of many of the problems suffered by the planet. It also has relegated the Southern Regions, including Latin America, to continue in underdevelopment by turning them into suppliers of raw materials and natural resources at low cost to the north economies, thus continuing with processes of neocolonialism and economic dependence.

For Norberg-Hodge (2019), some of the negative impacts that globalization has caused to the world are loss of jobs and sources of income, deterioration of human beings physical and mental health, environmental destruction, increase CO2 emissions, erosion of democracy, and loss of credibility of institutions, increase in inequality, loss of food sovereignty, lack of resilience of the regions and increase the polarization of social conflicts.

For this reason, concepts such as location, social economy, solidarity economy, happiness economy, alternative economy, circular economy, among others, have emerged in order to reduce the dependence of regions on imported products, favoring local production and markets to meet local communities’ needs.

From the foregoing, it can be concluded that institutional strengthening, markets, companies, organizations, local institutions, as well as civil society itself and its communities, are vital elements that must be consolidated and empowered in the processes of development and structural change to be implemented in Latin America in order to overcome underdevelopment.

2.2. TOURISM PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT There are several definitions of Planning. The one raised by Saarinen, Rogerson, and Hall (2017) has already been mentioned. Another definition more oriented to public or private administration processes understands planning as a set of procedures to relate what you want to achieve (objectives), with how to achieve it (strategy), and the instruments available for such purposes (policies, programs, budgets) (Soms, 2007). On the other hand, planning, under the strategic approach, was defined by Cuervo García (1975) as the process of determining the organization base objectives and the policies and strategies that govern the acquisition, use, and management of resources to achieve those objectives.

As can be seen, all the definitions have in common the vision of the future, a strategy or plan of action, and the fulfillment of objectives. However, considering the various areas in which it is applied, planning is not always the tool used to define the strategies to be Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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implemented or an organization or entity´s future objectives. This is more easily understood when territorial development planning is analyzing. In that process, strategies and proposed goals or objectives do not arise within an analysis or diagnosis stage in the planning process but rather from political agreements, dialogues between social actors, or they are decisions taken by authorities at different levels of government.(Soms, 2007) Therefore, it is important to understand that strategic planning can be understood as a process or method. Planning as a process refers to the governance of a regional system (management capacity, possibility of alliances, and availability of resources) and to those context factors (political project, social demands, economic model) that guide and give meaning to a strategic proposal (Soms, 2007). In this case and considering what Soms (2007) exposed, the process depends on several factors that must be analyzed and evaluated to establish the necessary actions to achieve the proposed objectives or the social demands received: regulatory frameworks, management capacity, the possibility of alliances, available resources, etc.

On the other hand, planning as a method is an ordered sequence of activities and procedures that ensure the internal and external coherence of a plan, as well as the viability of the objectives and actions to be undertaken (Soms, 2007). In this case, the most important steps of a planning process begin with the analysis of the current situation to establish a diagnosis or baseline, the establishment of objectives or goals, the definition of strategies or action plans, the execution or implementation of these actions and the evaluation of the results obtained.

After that clarification, it will be analyzed in a general and rapid way how the planning process has evolved in the development of tourism, a sector that has led the development in many countries and regions, including Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, and Sri Lanka, also Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, since the last century (Saporiti de Baldrich, 2006).

Tourism is an overly complex phenomenon; its multidisciplinary character implies all the resources of a territory or tourism destination in a global way. It also requires a diversity of actors and resources well related to each other for its correct development, thus becoming a complex system made up of various interconnected elements. That is why the tourism system must be understood, analyzed, studied, and planned according to a systemic approach and, it is an interesting exercise to see how the planning process has been executed in the different stages of tourism development.

During the post-war period, world economies grew at unprecedented levels, generating development and improving the citizens living conditions. This growth brought changes in the demand for goods and services, and tourism was one of the economic activities benefited. A new middle or working class had access to tourism, and taking into account previous trends, which established beach and sea as desired places for therapeutic reasons, entertainment, or to demonstrate status, new coastal destinations began to establish themselves. It can be said that a process of "democratization", both in tourism and in regional expansion, took place and tourism began to have a great social, economic, and regional relevance until a real "boom", known as Fordist tourism, took place. (Ostelea, Tourism Management School, 2020) Since that time, tourism has been an important economic activity for many regions that, thanks to their position and special geographical aspects, are able to generate visits, attract tourists, offer products and services that meet the needs of a certain group of visitors.

However, the activity generates not only economic development and positive impacts on destinations. There are many studies that show the negative impacts caused by tourism, and Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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for that reason, its planning and management have been a cause for concern and constant analysis among experts and sector managers.

Throughout the history of tourism as an economic activity, there have been different planning approaches for the sector and tourist destinations. Saarinen, Rogerson, and Hall (2017), identify six different approaches starting around the '60s with the called "Boosterism". Its objective was growth without taking into account the impacts that tourism could have on the environment or society. At that time, the construction of facilities and infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing demand was sought. The growth occurred without any order, so it is considered that this process is not part of the concept of planning; it was only a way to develop the sector. Despite the above, this approach based purely on economic growth is still used in some tourist destinations, where the activity and its development are not regulated.

At the end of the '60s, the Economic Planning Tradition was implemented. Its main objective was the generation of economic benefits, it was completely oriented to the market, and its development depended mainly on the interests of the sector business fabric, without taking into account other aspects or important actors in the tourism destinations. Despite the above and given the importance and great influence that tourism entrepreneurs have acquired, this approach continues to guide planning actions in some tourist destinations.

After the publication of the book The Limits of Growth, written by Drs. Donella H. Meadows, Dennis Meadows, and Jorgen Randers, on behalf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972, tourism began to be viewed in a more critical way. Since that time, several academics have analyzed and written about the negative effects of tourism, especially mass and not regulated tourism. An example of this is the so-called "Doxey Irridex" (1975), which studies the progressive transformation of attitudes and relationships between the local population and tourists and shows how these relationships end in antagonism and local irritation towards tourists (Ostelea, Tourism Management School, 2020). Other examples are the books España A Go-Go by Mario Gaviria (1974), Costa del Sol by J. J. Galán, A. Martín, J. Ruiz and A. Mandly (1977) and España en Venta by Francisco Jurdao (1979).

Taking into account the new panorama, awareness towards the care of the environment began to awaken. In the field of tourism and as a response to mass tourism and its negative impacts, the alternative tourism concept began its development, and with it arose the Spatial and Environmental Tourism Planning Tradition. One of its objectives was to put limits on the sector growth, especially the consumption of the resources in the destination.

Some of the topics that began to be included in the documents formulated under the environmental spatial approach were the tourism carrying capacities; the management of visitors, administration or manipulation of travel patterns, tourist flows, tourists concentration or dispersion in the destination; the creation of positive perceptions of natural environments in order to involve tourists in the conservation processes; the natural parks or protected areas management; the establishment of environmentally sensitive areas, among others. As can be seen, the approach develops mainly environmental aspects seeking the preservation of natural spaces and environmental awareness. It is oriented to organize tourism as an economic activity used as a resource for the conservation of nature so that economic aspects are at a lower level.

Another tourism planning approach, contemporary to the previous one, was the Community-based tourism Planning Tradition; it concentrates its planning efforts on sociocultural aspects of the destination. It sought to promote issues such as the promotion of

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the control that communities exercised over-tourism activity, the understanding of community attitudes towards tourism, and the impacts of tourism on the community.

After the Earth Summit 1992, organized by the UN in Rio de Janeiro, where sustainable development was proposed as the only strategy to achieve adequate development in the long term, the emergence of concepts such as soft tourism, appropriate tourism, green tourism took place. Also, the Sustainable and Integrated Tourism Planning Approach emerged. This approach integrates economic, environmental, and social aspects into a model that aims to be holistic, preserve important ecological processes and protect biodiversity and cultural heritage.

This approach is more systemic and broader; it sees tourism as another activity in the territory that must be integrated with other activities and with other planning processes. The approach includes actions to achieve a better understanding of the tourism system, the establishment of goals, objectives, and priorities, coordination and joint work between the public and private sectors, the satisfaction of local needs, and the competitive promotion of the destination within the tourism market.

The evolution of the idea of Sustainable Development and its application in tourism motivated the creation of concepts such as ethical tourism, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism, fair tourism, which seek to make tourism a more equitable activity, with an adequate balance between economic, social and environmental aspects; an activity that generates wellbeing and resources among the host communities.

In the '90s, with the adoption of neoliberal policies, regulatory changes for the consolidation of a global economy, and the commodification of cities, the New Public Tourism Planning was consolidated. The main pillar of this approach lies in the implementation of government actions to facilitate tourism. These actions involve the investment of public resources in infrastructure that benefits tourism activity, in destination promotion, even allowing the privatization of public infrastructures for tourism use and exploitation, the restructuring of public space, among others.

This approach is seen as a potential tool to achieve the proper development of the tourism sector, creating benefits and well-being for the different stakeholders. However, it has created conflicts with some local communities since their inhabitants consider that the investments made in tourism instead of benefiting them exclude them from their own place due to phenomena such as overtourism, gentrification, the monoculture of tourism, etc.

According to Saarinen, Rogerson, and Hall (2017), we can currently find in practice examples of the 6 identified approaches; that is, they are all in use despite their weaknesses or negative impacts. In many destinations, the market is still marking the next steps without the application of any planning or regulation tools.

Now, following the chronology proposed, after the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, some initiatives began to use tourism to fight climate change, achieve global environmental change, and as a tool to eradicate poverty. Considering this last initiative, different international cooperation organizations or NGOs began to see tourism as an ally and allocated resources to finance local tourism projects and social initiatives in underdeveloped regions with high levels of poverty. So that, other tourism typologies such as Pro-poor tourism, volunteer tourism, and community-based tourism appeared.

Finally, based on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012, where the central themes were the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, the SDG Sustainable Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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Development Goals were formulated in 2015 as a mechanism to implement concrete actions to eradicate poverty in the next 15 years, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. After this, terms such as green growth emerged, and the debate about the need for a possible decrease in tourist activity in some destinations begins to take hold, to become broader and more listened to.

It is necessary and mandatory to mention that tourism has been mentioned as an important ally for the fulfillment of the SDGs. Tourism is specifically targeted in Goals 8, 12, and 14: sustainable economic growth, sustainable production and consumption, and sustainable use of the oceans and marine resources. In addition, 2017 was the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and five key areas in which tourism and its actors can actively contribute to sustainable development were identified: sustainable economic growth; social inclusion, employment and poverty reduction; efficient use of resources, environmental protection, and climate change; cultural values, diversity, and heritage; and mutual understanding, peace, and security. This is how sustainability as a concept should govern the current requirements of development and strategic tourism planning at all levels and in each of its actions (Organización Mundial del Turismo y Organización de los Estados Americanos, 2018) Recently, different terms have emerged: responsible tourism, wellness tourism, transformative tourism, regenerative tourism, conscious tourism, meaningful travel, among others. All of them aim to use tourism as a source of sustainable development by making better use of local resources, supporting communities or actors in a fair way while at the same time, they manage to change the mentality of tourists so that they consciously modify their way of interacting in the destinations and really contribute to sustainable development and their conservation.

Returning to the subject of tourism planning, it is necessary to mention that this process is key in the development of any destination, area, or tourism product. Planning is used to avoid territorial imbalance, ecological and landscape impacts, or ignorance of natural hazards by allowing the construction or location of infrastructures incompatible with the environment, the overexploitation of natural resources, the mixture and disorderly overlapping of uses of the different areas delimited in the territorial ordering, the conflict between activities and sectors and the lack of coordination between public agencies.

It is also necessary to be clear about the interrelationship of the actors in the sector and to count and promote their participation in the planning process and in the formulation of strategic documents. In this case, it talks about strategic tourism plans as the systematic way to manage change and create the best possible future for a certain area, product, or destination. The formulation and implementation of strategic tourism plans must be done with the participation of at least four different kinds of actors: the tourism sector (entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs of the different economic activities, guides), the public sector (local, regional or national government), experts and consultants, local community and its leaders.

Taking into account the above and as an additional issue, it should be mentioned that the proper functioning of tourism requires adequate management and regulation of the tourism destination or territory, being the Government or the Public Administration in charge of carrying out these tasks and becoming a fundamental element of the system. With the Government as a critical player in the tourism system, the term governance appears in the field of tourism. While this term and its implications began to receive attention in the late 1980s, its use in tourism is relatively recent and its study incipient.(Duran, 2013)

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A preliminary proposal for its basic conceptualization was made by UNWTO in 2008 as follows: "tourism governance means the process of managing tourist destinations through synergistic and coordinated efforts by governments, at different levels and in different capacities; civil society living in the inbound tourism communities, and the business sector connected with the operation of the tourism system."

However, the same organization proposed the following definition after conducted documentary research in 2010-2011: "Governance is a practice of government that is measurable, that is aimed to effectively direct the tourism sectors at the different levels of government through forms of coordination, collaboration and cooperation that are efficient, transparent and subject to accountability, that help to achieve goals of collective interest shared by networks of actors involved in the sector, to develop solutions and opportunities through agreements based on the recognition of interdependencies and shared responsibilities" (Duran, 2013).

This definition implicates not only the use of public resources for coordination, collaboration, and cooperation but also its effectiveness in achieving collective goals shared by the actors involved in tourism and, of course, the participation of those actors (public and private) in the planning process and the establishment of goals.

In conclusion, both regional development and tourism development require the Public Administration to lead and coordinate the different planning stages, to manage and articulate collaboration and cooperation with other public or private entities that complement tasks and speed up with their capacities and resources that cannot be achieved from the public and local sphere effectively.

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3. NATIONAL AND REGIONAL TOURISM CONTEXT. The city of Santa Marta is located in the department of Magdalena in the northern part of Colombia. Colombia is a Latin American country that, despite the critical problems it faces, has achieved important economic and social advances in the last two decades. The adoption of solid macroeconomic policies has created confidence, which, together with favorable external and demographic conditions, has supported resilient economic growth (OCDE, 2019).

3.1. TOURISM IN COLOMBIA: AN ENGINE OF DEVELOPMENT. In 2019, Colombia's GDP grew by 3.4%, and its inflation rate was 3.5%. The main activities that contributed to GDP were trade (19.1%), the public sector (15.5%), and the industry (13.3%). The contribution of the industry has decreased in recent years, and the financial sector and trade have strengthened. Despite the GDP's good performance, unemployment increased to 10.1% in 2019. The main cause comes from the stagnation of the industry's capacity to generate employment due to its lower economic dynamism, as well as the Venezuelan population migration (Value&Risk Rating, 2019).

Since 2014, more than 1 million Venezuelans have emigrated to Colombia due to Venezuela's economic, humanitarian and social crisis. The arrival of migrants has intensified, it doubled during 2018. The number of Venezuelans in Colombia was 1,147,743, including regular and irregular migrants, in December 2018. This phenomenon greatly impacted the Colombian labor market, increasing labor informalization and affecting productivity, the quality of employment, public finances, and access to retirement (OECD, 2019).

On the political side, corruption and the general perception that the government has not fulfilled the commitments made in the Peace Agreement signed in 2016 are issues that have generated security problems today. In addition, they affect the international image of Colombia, and with it the possibility of receiving foreign investment or continuing with the growth in the number of foreign visitors that in 2019 increased considerably compared to 2018, reaching a record of 4.5 million. This placed tourism as the second generator of foreign exchange in the country, surpassing traditional products such as coffee, flowers, and bananas (Mincit - Procolombia, 2020). Situation reflected the importance of the tourism industry on the national economy and made it a priority for the current government. For that reason, there is a national strategic plan for tourism, "Tourism, the purpose that unites us", in which the Government proposes different actions to improve the competitiveness of Colombia as a tourist destination.

The plan seeks to strengthen productivity, generate value in the tourism chain, promoting teamwork among tourism actors, and position tourism in national and international markets. In addition to this, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism issued at the end of 2020 two important technical guidelines documents to update the regulation of the sector and make it more competitive: Law 2068 of 2020 and the Sustainable Tourism Policy: "United by Nature”.

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3.1.1. National tourism competitiveness Colombia is ranked 55th out of 140 countries evaluated within the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019 edition. This index rates different aspects that are important for tourism development. The evaluated aspects are related to the business environment, safety and security, health and hygiene, human resources and labor market, prioritization of travel and tourism, international openness, price competitiveness, environmental sustainability, infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, and business travel.

Colombia's lowest score is related to infrastructure, ground, and port infrastructure.

Despite the country´s size (it is among the 30 largest countries in terms of population and area), public investment rates in infrastructure have historically been very low owing, among other factors, to the country’s challenging geography (Di Terlizzi & Houses, 2015).

Now, Colombia's highest score is price competitiveness. Prices and the national currency value make the destination competitive and attractive to many travelers. There is also a special law that allows the refund of consumption tax and IVA to foreign and national tourists who pay for formal accommodation services in cases that comply with some law requirements.

3.1.2. National entities with competence in the tourism sector In order to have a clearer picture of Colombia´s tourism, it is necessary to talk about the institutions that govern the activity and their different functions, information that is presented in the following table: Table 1 Main national-level entities that regulate tourism in Colombia. Own elaboration

entity

Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism (MinCIT) - Vice-Ministry of Tourism

National Tourism Fund (FONTUR)

ProColombia

National Natural Parks of Colombia (PNN)

Ministry of Culture

Functions The Vice-Ministry of Tourism has three basic functions: 1) to coordinate the execution and evaluation of tourism policy as well as the plans and programs derived from it, in conjunction with the competent entities of the private and public sectors, in order to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of tourist products and destinations and promote domestic and receptive tourism; 2) to decide on complaints filed against tourism service providers who do not comply with service conditions and other infractions contemplated in the legal regulations in force on the subject; and 3) to exercise the necessary coordination to keep the National Tourism Registry, the Tourism Information System (CITUR) and related to the certification for hotel services (Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Comercio, 2021).

It uses resources mainly from the parafiscal contributions generated by the tourism industry to invest in projects that aim to improve the competitive infrastructure and promote tourism in the territories.

It is responsible for promoting Colombia´s tourism destinations in international markets, seeking the positioning of the country as a world-class tourism destination.

This entity is responsible for the administration and management of the System of National Natural Parks and the coordination of the National System of Protected Areas, systems where the Tayrona National Natural Park and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park are.

Considering the Decree 1723 of 2003, its main function is protecting, preserving, rehabilitating, and divulging the national cultural heritage as the testimony of cultural identity both in the present and future. It created the Tourism and Culture Policy and

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Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH)

Maritime General Direction DIMAR

Chambers of Commerce

also has powers over the national cultural interest goods that are in the territories (it is the case of the Historic Center of Santa Marta, for example) issuing, in joint work with the territorial entities, special management, and protection plans on them.

Among its functions and objectives is to ensure the conservation and maintenance of archaeological parks as depository spaces of cultural interest. Lost City is one of those archaeological parks where ICANH complies with its function.

Dependency of the Ministry of Defense. Its jurisdiction covers the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, the seabed and subsoil, the suprayacent waters, the coasts (including beaches and low tide terrain) and islands, islets, and cays. It regulates, monitors, coordinates, and exercises control over activities in the area concerned, including coastal zone administration and development (Dirección General Marítima, 2021).

Private organizations in which the tourism law puts the function of issuing the National Tourism Registry to tourism service providers who comply with the procedures established for their registration.

The procedure is virtual, so the issuance of the RNT is done based on the principle of good faith; the Chambers of Commerce do not verify in-person compliance with the requirements of the law.

3.1.3. Legal framework tourism in Colombia Colombia has an extensive regulatory catalog related to tourism and its related sectors. However, during the last five years, important modifications have been made to the legal framework of the sector in order to implement sustainability criteria and potentiate the development of remote regions through community-based tourism and nature tourism strategies.

The following are the main national rules that regulate tourism activity in the territory: Table 2. Main rules of the national order that govern the tourist activity. Own elaboration.

Norm Law 300 of 1996

Law 1101 of 2006

Law 1336 of 2009

Law 1558 of 2012

denomination By which the general law on tourism is issued, and other provisions are issued.

By which the Law 300 of 1996 – General Law of Tourism is modified, and other provisions are dictated.

It adds and strengthens Act No. 679 of 2001 on combating exploitation, pornography, and sex tourism among children and adolescents.

Amending Law 300 of 1996 General Tourism Law- Law 1101 of 2006 and enacted other provisions

Key Points General principles of the tourism industry.

Importance of the tourism industry It establishes the parafiscal contribution for the promotion of tourism. Those who must provide the parafiscal contribution for the promotion of tourism.

Tourism Promotion Fund.

Providers of tourist services that must register in the National Tourism Registry.

Self-regulation for lodging establishments and airlines, and internet.

Code of conduct.

It establishes the Extinction of dominion for whoever incurs in this crime.

General provisions of Tourism, Regulations of the National Tourism Registry

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Law 2068 of 2020

Amending the General Tourism Act and enslaving other provisions

Decree 1074 of 2015

By which the Single Regulatory Decree of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Sector is issued.

Decree 229 of 2017

Decree 2063 of 2018

Decree 2119 of 2018

Resolution 2804 of 2014

Tourism control points are established, electronic or digital platforms for tourism services are regulated, tax incentives are modified and increased for the promotion of tourism activity Regulation of the National Tourism Registry, the parafiscal contribution for the promotion of tourism, exemptions, Rules that promote Tourism, other providers of tourist services (timeshare, guides, operators of congresses, fairs, and conventions, among others).

By which the conditions and requirements for the registration of the National Tourism Registry are established and sections 1, 2, and 3 of chapter 1 of title 4 of part 2 of book 2 of Decree 1074 of 2015, Regulatory of the Trade, Industry and Tourism sector, are modified in their entirety.

Amending Articles 2.2.4.1.1.6., 2.2.4.1.1.10., 2.2.4.1.2.1., 2.2.4.1.2.2., 2.2.4.1.2.3., 2.2.4.1.2.4. AND 2.2.4.1.3.4. of the Single Regulatory Decree of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Sector, Decree 1074 of 2015.

By means of which the provision of the tourist accommodation service is regulated, and section 12 of Chapter 4 of Title 4 of Part 2 of Book 2 and the paragraph of article 2.2.4.7.2 are amended. of Decree 1074 of 2015, Single Regulatory Decree of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Sector.

Which regulates compliance with the technical quality standards issued by the Sectoral Standardization Units on Tourism Sustainability

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National Tourism Registry.

National Tourism Registry, Chambers of Commerce, Procedures of tourism service providers.

Sectoral Technical Standards of Tourism.

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3.2. SANTA MARTA: SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT. The Tourist, Historical, and Cultural District of Santa Marta is a coastal city in the Colombian Caribbean region (See figure 1). It has a population of approximately 546,979 inhabitants1, corresponding to 37.8% of the Department of Magdalena population, which are distributed in a 96,7%2 in the urban area, which in turn represents 5% of the territorial extension, corresponding to 120 km2 of the total 2.393 km2; its average population density is of 55 people per hectare of urban land3, and 229 people per km2 of territory.

In addition to being the capital of the department of Magdalena, Santa Marta is a city with great regional socioeconomic importance, contributing 45.6% of the departmental value-added, corresponding to 5.68 billion pesos, of which the tertiary sector (services) Figure 1 Macrolocation of the District of Santa Marta. contributes 82.9%, followed by secondary Source:(Invest in Santa Marta, N.d.) activities (industry and construction), with a share of 14.2%, and finally primary activities (agriculture and mining), with a share of 2.8%. Regarding the distribution of microbusinesses by economic activity for 2019, there was a share of services activities of 54.9%, trade with 31.2%, manufacturing industry with 12.3% and agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry, and fishing with 1.6%; being the transport of passengers, the sale of prepared meals and the construction of buildings, the most frequent activities carried out by microbusinesses.(DANE, 2020) With regard to the analysis of the composition of the employed population according to branches of activity, it is evident that the activities of agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and fishing; electricity, gas, water, and waste management; information and communications; accommodation and food services; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities; public administration and defense; and education and human health care, generate the most employment in the population with a 36.6% participation, followed by commercial activities and vehicle repair with 23.2%; artistic activities, entertainment, recreation and other service activities with 11.2% for a total of approximately 205,000 employed people, of which it is estimated that more than 65.3% operate in informality.

(DANE, 2020) Informality in the labor market is due to the high unemployment rate of around 16.4% and the predominance of self-employment, which represents 60.6% of the employed population. Only 27.9% of this population has access to a salary with social benefits either as a worker or as a private employee. Less than 11.4% of the employed population is listed as a government employee or employer; domestic workers, unpaid family workers, unpaid 1 Proyecciones y retroproyecciones de población nacional para el periodo 2018-2070 (DANE, 2020) 2 Informe de Desarrollo y competitividad Santa Marta 2019 (Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019).

3 Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial Santa Marta 2020 – 2032 (Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2020) Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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workers in enterprises in other households, day laborers, and laborers are grouped into the latter category.4(DANE, 2021) In terms of employment, according to DANE (2018) the overall rate of participation, occupation, and unemployment indicate that, on average, only 70% of men have a source of income derived from formal or informal work, and less than 52% of women have a similar source of income (See Figure 2).

However, the current trend given by the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic shows an increase in the unemployment rate of 3.5 percentage points, going from 12.9% in 2019 to Figure 2. Overall rate of participation, occupation and unemployment in Santa Marta.

16.4% in 2020, analyzing Source: DANE, 2018. the October – December period. This variation is also evident in the occupancy rate, which went from 51.4% to 47% in the 2020 fourth quarter. Undoubtedly, these variations have had a direct impact on per capita income, considerably affecting the purchasing power not only of locals but also of visitors. This situation influences trends of consumption of tourist and leisure services directly, generating a negative economic impact on the economic development of the District (DANE, 2021).

Despite the contribution of tourism and other tertiary sector activities to the District's economy, the extreme monetary poverty line per capita for Santa Marta in 2019 was COP $152,978 ($42 USD), and in the case of a household of four people, it was COP $611,912 ($172 USD), numbers that have declined between 2018 and 2019 due to the increase in the incidence of monetary poverty by 1.8 percentage points. This evidences the level of social inequality and multidimensional poverty present in the District, where the economy depends heavily on tourism. This activity has a low competitiveness level, caused by the low quality of tourism services, high levels of unemployment, and the high informality rate. These factors have turned tourism into a subsistence economic activity for thousands of families who are in extreme poverty situations, migrant population, and victims of forced displacement, preventing the correct positioning of the destination at the national and international levels.5(DANE, 2019).

4 Labour Market Indicators (DANE, 2021) 5 These figures correspond to the methodological update of monetary poverty (update of the monetary poverty lines and extreme monetary poverty) based on the National Household Budget Survey (ENPH) 2016 – 2017.

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3.3. SANTA MARTA AS A TOURIST DESTINATION Santa Marta is a unique territory with unforgettable landscapes, the green of its vegetation, the blue of its seas, the yellow of the sun and sand, and the contrast of the beaches with the white of the Sierra Nevada make it an unparalleled tourist destination. In addition to its biodiversity, its enormous historical, cultural, and ancestral heritage, it has a coastline of approximately 135 km from the mouth of the Palomino River to the mouth of the Quebrada Doctor. It has about thirty-seven (37) beaches, of which only twenty-four (24) are characterized, nineteen (19) are zoned, and eight (8) are prioritized by the Local Committee for the Organization of Beaches – CLOP of the District of Santa Marta. (INDETUR, 2020) However, its most important comparative advantage is the cultural richness represented in the diversity of the ancestral indigenous peoples and communities Kogui, Arhuaco, Kankuamo, and Wiwa, which have several settlements along with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a natural area declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO since 1979.

The city also offers accommodation services for all tastes; there is an international airport located fifteen minutes from the historic center, but that has an airstrip of only 1,700 meters, a situation that limits the landing of large aircraft and, therefore, the airport operation (Semana, 2016); a medium-capacity transport terminal; and a multipurpose seaport that receives an average of four cruise ships a year with 2,000 hikers (Caracol Radio, 2020).

Although the destination does not have an inventory of activities and tourist attractions based on the different types of tourism offered, the District Administration, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Culture, published in 2019 a preliminary inventory of cultural heritage of the District in order to safeguard the heritage and raise public awareness about the importance for individual and collective identities (MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019). Based on that document and other sources of information, the following table was consolidated to show the wealth of heritage of the destination succinctly: Table 3. Identification of Cultural and Natural Resources Relevant to the Destination. Own elaboration

Category

UNESCO site

Indigenous Manifestations

Sacred Sites or Indigenous Shrines (MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019)

Cultural Resources of the District of Santa Marta Biosphere Reserve – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Natural Park It was registered on the UNESCO list in 1979. It is a unique ecosystem in the world; it has all thermal floors since it has heights from 0 up to 5775 meters above the sea. It has coral beaches, deserts, plains, cliffs, mangroves, moors, dry and humid forests, glaciers. In the Sierra are born 36 rivers that supply aqueducts from different municipalities of the departments of Magdalena, Cesar, and Guajira.

In the Sierra Nevada live four indigenous communities: The Kogui, Wiwa, Kankuamo, and Arhuaco Donama (in Bonda): In this stone is consigned all the memory of the creation of the earth from the worldview of the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

The mouth of the Gaira River: Gaira is the point at which the positive charge is balanced, everything that has to do with the water in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. From the indigenous worldview, this point is known as "the mother of the peaks of the snows in the Sierra."

Minca It is known as Katoriwan and controls the sacred points scattered in the Sierra, serving as a point that must be reached to request the necessary permission to enter the other places of power.

Taganga

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Urban ethnic groups

Artisanal knowledge and practices

Gastronomic knowledge and practices Traditional fishing knowledge and practices Traditional knowledge and practices of medicine and herbalism

Religiosity

Performing arts

According to the cosmology of the Arhuaco people, it is there where life originated.

Katamsama Lagoon: The Katamsama lagoon is the mother of all living beings existing on the planet; it is responsible for maintaining the balance between the sun, stars, animals, etc.

Cerro del Cundí: It is of great importance since it is in this place where the Mamos (traditional indigenous authorities and spiritual guides) of the four peoples ask permission to carry out any type of activities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Afro-Colombian populations, among which stand out those that are in the neighborhoods of Pescaíto and Cristo Rey, who arrived at the District in the second half of the twentieth century.

Kogui Backpacks They are backpacks or woven bags handmade by the Kogui community, who use a wide variety of weaving techniques to recreate very intricate patterns in their designs.

Arhuaca Backpack It is an artisanal bag made by the Arhuaco people. Although the entire Arhuaco community is involved in the production, only Wati (Arhuaco women) can weave the bags according to custom. Traditionally, women learn to weave from an early age by observing their mothers. (Crochetnmore, 2018) The first backpack they make is given to the priest for the rituals of the life cycle. The colors with which the backpacks are woven are earth tones, ranging from brown and beige to black and gray. Initially, they were weaved with natural fibers from the Arhuacas lands, such as agave and cotton. (Latinartesaniascolombia, 2015) Handicrafts in "Soapstone" or "Talc Stone" manufacture of articles and construction techniques In the specific context of Santa Marta, there are several famous dishes such as Cayeye, made from a type of banana called "Guineo Verde" that is typical of the region and very close to the stories of Gabriel García Márquez, so it is very common in Aracataca, Magdalena, his birthplace.

The practice of fishing with nets in Santa Marta is a technique inherited from the pre-Hispanic cultures, which left as archaeological testimony, the lithic weights used as ballasts (MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019) The natives of Santa Marta use multiple plants to make folk medicines that they believe relieve numerous types of ailments. These ailments include inflammation, headaches, pain, infection, bronchitis, fever, among other diseases. Medicines are ingested or applied to the surface of the skin. Plants used include, but are not limited to, Flor de Muerto (Mexican marigold), crotons, Horsetail (field ponytail), Silk cotton (giant colostrum). Different parts of different plants have healing properties. It can be the flower, bark, leaf, or root (MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019).

Festivities of the Virgin of Santa Marta The city was consecrated to the Virgin of Santa Marta since the sixteenth century, and the festival is celebrated on July 29.

Festivities of the Virgen del Carmen: The festivities of the Virgen del Carmen are held mainly in Taganga, a fishing village, performing processions in their boats decorated to venerate the Virgin on July 16.

Festivities of the Virgen de la Milagrosa This celebration takes place on November 26, especially in the Barrio Cundí.

St. Agaton Festival Festivities of the Virgin of the Rosary Festivities of San Martín de Loba Religious Festivals of San Jacinto Feasts of the Lord of Miracles Religious Festivals of Santa Ana Traditional Practice of the Tambora de Gaira Artistic Expressions Dance of Paloteo de Gaira

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Traditional festivals

Archaeological sites

Monuments area

Historical architecture ensembles

Historical or artistic monuments

The Jaguar Festival The Jaguar Festival takes place in the first days of January; It is characterized by being a "magical" event full of entertainment, music, and cultural fraternity and represents an original way to return all the contribution of Mother Nature through the awakening of environmental awareness and the joyful Cultural Exchange.

Cayman Festivals Every January 20, the inhabitants overflow the streets with their laughter, colorful costumes, and dancing fibers to the rhythm of cumbiambas and other tasty melodies, in homage to a picturesque episode in which "the girl Tomasita" was devoured by an alligator. Still, in reality, it was a wooden crocodile, and the possible victim was a rag doll.

Carnival in Mamatoco This carnival begins with the festivities of San Agatón, unofficial patron, miraculous saint to whom they have come from all over the Coast for more than a century, to pay offerings for their miracles.

Carnival in Pescaíto Festivals of the Sea The Fiestas del Mar is held as part of the celebrations of the anniversary of the founding of the City, on July 29.

Pueblito Pueblito is one of the best-known archaeological sites in the District. It is located within the Tayrona National Natural Park, inhabited by members of the Kogui people who are in the process of recovering the sacred sites located around the archaeological remains.(MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta, 2019) The Historic Center of the city declared a National Cultural Interest Good through Law 163 of 1959 and contains as elements of great importance the Plaza de Bolívar, the Santander Park, the Plaza San Francisco, the Plaza de La Catedral, the San Miguel Park, among others.

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino: La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is a farm founded on February 2, 1608, by Don Francisco De Godoy y Cortesía; It was the place where the Liberator Simon Bolivar spent his last days, and where he died on December 17, 1830.

The architectural heritage of the eighteenth century: Gautier House Customs House (today Tayrona Gold Museum) Madame Augustine House House of the Treasurer of the Royal Boxes House Manuel Ujueta and Bisais House José María Campo Serrano Mail House Warrior House The Ice House The architectural heritage of the twentieth century: Industrial Technical Institute Pavilions of the Hospital San Juan de Dios Club Santa Marta The Castle Park of the Bride and Groom Tayrona Palace Old Municipal Government Palace Palace of Justice Celedón Lyceum School Santa Marta Theatre Milk Drop Building Equestrian sculpture. Liberator Simón Bolívar (1953).

It is located in Bolivar Park, in the Historic Center of the city.

Sculpture Francisco de Paula Santander (1950).

It is located in Bolivar Park, in the Historic Center of the city.

Fountain of the Four Faces (1848)

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Churches and shrines

Museums and artistic and historical collections

Natural sites with cultural value

It is located in Bolivar Park, in the Historic Center of the city.

Sculpture Carlos Alberto Valderrama "el Pibe" (2002) The sculpture is located in the sector that groups the complex of sports venues of the city of Santa Marta.

Cathedral Church of Santa Marta Church completed in 1794 after 28 years of work.

San Juan de Dios Church Cloister San Juan Nepomuceno or Royal Seminary Building completed in 1811 Church of Mamatoco Built in the eighteenth century, by the religious order of San Francisco, in the Village of Indians of Mamatoco Aquarium and Museum of the Sea It is located 10 minutes from the Rodadero by boat. The Aquarium has glass tanks that display several unique fish species worldwide. The museum exhibits recovered pieces of sunken galleons, pre-Columbian objects from the Tayrona, and curiosities of navigation in time.

Ethnographic Museum of the University of Magdalena MEUM. Ethnographic Museum of Gaira Marine World Aquarium: It has 24 environments to appreciate a great diversity of fish; people can also feed the sharks and watch diving demonstrations. It is the most complete aquarium in the Atlantic; it is home to more than 200 species, including catsharks, rays, turtles, and others.

Tayrona National Natural Park: The Park encloses a portion of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta full of dry and humid forests, low hills, cliffs, several bays, and beaches of incomparable beauty, whose white sand coasts and crystal clear waters become the perfect setting for a real rest.

In this park, tourists can visit its beaches, but people can also stay in the hotels within the park or if you prefer you can be in the camping area. The walks to know the most emblematic places of the park are an excellent option for ecological tourism and adventure.

Playa Blanca: It is located 10 minutes from the Rodadero by sea. This pleasant beach is located on the north side of the Rodadero; there is a contrast between mountains, beach, sand, and sea, which makes it a quiet place to rest.

Pozos Colorados: Tourism area a few minutes from the Rodadero. There are nice beaches and the best hotels in the city.

El Morro El Morro is a rocky hill that, during the Conquest and the Colony, served to protect Santa Marta from the attacks of pirates who were looking for Spanish treasures.

Later it was a prison for creole insurgents and now serves as the headquarters of the lighthouse that guides ships entering and leaving the bay.

The Rodadero It is the favorite tourist place of visitors to Santa Marta. It is located ten minutes from the city around the Gaira Bay, formed by a hotel strip and another residential, which brings together cozy white sand beaches and a calm sea ideal for the practice of water sports: sailing, spearfishing, skiing, among others.

Concha Bay Concha Bay is one of the beautiful bays with a beautiful beach not far from Santa Marta. The access road crosses private property, so the entrance must be paid to the owners. It is possible to camp directly on the beach in the camping area.

Quebrada Valencia This waterfall forms a series of waterfalls of great height and abundant water in winter, in the same way, in each fall there are wells (natural pools) where you can enjoy a refreshing bath in the middle of the jungle where giant trees of more than 25 meters high rise.

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Taganga It is a typical fishing territory, located just 5 kilometers from Santa Marta. Its surroundings are part of the Tayrona National Natural Park and can be reached by land in public transport, from the center of Santa Marta.

Most of the diving centers of Santa Marta are concentrated in the place, and in the vicinity, some sites of tremendous importance to develop the activity such as Cala Granate and Isla Aguja.

Playa Grande: Five minutes from Taganga by boat there is Playa Grande, a beautiful sandy beach and crystal clear waters where you can find kiosks to enjoy the scenery while tasting delicious seafood. It can also be reached by land by walking through the hills in a journey of between 30 and 45 minutes.

It is important to highlight the existence of the SITUR "Tourism Information System of Magdalena and Santa Marta". The system was created in 2015, it was an important advance for the sector, however, it must be said that local tourism organizations have a bad perception of the functioning of this statistical system in terms of the quality, specificity, reliability, and methodological rigor of the information. The publication of information is also not constant, so it is not reliable for analysis or decision-making.(Vargas Leira, 2017) In addition, another great effort made by the local government to promote Santa Marta as a tourist destination and as a good place to invest, was a city branding exercise. It created the brand "Santa Marta Naturally Magic" in 2018 but, despite the work done, the brand is not used by tourism providers, only public entities and some local organizations use it in their publications and events.

It is worth to mention that increasing the number of international travelers in Santa Marta has been a goal of the regional government since 2012 (MinComercio, 2012).

However, there is no indicators to define whether the objective has been achieved.

Considering national statistics, the region received 31,618 foreign visitors in 2019 but other competing destinations, such as Cartagena and San Andrés received 530,177 and 98,603 visitors, respectively (CITUR - MinCit, 2020).

By comparing these numbers, it can be concluded that, despite its beautiful and unique resources, Santa Marta is not positioned in the international tourism market and must improve and strengthen its tourism promotion, although first or simultaneously, it must plan and implement strategies that aim to improve its tourism competitiveness and achieve the sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity and cultural and historical heritage of the city.

3.3.1. Tourism value chain analysis.

According to information from the National Tourism Registry, 5,969 companies and persons dedicated to the provision of tourism services as main activity have required and received registration as tourism provider in the District of Santa Marta. However, by the end of 2020, only 2,788 of those companies were reported as Active in the Chamber of Commerce (FONTUR, 2020).

According to the survey of characterization of tourism service providers carried out within the research, the tourism supply chain has the following structure: 44% of this population corresponds to sole proprietorships or natural persons, 47% correspond to companies with less than ten workers, 7% to companies with between 11 and 50 workers and 2% to companies above 51 workers (See Figure 3).

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Of this population, 40% is located in the Rodadero sector, 23% in the Historic Center, 11% 7% 2% in Minca and 7% in Pozos Colorados. On the other hand, 19% corresponds to tour operators, 15% to hotels, 14% to travel agencies, 14% are 44% tourist guides. The others are hostels (11%), restaurants (7%) and other types of 47% establishments with services complementary to tourism.

It is worth mentioning that the biggest tourist companies present in the territory are Unipersonal Menos de 10 hotels. International or national hotel chains that demand a greater local workforce just for their Entre 11 y 50 Entre 51 y 200 table and bar, kitchen and culinary areas (MeiselFigure 3 Categorization of tourism service companies Roca & Ricciulli-Marin, 2018). This limits the by size according to number of employees. Source: options of the local population to technical levels Own elaboration since for the managerial positions, professionals are hired from the places where headquarters are located; they also generate capital leakage since the profits from their operation in the territory go to their headquarters.

In addition to the information gathered through the survey, there are reports of the Tourism Information System of Magdalena and Santa Marta - SITUR, and the census of the National Tourism Registry, carried out by FONTUR through the Chambers of Commerce, which relates the following census by the end of 2020: Table 4 Number of national tourism registers issued and active in Santa Marta 2020. Source: (FONTUR, 2020)

TYPE OF ESTABLISHMENT Tour operators Travel and tourism agencies Aparthotels Tourist apartments Lessors of vehicles for national and international tourism Bars and restaurants Camps Tourist farms (rural accommodation) Tourism guides Hostels Hotels Tourism representation offices Professional Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions Other types of non-permanent tourism accommodations Other types of tourism housing Restaurants Special automotive land transport Others Total

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

RECORDS ISSUED 639 283 286 952 20 34 22 170 201 529 445 40 15 272 1.872 90 34 65 5.969

ACTIVE RECORDS 231 98 44 718 7 9 7 69 158 211 237 13 6 191 722 30 23 14 2.788

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On the other hand, the structure of the tourism sector in the District is formed as the Figure 4 indicated considering the model of Cook et al. (2018), which was adapted to illustrate the interaction between the resources and tourist attractions of the District and the actors of the value chain.

There are multiple entities, unions and associations of tourism service providers operating in the city. These mostly belong to the hotel sector, travel and tourism agencies, restaurants and businesses located in sectors Rodadero and Historical Center. However, the most representative are: COTELCO – Magdalena Chapter; ANATO – Figure 4 Structure of the tourism sector in the District. Adapted from the model of Cook et al. (2018) Caribbean; Colombian Association of the Gastronomic Industry – ACODRES; Merchants National Federation – FENALCO; Merchants National Union – UNDECO; Promoting Company of Rodadero – ProRodadero; Historic Center Corporation and the Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce.

Figure 5. Trade union structure of tourism in the District of Santa Marta.

It should be noted that during meetings held with the representatives and managers of these entities for the diagnosis process and identification of needs and problems; informality was the factor most critical for them. According to data from CITUR, “Centro de Información Turística de Colombia”, the informality in the District of Santa Marta was 31.33% in 2017, when a verification process of tourism service providers was carried out at the national level.

The report recorded a total of 683 people who operated tourist services without any accreditation or recognition. (CITUR - MinCIT, 2017) Studies of this type highlight the problems raised in the hypothesis, in which informality was postulated as one of the variables that generate the low level of tourism competitiveness and problems related to quality in the provision of services. However, this is without detracting the problems caused by the unfair competition faced daily by formalized companies and the

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problems related to the control of tourism carrying capacities, entries to natural attractions, and situations in which unscrupulous people deceive tourists by offering fictitious excursions.

3.3.2. Analysis of tourism demand.

According to the Tourism Information System of Magdalena and Santa Marta – SITUR (2020), the city receives about 3 million tourists annually, 88% of them are national tourists and their main motivation to travel is to enjoy sun and beach tourism. Although there are other remarkably cultural and natural attractions such as many of those listed in Table No. 3, these do not have adequate tourism promotion.

To continue with the description of the tourist demand of the destination, statistics show that 27% of domestic tourists are from the central region of Colombia. The average number of nights a visitor stays in the city is 5 and their main motivation for travel (92%) is holidays and leisure. 53% of visitors are women. Also 36% of tourists are between 26 and 35 years old (SITUR, 2019) In addition, statistics indicate that 43.75% of visitors stay in hotels, 18.53% rent a house or apartment and 7.11% use a hostel. Also, the most used means of transport is air transport with 45%, could be explained by the special prices of tickets that airlines offer to encourage their sales.

3.3.3. Profile of the visitor and position in front of the care of the environment.

Given the difficulty in gathering data through online surveys, in one of the meetings held with the guilds it was possible to manage with one of the companies the result of a market study carried out in 2019 about the visitor profile and his position in front of the environment care. The database has 2,000 surveys conducted to beach users during August 2019 in the four sectors of greater tourist concurrence of the District: Taganga, Playa Blanca, El Rodadero and Pozos Colorados. Such information was of great support for the formulation of the lines of action and the indicators proposed within the model.

General Data

Figure 6 Distribution of tourists and visitors by gender. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

According to data provided by the tourism operator Eurojet S.A.S, 54.2% of those surveyed were women, and 45.9% were men (See Figure 6).

This allows us to infer that the predominant gender in the population of tourists and visitors corresponds to women.

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It was observed that 96.6% of the visiting population is national, which allows us to infer that the local tourism market in its great majority corresponds to national tourists (See Figure 7). On the other hand, the presence of visitors from countries such as Germany, the United States and Saudi Arabia is evident.

Figure 7. Distribution of visitors according to the country of origin. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 8 Distribution of visitors and national tourists by Department. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Of the national population, 43.7% corresponds to visitors from the interior of the Department of Magdalena, Atlántico, Bogotá D.C., Antioquia and Santander (See Figure 8).

Figure 9. Distribution of the population of national tourists by municipalities. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

It was also evident that 38.5% of the population surveyed said they lived in Santa Marta, 11.6% in the neighboring city of Barranquilla, followed by 9.5% from Bogotá D.C., and 7% from Medellín (See Figure 9).

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The survey also showed that the tourism sector with the highest turnout corresponds to the Rodadero, followed by Taganga and Playa Blanca (See Figure 10).

Figure 10 Areas of greater concurrence of tourists. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Regarding the interest of visitors in environmental conservation. It was evidenced that 99% (1979) of the respondents consider the care and preservation of the environment important; which is favorable if one considers the sustainable vocation of the model (See Figure 11).

Figure 11 Interest in the environmental conservation of the population of visitors to the District of Santa Marta. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 12. Percentage of the population of tourists and visitors who dispose of their solid waste irresponsibly. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

However, despite the interest in preserving the environment, respondents were asked if they had thrown garbage on the streets. To which 26.8% (535) answered yes, questioning the figure in Figure 12. However, the outcome is a matter for further investigation (See Figure 12).

Psychographic and demographic variables The data provided by EUROJET S.A.S. (2019), allow to define clearly defined psychographic and demographic variables, as well as consumer preferences. Among those identified are: the level of education, occupation, size of the travel group, previous time of planning the trip, making previous reservations with agencies, probability of visiting the Tayrona National Park and social networks used.

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In general, it must be that most of the population surveyed corresponds to salaried professionals, who travel alone or with at least two companions. Similarly, it is estimated that the trip is planned less than 1 month in advance, without making previous reservations and with a high probability (68.2%) of visiting Tayrona Park.

Figure 13 Level of education of the tourists surveyed.

Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 14 Distribution of respondents by type of occupation. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019).

Figure 15 Size of the travel group. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 16 Previous travel planning time. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 17 Making reservations with travel agencies prior to arrival in the city. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 18. Distribution of tourists and visitors who plan to visit the Tayrona Natural Park. Source: (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Figure 19 Social network most used by tourists and visitors. Source: ). (EUROJET S.A.S., 2019)

Finally, it has that the communication and advertising channel with the highest probability of success for the realization of campaigns to promote destination, services and tourism products corresponds to Facebook, followed by Instagram. Social networks most used by respondents.

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3.3.4

District Tourism Institute – INDETUR.

As it has been pointed out throughout the document, tourism is of great importance to the District, Santa Marta does not have a strategic tourism plan. Therefore, tourism is currently managed in accordance with the District Development Plan 2020 – 2023 "Santa Marta Corazón el Cambio" which contains several actions to achieve the strengthening and growth of the sector. These actions are developed by the District Tourism Institute INDETUR, a kind of DMO formed by officials of the public administration and created for the improvement of tourism promotion and the positioning of the District in national and international markets.

INDETUR has the following organizational structure in which we can observe two missionary sub-directorates, that is, that fulfill the functions related to tourism promotion, Integral Destination Management and Promotion and Marketing. The other units are administrative:

Figure 20 Structure of INDETUR. Source: INDETUR (2020)

3.4. IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS ON THE TOURISM SECTOR Due to the District's dependence on the tourism sector, during the year 2020, the lost jobs and an average employment rate of 67.7%, affected the main source of income of thousands of families who directly or indirectly dependent on tourism. Approximately 60,000 jobs were lost due to the health crisis (Secretariat of Economic Development of Santa Marta, 2021). The informality phenomenon present in the sector was evidenced since more than 90% of tourism companies could not access the financing and economic support promoted by the Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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District and the National Government due to the difficulty in demonstrating solvency or income from sales in previous years.

During the pandemic, losses are estimated to be over the 57,000 million assumed by businessmen and merchants. This figure was projected through sectoral surveys carried out by the District Tourism Institute INDETUR during: June, September, and December 2020. Its purpose was to measure the impact of the crisis on the population; with special emphasis and impact on tourism service providers' social, economic, and health aspects.

It is estimated that the most affected population corresponds to 6,930 tourism service providers represented in 199 professional tour guides, 2150 workers of 420 hostels, 3.294 workers of 366 hotels, 462 workers of travel and tourism agencies, 131 hotel operators, 231 workers of tourism operating agencies, 191 workers in alternative accommodations, 30 restaurant owners and more than 231 informal tourist informants, according to projections based on National Tourism Registry database (FONTUR, 2020). In addition, it is estimated that more than 679 members of vulnerable rural communities operating in 92 companies and associations of the rural tourism corridor in the Corregimiento of Guachaca are directly affected, which depend on the beaches and the Tayrona and Sierra Nevada National Natural Parks opening. Natural Parks ceased operations from February 2020 until their reopening in November of the same year.

3.5. ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND REACTIVATION In response to the harmful effects of the crisis, the District Mayor's Office of Santa Marta, through the District Tourism Institute INDETUR undertook actions to formulate and implement a plan for the economic reactivation of the tourism sector been implemented since 2020. The plan is based on five lines of action. They are Security and confidence, reactivation and recovery of the employability of the sector, formalization, diversification of the offer, and the destination promotion (See Figure 21).

During the initial phase, pilot plans for the reopening of rural tourism, nature tourism, nautical tourism, and complementary activities to tourism were made. There was a joint work with the authorities and city guilds through technical workshops focused on implementing biosecurity measures on the beaches, attractions, and tourist Figure 21 Tourism reactivation and establishments. As a result of these processes, it was repotential plan – lines of actions. Source: possible to carry out safe and sustained tourism INDETUR (2020) reopening in the District since September 2020, achieving its recognition as Bioinsurance destination and the arrival of more than 860 thousand people. Visitors enjoyed the main spas and tourist attractions without considerably increasing the reports of positive cases of infection by COVID-19.

During the first quarter 2021, the District advanced in the development of strategies to ensure the sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the local cultural and historical heritage, to provide locals and visitors with the possibility of enjoying a wide range of tourist Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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activities of sun and beach, and nature adventures under compliance with biosecurity protocols, and within the framework of the economic recovery plan, causing a positive impact on the local economy, positioning itself as the preferred tourist destination of Colombians during the pandemic. (The Herald, 2021) 3.6. TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The Colombian legal framework speaks about Sustainable Development since 1993 with the issuance of Law 99. It defines the term as "that which leads to economic growth, the elevation of quality of life and social welfare, without exhausting the base of renewable natural resources on which it is based, nor deteriorating the environment or the right of future generations to use it for the satisfaction of their own needs" ( art. 3). In addition, in general, the country accepted and adopted the goals of the 2030 Agenda through CONPES 3918, "Strategy for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Colombia."

Sustainable Development is also one of the guiding principles of tourism activity, taking into account Laws 300 of 1996 and 1558 of 2012 governing tourism laws. More recently, the Tourism Sector Plan 2018-2022 "Tourism: the Purpose that Unites Us," in its Chapter I. Generation of institutional conditions for promoting the tourism sector, Strategy 4.

“To enable more responsible and sustainable tourism” establishes as a priority to encourage sufficient structural conditions that guarantee sustainable, responsible, and quality tourism, following the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UNWTO Framework Convention on Ethical Tourism and requests the entity in charge of tourism at the national level to strengthen the regulations to achieve responsible tourism at all levels (Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Comercio, 2018).

With this as a basis, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism issued in 2020 the "Sustainable Tourism Policy: United for Nature." This Policy is based on five essential paradigms for the proper development of tourism: • Sustainable tourism is a shared responsibility • Sustainable tourism is a cross-cutting principle, not a typology of tourism • There are market opportunities for the development of sustainable tourism • Sustainability is a factor of competitiveness and • Sustainability is a factor in local social and cultural development.

The general objective of the Sustainable Tourism Policy is to strengthen the sustainability of the tourism value chain in Colombia, improve its competitiveness, guarantee the conservation and responsible use of natural capital and generate greater added value and differentiation for the country. Through 6 strategies, 32 projects, and 140 indicative actions, this Policy seeks to ensure that sustainability is incorporated into the governance, planning, management, and decision-making strategies of tourism in destinations; in the decisions and business practices of the economic agents of the sector; and in the consumption behaviors and patterns of travelers. Thus, although the document focuses on the environmental dimension of sustainability, it becomes strategic for any tourist destination.

In addition to the above, there is a list of at least 50 specialized sectoral technical standards that tourism service providers must implement according to their activity to obtain their National Tourism Registry and provide their services to tourists. However, according to the SITUR 2017 Report, only 1% of the companies legally constituted in the Department of Magdalena and the District of Santa Marta have certification for the implementation of these Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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standards. This fact causes meager-quality services in the tourism sector and decreases the possibility of managing the negative environmental impacts of mass tourism in high seasons, which is negative for environmental sustainability.(SITUR Magdalena - COTELCO, 2018) However, most companies (86%) have implemented at least one activity related to waste management: separation of garbage, location of ecological points, and use of the 3 Rs (Reduce, reuse, recycle). Likewise, 81% of the companies that provide tourism services have adopted measures to reduce water consumption, such as installing water-saving devices in showers and faucets, bathrooms with low consumption systems, and implementing a manual of efficient use of water.(SITUR Magdalena - COTELCO, 2018) 96% of suppliers perform some activity for efficient use of energy: use of energysaving LED bulbs, disconnect appliances that are not in use, turn off air conditioning systems, and only 6% make use of other alternative energy sources (solar energy).(SITUR Magdalena - COTELCO, 2018) On the other hand and given the importance that the strategic ecosystems present in the territory of Santa Marta have for the development of human life and the generation of income from tourism activity, the District Mayor's Office, through the District Institute of Tourism INDETUR, has adopted a sustainable tourism development strategy focused on the responsible use of maritime beaches and marine ecosystems under the principles of sustainable tourism and environmental conservation notch. For this reason, it is necessary to implement actions aimed at strengthening institutional technical capacities and the creation of methodological tools to ensure the proper management of these important places of rest and recreation, which are highly demanded by nationals and foreigners during all seasons of the year.

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4. DIAGNOSIS AND MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM. The present analysis indicates that the direct causes of the low tourism competitiveness in Santa Marta are: the lack of tourism infrastructure and roads to ensure the connectivity of tourist attractions with the urban area and vice-versa; low investment in tourism planning and management processes, the low compliance with tourism regulations by tourism service providers, the high levels of unemployment and labor informality, the high number of people in vulnerable conditions6 and the irresponsible use of natural capital.

Low taking advantage of the tourist potential of the destination ↑

effects

Disorderly tourist growth ↑

Low quality and specialization in the provision of tourist services

↑

↑

↑

↑

Adoption of tourism as a subsistence activity

Overuse and deterioration of natural tourism attractions

↑

↑

Difficulty of access to nature tourist attractions

Lack of planning and tourist management

Complex governance of the tourism sector in the District

High dependence on tourism as a main economic activity

↑

↑

↑

↑

problem

Environmental damage and impact

Low level of tourism competitiveness of the District of Santa Marta

central

Causes

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

Lack of tourist infrastructure and roads

Low investment in tourism planning and management processes

Under compliance with tourism regulations by the PST

High levels of unemployment and labor informality

High number of people in vulnerable conditions

Under responsible use of natural capital

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

Lack of authorities for the implementation of regulations and regulations

Low level of development and diversification of the economy

High levels of social inequality and monetary poverty

Absence of tourism sustainability policies and plans

Low allocation of public investment resources for tourism development

Figure 22. Problem tree. Low level of tourism competitiveness of the District of Santa Marta.

The direct effects caused by the causes described above are the difficulty of access to the tourist attractions of nature of the destination, lack of planning and tourist management, complex governance of the tourism sector, high dependence on tourism as the main economic activity, the adoption of tourism as a subsistence activity and overuse of natural tourist attractions. In the same way, the causes listed generate indirect effects such as the low use of the tourist potential of the destination, disorderly tourist growth, low quality and specialization in the provision of tourist services, as well as damages and environmental effects on strategic ecosystems and areas of high tourist concurrency, such as beaches, rivers, lakes and water rounds.

However, given the tourism vocation of the District, and the vulnerability of the sector to changes given by external factors such as climate change or even the current pandemic that has caused the fall of 90% of the arrivals of national and foreign visitors in 2020, it is necessary to incorporate within the processes of governance, planning, and tourism management actions to ensure the sustainability of the sector from a holistic perspective that contemplates the social, cultural, environmental, economic factors, as well as the integral 6

Mainly people in poverty, victims of the armed conflict, displaced by violence, women heads of household and migrant population.

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management of the destination, the strengthening of the business fabric, the incorporation of new marketing strategies, and the provision of infrastructure to improve connectivity (Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo, 2020).

4.1. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS • • • • • • •

Lack of reliable information to guide decision-making for the sustainable development of tourism in the District.

Weakness in the incorporation of sustainability criteria in tourism planning and management processes Lack of articulation between the public and private sectors to formulate and implement policies and plans aimed at the destination's sustainable tourism development.

Poor conditions and incentives for the proper use of natural capital in the valueadded proposition of tourism.

Lack of practices for mitigation, control, and compensation of adverse environmental impacts by entrepreneurs and actors associated with the value chain.

Irresponsible travelers´ behavior and consumption.

Under the positioning of Santa Marta as a sustainable tourism destination.

4.2. ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT

OF THE SECTOR One of the most used tools in the diagnostic stage of any planning process is the socalled DOFA Analysis. Through this tool, weaknesses, opportunities, strengths, and threats of the analyzed place are established, in this case, the District of Santa Marta, after analyzing aspects such as the physical environment, the demographic and economic structure, the institutional political framework, sociocultural characteristics and the structure of the tourism system (supply, demand, management).

To obtain more successful and accurate results, it is necessary to have the participation of local agents during the diagnostic process, to hear directly from the actors the problems of the region or its sector since they are the ones who know the territory, all its facets and characteristics. As a result of the activities carried out, the results are presented below: 4.2.1. Strengths • • • •

Existence of a decentralized public entity attached to the District Mayor's Office in charge of promoting and managing destinations.

The District has an administrative department for environmental sustainability and a tourism institute capable of generating technical concepts for the tourism management of the territory and its related activities.

Ease of creating training programs through partnerships and agreements with public or private higher education institutions.

Faculty for the creation of instances for tourism management at the executive level of the Mayor´s office.

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• • • •

Presence of popular governments at the departmental and district levels, which conceive the participation and integration of communities within their model of government.

It has unique ecosystems, extraordinary biodiversity, and valuable wildlife, both terrestrial and marine.

The existence of two unique protected areas in ecosystems and indigenous population (national natural parks) being one of them, The Sierra Nevada, biosphere reserve declared by UNESCO since 1979.

The variety and ethnic richness in indigenous areas with traditional culture and regional specialties.

4.2.2. Weaknesses • • • • • • • • •

Absence of data and information based on representative samples for decision-making Low allocation of public investment resources for tourism development Low level of technical skills, resources, and specialized personnel for the sustainable tourism management of the territory Lack of articulation between the internal units of the district administration for the implementation of plans, programs, and projects related to tourist activities and attractions Weakness in the articulation between the tourism sector and environmental authorities Low incorporation of environmental sustainability criteria in tourism planning and management processes Poor compliance and implementation of national policies on sustainable tourism and conservation of natural capital for the use of natural capital in tourism activities Low level of citizen participation in the formulation of tourism-related sectoral policies and plans High levels of informality at work and in the provision of tourism services that affect the quality and satisfaction of travelers

4.2.3. Opportunities • • • • • • •

Presence of legal instruments for the generation of taxes, contributions, and sources of revenue for the financing of tourism There are national policies for sustainable tourism and conservation of natural capital, as well as strategies, indicators, and action plans for their implementation High international interest in ecotourism, rural tourism, community-based tourism, agrotourism.

Possibility of being recognized internationally as a biodiverse destination with significant natural capital Possibility of attracting tourists through the exploitation of indigenous historical, cultural, spiritual, and traditional heritage; Possibility of being recognized as a world capital for bird watching as it is a migratory step for more than 200 species of birds from different latitudes.

Diversification of nature tourism offers and participation of the local population in this type of projects.

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•

The existence of law 2058 of 2020, by which the Nation is associated with the celebration of the Fifth Centenary of the foundation of the city of Santa Marta, department of Magdalena, and other provisions are dictated,

4.2.4. Threats • • • • • • • •

Deterioration of strategic ecosystems caused by tourism and loss of biodiversity of the territory.

Generation of environmental problems due to the misuse of natural capital, reducing the ecological resilience of ecosystems, and worsening existing issues.

Disorderly tourism growth and land-use conflicts (degradation, waste, environmental impacts).

Increase in junk tourism due to informality and lack of regulations and authorities to preserve order.

Execution of illegal activities such as drug micro-trafficking and sexual exploitation in rural tourism establishments due to lack of authorities.

Accidents and related events not recorded, generated in the execution of unregulated tourist activities that generally do not have insurance policies or good safety conditions.

Risk of indigenous communities by offering tours in their settlements without proper regulation and permits.

Adoption of plans and public policies in tourism that put at risk the ways of life or wellbeing of urban and rural communities.

STRENGTHS • Wide wealth in culture, biodiversity, and natural capital.

• It is a nationally and internationally recognized tourist destination.

• There is a specialized destination management organization.

• Presence of two natural parks that at the same time are protected areas.

WEAKNESSES • High levels of labor informality and poverty.

• Low allocation of public investment resources for tourism.

• Poor compliance with the legal and regulatory framework by operators.

• Lack of articulation between district administration units.

OPPORTUNITIES • Presence of legal instruments to define financing instruments • High international interest in the development of ecotourism.

• Possibility of being recognized as the capital of bird watching.

• Diversification of the offer of tourism services for development.

THREATS • Disorderly tourism growth and land-use conflicts.

• Increase in mass tourism and junk tourism due to informality • Risk of affecting indigenous communities due to the provision of activities not permitted in protected areas and reserves.

Figure 23 Summary of the DOFA Matrix formulated for the case study.

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4.3. ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL FORCES BY PESTEL MATRIX In addition to the analysis of the Dictrict microenvironment, it is necessary to carry out a general environment analysis, of the macroenvironment, of the exogenous factors that affect or may positively or negatively affect the economy and the local tourism sector.

The determining aspects to consider in a PESTEL analysis can be of the political, legal, climatic or environmental, sociocultural, macroeconomic, or technological order and are set out below: Table 5. External factors that generate or influence the problem. PESTEL analysis methodology. factor

Q politician

description

Q (-)

High impact of the sector by political decisions

-

Possible impacts on the safety of rural tourist corridors due to political issues Lack of investment in tourism infrastructure

-

National government's prioritization of the travel and tourism industry in the 2020-2023 development plan High level of multidimensional poverty and social inequality

E economic

S social

or (+)

impact to M B X

-

X X

+

High unemployment rate in the city, around 16.4% with cut January/21 Local government with limited economic resources

X

X

-

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

-

term C M L

X

City highly dependent on tourism

-

Increased immigration in the region

-

X

X

X

Low levels of education and training of the population and tourism service providers.

Low level of awareness of cultural heritage and its importance

-

X

X X

Social awareness of climate change is spreading

+

X

X

Increased drug and alcohol use.

X

X

Lack of innovative products in the tourist offer

-

X

X

-

X

X

technological

Problems with communications and Internet coverage in rural areas with the presence of tourist activities Big Data and current technologies are not yet used for the decision-making process Lack of implementation of quality certifications

To

Poor drinking water supply

-

X

Inefficient disposal of solid waste, not recycled

-

X

X

Presence of dirty beaches and polluted low tide areas

-

X

Low implementation of the concept of intellectual property and property rights Low level of implementation of the regulatory framework for tourism in the region Opening up to new agreements, conventions, and treaties for the cooperation and development of tourism

-

T

environment

L legal

-

X

-

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

+

X

X

X

X

X

X

P: Threat O: Opportunity A: High M: Medium B: Low C: Short L: Long

As can be seen, 50% of the negative factors evaluated have a high impact on the territory. Moreover, most do so in the short term, which can confirm that the District's situation in the medium term would also improve by improving these aspects. However, achieving improvements in these aspects implies that the Administration must search for alliances and support of regional and national order entities.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

X

X

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5. PROPOSAL OF TOURIST PLANNING MODEL FOR THE DISTRICT OF SANTA MARTA The formulation of the planning and tourism management model for the sustainable tourism development of the District of Santa Marta D.T.C.H. seeks to propose specific actions for the District, organized within axes and strategies raised based on the study of the different aspects that condition the economic development of a territory. It also seeks to include and consider the different variables that the competitiveness model managed by the Center for Tourism Thinking of Colombia uses to evaluate the different cities with a tourist vocation in the country. Finally, all the above is proposed to solve the problems identified in the diagnosis and analysis of sectoral needs agreed with the main actors of the value chain through technical tables designed for this purpose.

5.1. OBJECTIVES OF THE MODEL The general objective of the proposed model will be to achieve the integral development of the district tourism sector, working in a holistic and exhaustive way aspects such as governance and sustainability using appropriate territorial development tools such as planning, investment in infrastructure. Each of the purposes of the model wants to solve identified problems, and it is developed in the proposed axes. The following is the objective tree designed for the model: Contribute to the development of the tourist potential of the destination ↑

Purposes

Ensuring tourism growth under criteria of sustainability and shared responsibility

↑

Fostering local production chains to strengthen community economies

↑

Increase levels of quality and specialization in the provision of tourism services

Mitigate damages and environmental impacts generated by tourism

↑

↑

↑

Protect and restore deteriorated nature tourist attractions

↑

Improve access to nature tourist attractions

Improve tourism planning and management processes

Facilitate the governance of the tourism sector in the District

Reducing dependence on tourism as a significant economic activity

Adopting tourism as an activity generating employment and socio-economic development

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

Achieve the Integral Development of the Tourism Sector of the District of Santa Marta so that it boosts the local economy GENERAL OBJECTIVE

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

Identify tourism infrastructure needs

Increase investment in tourism planning and management processes

Improve compliance with regulations and tourism regulations by PST

Reducing levels of unemployment and labor informality

Reducing the number of people in vulnerable conditions

Improving the responsible use of natural capital

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

↑

Develop and diversify the District's economy through tourism

Contribute to the reduction of levels of social inequality and monetary poverty

Formulate and adopt policies and plans for sustainable tourism development

stocking

Increase the allocation of public investment resources for tourism development

Increase the number of staff of tourism regulatory authorities

Figure 24 Tree of objectives. Model of planning and ordering of the tourist activities of the District of Santa Marta.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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5.2. LINES OF ACTION Next, the planning model structure is proposed. It is designed to provide solution to the problems identified in the diagnosis and analysis of the District and its tourism sector, and that are based on the different aspects that must be taken into account in regional planning processes to achieve sustainable development; it means development that seeks the balance between the economic, social, and environmental aspects, always thinking about the common good and joint work to achieve the objectives set.

The model is ordered from five management axes, which in turn group 24 programs and 156 actions. It also presents the proposed indicators for measuring compliance with the proposed actions and the estimated time frame for their implementation.

Figure 25. Model of Axes for the tourist planning of the District of Santa Marta. Source: Own elaboration.

As shown the figure, Axes 1 and 5 are transversal to the whole process and focus on two key aspects that must support all the actions to be implemented to achieve the integral development of any tourist destination: tourism governance and sustainability.

The three additional axes cover management areas related to Integral Development that covers different aspects that contribute to the competitiveness of the District, the strengthening of its Social Capital, and the promotion and marketing of the destination.

Below are the axes of action with their objectives and a diagram with each of their programs. Then each program is explained and presented with their respective activities, possible indicators, goal lines, and execution deadlines.

Table 6. Summary table of actions by program Axis

1. Tourism Governance

2. Integral Development for Competitiveness

Programs 1.1 Coordination and Institutional Strengthening 1.2 Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations 1.3 Citizen Participatory Processes 1.4 Networks and Alliances to facilitate the Sector development 1.5 Financing and Monitoring of proposed actions 2.1 Investment in Infrastructure for tourism 2.2 Formalization and Decent Employment 2.3 Incentives and investment promotion 2.4 Support and financing of productive projects 2.5 Territorial Planning, Information Systems and Tourism Security 2.6 Sector Professionalization 2.7 Innovation and New Tourism typologies 3.1 Strengthening the sense of community

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

Actions 6 4 2

short 6 4 2

medium

4

1

3

5 12 4 2 3

4 3 1

1 9 4 2 2

16

8

8

7 8 4

3 5 4

4 3

long

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3. Community Social Capital 4. Tourism promotion and destination positioning

5. Sustainability and biodiversity protection

3.2 Rescue and glorification of traditions and cultural and historical memory 3.3 Generation of Cooperation and Associativity 4.1 Market Research 4.2 Destination Positioning in specialized markets

4

1

3

5 4 7

2 4

5 2 3

4

2

2

4

2

2

18

6

10

2

6 11 12 3 155

2 3 8 1 73

3 8 4 2 79

1

4.3 City Brand Management 5.1 Tourism Environmental Performance Information System 5.2 Destination management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems 5.3 Adaptation to climate change 5.4 Sustainable Tourism Quality 5.5 Raising awareness and changing worldview 5.6 Creating sustainable and regenerative products

Total

3

5.3. TOURISM GOVERNANCE This Axis seeks greater articulation between the internal units of the district administration for the implementation of plans, programs, and projects related to tourist activities and attractions; achieve high citizen participation in the formulation and implementation of tourism-related sectoral policies and plans; the creation of partnerships with public or private bodies at any level to facilitate the development of the sector; institutional strengthening of the entity in charge of tourism at the district level; and establish adequate follow-up to the implementation of the proposed actions and their results. The Axis has the following strategies:

1.5 Financing and Monitoring of proposed actions

1.1 Coordination and Institutional Strengthening

1.4 Netwoks and Alliances to facilitate the development of the Sector

1.2 Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations

1.3 Citizen participatory processes

Figure 26. Axis No 1 Tourism governance structure.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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5.3.1. Coordination and Institutional Strengthening This program proposes the creation or constitution of different agencies, committees, or cabinets necessary for the formulation, socialization, and concertation of policies, plans, and actions for the sustainable tourism development of the destination, to strengthen the articulation of internal dependencies and decentralized entities in the territorial entity for the fulfillment of policies, plans, and actions for tourism development.

In this case, it is also proposed the restructuring of the District Institute of Tourism INDETUR for its operation as a Destination Management Organization of public order with purpose and missionary processes focused on the integral management of the destination, its promotion, and national and international positioning, and the competitive development of the tourism sector. Furthermore, it is proposed to request the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism (MinCit) to assign powers to the District Institute of Tourism INDETUR to be in charge of verifying compliance with the Sectoral Technical Standards required for the issuance or renewal of the RNT on tourist establishments in the District of Santa Marta. If this objective is achieved, the new role of INDETUR will be vital to improving the quality of tourism services and will be a new source of income for the Institute.

Another essential action is creating the Committee for the Formalization and Recognition of Sellers and Providers of Complementary Services to Tourism as an instance for the verification of street vendors and persons engaged in commercial activities in tourist sites and attractions in the District. The committee will evaluate the temporary authorization of people with legitimate expectations included in the censuses carried out by the Secretariat of Government and the District Tourism Institute - INDETUR. This body will be the only one authorized to issue concepts of favorability for the temporary authorization of sellers and informal workers so that they can exercise their activity freely. Authorizations may not exceed 18 months and must be conditioned on the person's suitability and judicial background check.

Finally, it proposes the design and implementation of training programs for officials related to the development of tourism, according to their needs, but focusing on Sustainability, Sectoral Technical Standards, Auditing, different types of tourism, project formulation, management of international cooperation resources, work with communities, leadership, conflict resolution, formulation of business plan and CBT. Table 7. Program No. 1 - Coordination and Institutional Strengthening. actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Create and operate (1) District Tourism Council

District Tourism Council created and in operation

number

0

1

Create and put into operation (1) Tourist Cabinet

Tourist cabinet created and in operation

number

0

1

Restructure the District Tourism Institute - INDETUR for its operation as a Destination Management Organization (DMO)

Institute restructured and operating as a destination management organization

percentage

0%

100%

Short term (1-2 years)

Create and put into operation (1) Committee for the Formalization and recognition of sellers and providers of tourist services

Committee on the formalization and recognition of sellers and service providers set up and in operation

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Require powers on the part of the Ministry of Commerce to INDETUR for the verification of

Verification powers assigned to INDETUR

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

Deadline for action Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years)

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compliance with the Sectoral Technical Standards of tourism sustainability Annual training and skillsbuilding program for INDETUR officials

Number of training programs implemented

number

0

Short term (1-2 years)

5

5.3.2. Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations Through this program, the formation or creation of committees at the territorial level is formulated on issues that require coordinated work with other entities and organizations present in the territory and that are key to achieving the goals or tourism development.

Given the importance of Sustainability and to achieve better implementation of the actions proposed for its integration into the destination, it is suggested to create the Sustainable Tourism Committee as an instance of articulation between the public and private sectors. The committee must include dependencies and entities of the District Mayor's Office with competencies and direct impact on tourism, representatives of tourism associations, academic institutions, and tourism service providers.

It is also proposed to form the Tourism Security Committee to coordinate actions with the authorities with police functions and security bodies of the District to formulate, monitor, and implement actions in the field of tourism security.

Due sun and beach tourism is the most important segment for the destination, the formalization of the Beaches and Marine areas Committee is proposed as an instance for the study and analysis of feasibility for the granting of temporary permits for beach occupation, management beaches studies, and marine areas, measurements of the environmental impact of tourist activities on marine-coastal, ecosystems, and regulation of nautical activities developed in the district. In addition to the District Tourism Institute - INDETUR, the committee must have the participation and support of DIMAR. A significant action to work towards the sector quality is the creation of the consumer protection office. These offices depend on the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce, so it will be necessary to establish relations and joint work with that Entity Table 8. Program No. 2. Strengthening Interinstitutional Relations actions Create and operate (1) Sustainable Tourism Committee Form and put into operation (1) District Committee for Tourism Safety Formalize and put into operation (1) Committee on Beaches and Marine Areas Manage the operation of (1) consumer protection office by the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce

indicator Sustainable Tourism Committee created and operational District Committee for Tourism Safety formed and in operation Committee of beaches and marine areas formalized and in operation Consumer Protection Office managed and operational

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

number

0

1

number

0

1

number

0

1

number

0

1

Deadline for action Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years)

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5.3.3. Participatory Citizen Processes It formulates actions to generate spaces for consultation and community integration in formulating plans and policies aimed at sector development and the empowerment of communities through tourism. It also proposes creating spaces for citizen participation where problems can be socialized, opportunities for improvement, and formulation of action plans by communities, tourism service providers, and the community in general.

In this case, the Rural and Community Tourism Committee is formulated as an instance to ensure inclusion, participation, and joint work with the communities of tourism service providers located in the townships of Guachaca, Minca, Bonda, and the district rural areas, where it is intended to carry out concrete actions to consolidate the rural tourism routes that the District has and community tourism projects. The other committee proposed if it is for the participation of the general public.

Table 9. Program No. 3. Participatory Processes of Citizenship. actions Create and operate (1) rural and community tourism committee Create and put into operation (1) committee of citizen participation in tourism

indicator Rural and Community Tourism Committee set up and operating Committee on citizen participation in tourism created and in operation

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

number

0

1

number

0

1

Deadline for action Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years)

5.3.4. Networks and Alliances to facilitate the development of the Sector Considering that a good governance process must seek efficient and transparent forms of cooperation, this section contains actions for the constitution of alliances, agreements, or cooperation agreements aimed at tourism development, promotion, international positioning of the destination, and increasing the competitiveness of tourism. The generation of agreements for the presentation of calls for grants and competitions for the financing of tourism development projects and access information on trends, potential markets, strategic segments, and information on sustainable tourism preferences.

Additionally, in this case, and given the District's tourism potential, it is proposed that it actively participate in instances created by public and private organizations worldwide (UNWTO, OECD, UNEP, etc.) that share the mission of implementing transformative solutions for the sustainable development of tourism.

It should be emphasized the importance that this type of action represents for the District since its funding sources are limited and, therefore, it will require having the knowledge and the necessary capacities to manage international cooperation resources through the signing of agreements or alliances.

Table 10. Program No. 4. Networks and Alliances to facilitate the development of the Sector. actions Registration and registration of the District Tourism Institute with the World Tourism Organization as a member entity Subscribe (1) public-private partnership to strengthen companies in the tourism sector by implementing new technological tools, sectoral

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Recognition of INDETUR as a MEMBER ENTITY of UNWTO

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Public-private partnership for the strengthening of tourism companies subscribed

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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technical standards, quality certifications, among others.

Sign (10) cooperation agreements with local authorities, public and private entities, and NGOs for joint tourism development Formalize (5) alliances or agreements with national and international market channels to access strategic information for the promotion and positioning of the destination

Cooperation agreements signed

number

0

10

Medium term (2-6 years)

Alliances or formalized agreements

number

0

5

Medium term (2-6 years)

5.3.5. Financing and Monitoring of proposed actions Any planning process requires monitoring and follow-up of the results and sources of funding for the implementation of the proposed actions. This program offers actions to obtain investment resources for tourism development and the implementation of monitoring, control, and accountability mechanisms.

In this specific case, creating a stamp of tourist promotion for the District that affects the contracts signed by it, is an important proposal. A Tourism Tax for visitor is another option, it would be colleted by hoteliers; it would charge staying in any type of regulated accomodation. Also, the adaptation of Tourist Control Points in the accesses to Minca, Buritaca, Mendihuaca, Don Diego, and Quebrada Valencia as a strategy of control and regulation of the tourist activities carried out in these sectors, guaranteeing, in turn, the collection generation for the execution of sustainable tourism development projects in the beneficiary communities.

It also proposes the District Tourism Fund creation to secure the investment resources required for the execution of plans, projects, and actions aimed at the sustainable tourism development of the District and the promotion of entrepreneurship. The main sources of fund funding will be the Tourism Promotion Stamp, the income generated by the Tourist Control Points, the jetties and dispatch points, and own resources of the District Mayor's Office, the local mayors' offices external organizations through cooperation projects.

The management of international cooperation resources will require technological tools that facilitate the process. Therefore, acquiring one that makes the report of opening calls for the subsidy to tourism and cultural development projects of the main cooperation funds is taken into account.

Table 11. Program No. 5. Financing and Monitoring of the proposed actions. indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Tourist Promotion Stamp imposed and in force

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Tourism Tax into force

number

0

1

Create and operate (5) Tourist Control Points

Tourist checkpoints created and operated

number

0

5

Create and operate the District Tourism Fund

District Tourism Fund created and in operation

number

0

1

actions Create (1) Tourism Promotion Stamp (ProTurismo) as a source of revenue for the development of tourism in the region Create (1) Tourism Tax for visitor who spend nights in the destination

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years)

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Acquisition of computer tool or subscription for the periodic report of calls for international cooperation available for the financing or subsidy of tourism projects Implementation of the system of evaluation, monitoring, and control of the execution of the proposed actions available online for citizen consultation

Computer tool acquired

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

System deployed and available

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.4. INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT FOR COMPETITIVENESS This Axis aims to strengthen the different aspects that impact the destination competitiveness; achieve the data consolidation and information based on representative samples for the decision-making process; reduce the high levels of informality in the workplace and in the provision of tourist services that affect the service quality and therefore the travelers' satisfaction; diversification of nature tourism in its different typologies and the local population participation in this type of inniciatives; the professionalization and digitalization of the sector and the improvement of innovation, quality, ordering, and tourism safety.

The axis contains the following programs:

2.7 Innovation and New Tourism typologies

2.1 Investment in Infrastructure for tourism

2.2 Formalization and Decent Employment

2.6 Sector Professionalization

2.5 Territorial Planning, Information System and Tourism Security

2.3 Incentives and investment promotion 2.4 Support and financing of productive projects

Figure 27 Axis No. 2 Programs Integral Development for Competitiveness.

5.4.1. Investment in Infrastructure for Tourism This program aims to allocate resources for the construction of public infrastructure or the facilities required to expand the sector's capacities or the attention and service to visitors, that is, elements that facilitate the tours and the enjoyment of the resources offered by the destination.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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In this case, the expansion of the runway and cargo area of the Simón Bolívar International Airport are considered vital actions for the destination; the construction of single dispatch points for smaller vessels in the sectors of Cabo San Juan, Neguanje, Playa Grande, Taganga, Playa Blanca, Rodadero and Pozos Colorados. These points will help the ordering of maritime transport and generate new sources of collection for tourism; the expansion and modernization of the Santa Marta transport terminal; among others.

The infrastructure adaptation to guarantee the accessibility of people with disabilities to the different tourist attractions of the District, it's an essential point for the destination competitiveness.

Also, to strengthen rural and community-based tourism, it is necessary to diagnose the state of tertiary roads in the townships of Minca, Bonda and Guachaca and determine the needs of improving the access roads to the different sites and natural tourist attractions. Based on this diagnosis, projects will be formulated to achieve in the medium term the improvement of 5 of these roads.

It is also necessary to guarantee telecommunications coverage and 4G network to improve connectivity in rural areas, where tourism activities are developed, encouraging receiving tourism in these areas, and extending the users permanence in rural accommodation establishments and difficult to access.

In the same line, it is proposed the cycle tourist adaptation and sports routes in the sectors of Neguanje, Minca, and Bonda and the access paths demarcation and signaling to Quebrada Valencia, Cascadas de Bonda, Paso del Mango, Pozo Azul, Oido del Mundo, Pozo del Amor and Pueblito. While there is much room for improvement in rural areas, it is considered that these actions can be relevant and the starting point to ensure the increase of visitors and, therefore, the local economies' activation.

Table 12. Program No. 6. Investment in Infrastructure for tourism. actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Manage a proposal to expand the runway and cargo area of the international airport

Proposal for the extension of the runway and cargo area of the international airport managed.

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Build and operate (8) single dispatch points for smaller vessels

Single dispatch points built and in operation

number

0

8

Expanded ground transportation terminal

number

0

1

Tourist viewpoint built and in operation

number

0

1

Tourist Parador built and in operation

number

0

1

Infrastructure adaptation plan formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Electricity grid burying project formulated and executed

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Diagnostic study carried out

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Manage the expansion of the inter-municipal land transport terminal Build and put into operation (1) tourist viewpoint in the Teyuna sector Build and put into operation (1) tourist in the Buritaca sector Formulate and implement (1) plan for the adaptation of tourist infrastructures to guarantee accessibility for people with disabilities Formulate and execute (1) project for the undergrounding of electrical networks in the Historic Center Carry out (1) diagnostic study of the state of strategic tertiary routes

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

Medium term (2-6 years) Medium term (2-6 years) Medium term (2-6 years) Medium term (2-6 years)

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for the development of rural and nature tourism Structure and implement (5) projects to improve strategic tertiary routes for the development of rural and nature tourism Structure and implement (3) projects to increase the coverage of the 4G Network in rural areas through public-private partnerships Adapt and put into operation (3) tourist and sports cycles in the Neguanje, Minca, and Bonda sectors, respectively Demarcate and signpost (7) tourist trails in the sectors Quebrada Valencia, Cascadas de Bonda, Paso del Mango, Pozo Azul, Oreja del Mundo, Pozo del Amor and Pueblito respectively

Structured and executed strategic tertiary road improvement projects

number

0

5

Medium term (2-6 years)

Structured and executed 4G coverage enhancement projects

number

0

3

Medium term (2-6 years)

Suitable and functioning tourist cycle stations

number

0

3

Short term (1-2 years)

Demarcated and signposted tourist trails

number

0

7

Short term (1-2 years)

5.4.2. Formalization and Decent Employment This program aims to formulate actions that promote the formalization for micro and small enterprises in the tourism sector. These actions should consider financial, fiscal, economic support, training, accompaniment, management of public-private partnerships, and social policies, which allow the consolidation of different business ideas, create new jobs and enable the economic recovery of the tourism sector in the city.

On the other hand, it is necessary to advance actions for the deseasonalization and generation of decent jobs in the tourism sector in which the worker is guaranteed stability and all the conditions and rights that the law regulates.

In this case, implementing a program for raising awareness about decent work among entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs in coordination with trade union entities, entities, and organizations of a public and private nature is proposed.

Labor inspections are planned for companies in the tourism sector in conjunction with the Territorial Directorate of the Ministry of Labour for Magdalena. During the reviews, the aim is to identify improvement actions to ensure adequate working conditions. In the same way, it is intended to advance operations to verify undeclared work situations to establish sanctions for tourism establishments that fail to comply with the regulations on labor matters.

It is also necessary to carry out campaigns of promotion and prevention of occupational risks in coordination with the District Health Secretariat and the Occupational Risk Insurers - ARL to raise awareness about the need and obligation to make contributions to the Social Security System and parafiscals in companies in the sector and people dedicated to tourism.

Table 13. Program No. 7. Formalization of the activity and Decent Employment. actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Formulate and implement (1) promotion and formalization plan for new ventures and MSMEs in the tourism sector

Impulse and formalization plan formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Formulate and implement (1) strategy for the seasonalization of

Strategy designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

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jobs and generation of permanent employment in the tourism sector Carry out (5) days of inspection and verification of working conditions to companies in the tourism sector in coordination with the Territorial Directorate of the Ministry of Labor for Magdalena Carry out (5) campaigns to promote and prevent occupational risks for companies in the tourism sector

Inspection and verification days carried out

number

0

5

Medium term (2-6 years)

Campaigns designed and implemented

number

0

5

Medium term (2-6 years)

5.4.3. Incentives and investment promotion This program seeks to encourage national or foreign investment in different tourism development projects with resources from companies and private organizations specialized in the segments of accommodation, hospitality and timeshare exchange companies.

The actions to execute the program are proposed for medium term. The destination establishes its order, its planning, and its vision of the future so that when developing the actions, it is clear what incentive package it must offer and which investors it wants to attract.

In the case of Santa Marta, it is proposed that the socialization of the strategy and the incentive portfolio be carried out in working tables with the Ministry of Commerce, Industrial and Tourism MinCIT, ProColombia, entities, and trade union organizations, which guarantees to reach a more significant number of investors.

Table 14. Program No. 8. Incentives and promotion of investment.

Actions Create (1) portfolio of products, services, and tourist attractions offered in the District of Santa Marta, as a strategy for the promotion of national and international investment in development projects Design and implement (1) strategy to promote foreign investment in tourism development projects

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Tourism portfolio created

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Strategy designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

5.4.4. Support and financing of productive projects Through this, it seeks to execute actions for the support, accompaniment, technical assistance for the structuring, formulation, and execution of projects, business plans, marketing, economic-financial strategies, and search for the financing of productive projects proposed by local entrepreneurs. As well as the design of stimulus programs or calls for cooperation for the subsidy of private tourism projects.

In the case of Santa Marta and taking into account the existing budgetary limitations, the creation of a Bank of Innovation Projects in Tourism is proposed. The projects to be included in this tool must promote the implementation and development of new technologies to solve problems related to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals within the tourism activities framework. In this way, they can be presented to the different calls for national and international cooperation for the funding search.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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This program requires articulation and joint work with other areas of the Mayor's Office, other local or national entities, public or private, with technical capacities to provide guidance and accompaniment in the processes of creation of new companies and thus be able to guarantee support and technical assistance for the different initiatives.

Another essential point will be the promotion of the productive initiatives related to sustainable tourism development, social businesses, the circular economy, and green businesses within the communities of tourism service providers of the District, giving priority to initiatives led by rural communities and indigenous peoples and knowing that these projects will require special accompaniment by INDETUR in their formulation and implementation.

Table 15. Program No. 9. Support and financing of productive projects. actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Create and operate (1) bank of innovation projects in tourism and culture within the District Institute of Tourism

Innovation Project Bank created and in operation

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Create and operate (1) program of incubators of tourism enterprises

Program of tourist incubators created and in operation

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Financially support (5) private initiatives related to the development of sustainable tourism, social businesses, the circular economy, and green businesses within the district's tourist communities

Financially supported tourism initiatives

number

0

5

Medium term (2-6 years)

5.4.5. Territorial Planning, Information Systems, and Tourist Security This program aims to include tourism activities in the technical tools that order the territory and the land use so that the realization of tourism is achieved in a balanced way and in harmony with other economic activities present in the region. Taking into account the characteristics of the territory and its location, it will be necessary to apply other strategic documents for the ordering of the different activities.

In the case of Santa Marta, a Master Plan for Sport Diving is proposed for the regulation and ordering of this activity; a Comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Management Plan that incorporates environmental sustainability criteria aimed at the conservation and regeneration of urban and rural soils; and another that delimits the zones of influence of the Tayrona and Sierra Nevada National Natural Parks and discriminates against permitted and non-permitted activities in the areas surrounding the reservations and sacred sites of the indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The formulation of these documents requires the District articulation and its different areas with other organizations such as DIMAR, National Natural Parks, guilds, local communities It is also intended to generate the necessary statistics to monitor the sector's development and improve the decision-making process. The creation of information systems that integrate population data, censuses, tourist inventories, and strategic information as monitoring and decision-making tools is key for strengthening the sector. Likewise, the creation of Tourism Observatories can be considered as spaces where useful quantitative and qualitative information on local or regional tourism is generated and handled for decisionmaking in both the public and private sectors. These entities can generate quarterly reports

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and bulletins that record the travel trends, consumption, and other indicators of competitiveness and regional tourism development.

On the other hand, an essential factor for competitiveness and maintaining good levels of visitor satisfaction is safety. Therefore, this program also proposes actions to improve the visitors' safety-seeking the articulation and cooperation of entities with competence in the matter.

In the case of Santa Marta, the formulation and implementation of the Strategic Plan for Tourism Security is proposed in coordination with the command of the first division of the army, the metropolitan police of Santa Marta, the DIMAR, the Coast Guard Station, and internal areas such as the secretary of government, the secretary of security and coexistence, the secretary of Economic Development, the high council for peace and the District Tourism Institute.

It also formulates the creation of the lifeguard corps of the District of Santa Marta and the consolidation of the program "Guardians of Tourism" of the District Institute of Tourism, as a support for the regulation and verification of compliance with the regulations and legal provisions on tourism, mainly in the tourist corridors of Buritaca, Don Diego, Quebrada Valencia, Taganga, Bonda, Minca, Historical Center, Rodadero, Plenomar, Pozos Colorados and Airport. This program also seeks to mitigate cases of informal and non-requirement service provision, control informal hospitality and regulate sharing economy services in the District.

Also, and taking into account the vocation of the destination, the formulation and implementation of the Strategic Plan for Maritime and River Safety is proposed as a roadmap for the verification and control of passenger transport vessels, inspection and verification of companies, boats, and motorcyclists. This requires coordination with DIMAR and the Ministry of Transport.

Table 16. Program No. 10. Territorial Planning, Information Systems, and Tourist Security. actions Design and implement (1) master plan for the regulation and management of Sport and Recreational Diving Design and implement (1) sustainable tourism management program as a territorial planning tool Develop (1) plan for the management of the tourist activities offered in the District Design and implement a Geographic Information System for tourism management Update inventory of natural and cultural tourism resources Create and operate (1) District Tourism Observatory Implement (1) program for periodic monitoring of the perception and satisfaction of local communities in the face of tourism development

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Master plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Plan of ordering of tourist activities elaborated

number

0

1

number

0

1

number

0

1

number

0

1

number

0

1

Geographic Information System designed and implemented Inventory of natural and cultural tourism resources updated District Observatory of Tourism created and in operation Program implemented

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Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years) Short term (1-2 years) Medium term (2-6 years) Medium term (2-6 years)

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Create and put into operation (1) Tourist Information System for the management of quantitative and qualitative information on tourism Create (1) application for the permanent census of companies and providers of tourist services active in the national tourism registry Implement (30) training days for tourism service providers in the use of data collection platforms implemented by the District Tourism Observatory Adopt and implement (1) strategic plan of Tourist Security in coordination with the district authorities Create and commission (1) lifeguard corps for the Santa Marta District Formulate and implement (1) strategic plan for maritime and river safety for the regulation of boats, companies, and motorcyclists Manage the operation of (1) river inspection office delegated by the Ministry of Transport Create the group "Guardians of Tourism" as support to ensure control and compliance with regulations in tourism Implement (1) Program of Surveillance and control of tourism activity

Tourist information system created and in operation

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Application for the permanent census of companies and service providers created

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Training days in the use of platforms of the District Observatory of Tourism carried out

number

0

30

Medium term (2-6 years)

Strategic plan for tourism security adopted and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Lifeguard corps created and in service

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Strategic plan for marine and river safety formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

River inspection office managed and in operation

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Group created and in operation

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Program implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.4.6. Sector Professionalization This program proposes actions to strengthen the training processes of human talent linked to the sector. The issues that should be prioritized will depend on the needs detected in the diagnosis of the region and may include bilingualism, tourism guidance, tourism development management, customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, quality, innovation, and sustainability.

In this case, training is also proposed for tourism service providers in processes of formulation and execution of projects through courses and diplomas that strengthen the capacities of the sector in this area, including generic and specialized modules in the completion of the files of FONTUR, MinCiencias, and the Mga Adjusted General Methodology. It also proposes training as trainers in community tourism, taking advantage of new online platforms for training in the field.

To promote the professionalization of the sector, it is proposed to link certified tourist guides with RNT in force in undergraduate programs related to hospitality and tourism through scholarships. Furthermore, virtual fairs of higher studies in tourism, signing alliances and agreements for the management of scholarships for outstanding bachelors, tourist guides, professionals in the sector, and tourism service providers who exercise their activities in the District of Santa Marta, are other actions included in this program.

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Table 17. Program No. 11. Professionalization of the Sector actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Train 5% of people linked to the tourism sector in Bilingualism

People trained in bilingualism

%

0

5

People linked to technical training processes in tourism guidance

%

0

10

Medium term (2-6 years)

Trained tourism service providers

%

0

10

Medium term (2-6 years)

Trained tourism service providers

%

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Trained tourism service providers

%

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Professional tour guides linked to undergraduate programs

%

0

50

Medium term (2-6 years)

Virtual fairs held

number

0

5

Short term (1-2 years)

Link 10% of people identified as service providers or informal vendors in local Guidance training processes through the National Learning Service - SENA Train 10% of tourism service providers in training processes in quality, entrepreneurship, digital marketing, innovation, and design of tourism products.

Train 1% of tourism service providers in project formulation and execution through informal training actions Train and certify 1% of tourism service providers in community tourism Link 50% of professional tour guides in undergraduate programs related to hospitality, tourism, or catering through scholarships or financial support Carry out (5) virtual fairs of higher studies in tourism as a program to promote the development of local human resources in tourism

Deadline for action Medium term (2-6 years)

5.4.7. Innovation and New typologies of Tourism Through this program it is intended to promote innovation in the sector, as well as the development of management studies, research and innovation of tourism generating various service lines, publications, communication spaces, and discussion of the reality of tourism at the local, regional and national level, management of databases and statistics of the sector for the publication of reports and the provision of consulting services.

For this reason, the creation of the Tourism Thought Center of Santa Marta as an instance of research in innovation, analysis, and monitoring of growth, level of competitiveness, and development of tourism in the region is proposed. It will also promote the creation of a tourism research and development group to carry out studies in hospitality, tourism, and restaurants to generate knowledge and strategic and specialized information to guide the development of sustainable tourism, based on interdisciplinary and intersectoral tools and analysis and innovation and the implementation of new technologies.

It is proposed to give technical support to small tourism entrepreneurs to encourage the creation of virtual travel agencies (AVV) through the delivery of electronic stores, websites and training actions in social media strategies. Attendance should include courses in e-commerce, digital marketing, e-collection/payment systems, finance, and accounting.

Also, support for the formulation of research projects for sustainable tourism in Colombia, to be carried out by own actors of the sector and stakeholders within the science framework, technology, and innovation incentives.

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On the other hand, the program is oriented to developing other types of tourism that can be competitive, taking into account the vocation of the destination. In this case, coastal, maritime and inland water tourism strategies are proposed, adventure activities such as canyoning, diving, tubing, rafting, and assimilated activities that are practiced in coastal areas or inland waters; wellness and sports tourism to promote the development of proactive and lifestyle improvement activities such as gymnastics, Yoga, healthy eating, relaxation, personal care, among others; and business tourism, events, and meetings (MICE), as a strategy to increase the arrival of tourists and travelers to the city.

Table 18. Program No. 12. Innovation and New typologies of Tourism. actions Create and put into operation (1) Tourism Thinking Center through public-private partnership as an instance of research, innovation, analysis, and monitoring of the levels of competitiveness, innovation, and tourism development in the region Create (1) research group specialized in hotel, tourism, and catering matters to implement innovative strategies in the sectors Create (3) lines of research for the generation of knowledge and specialized strategic information for the development of sustainable tourism Technically assist (20) MSMEs for the creation of Virtual Travel Agencies – AVV Support the formulation of (5) research projects in sustainable tourism related to the implementation of new technologies and rural innovations Implement (1) strategy for the strengthening and regulation of coastal, maritime, and inland water tourism Design and implement (1) strategy for the promotion of wellness tourism and sports tourism Design and implement (1) program for the development of business tourism, events, and meetings (MICE)

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Tourist thinking center created and in operation

Number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

Research group set up

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Lines of research created

number

0

3

Medium term (2-6 years)

Technically assisted enterprises

Number

0

20

Medium term (2-6 years)

Projects for the implementation of new technologies and rural innovations formulated

Number

0

5

Short term (1-2 years)

Strategy implemented

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Strategy designed and implemented

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Program designed and implemented

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.5. COMMUNITY SOCIAL CAPITAL This Axis proposes the empowerment of local actors and indigenous or Afrodescendant communities, especially in rural areas where high levels of poverty are observed, to achieve independence and the strengthening of the rural economy, helping them to recover or strengthen their identity through the rescue of traditions or the construction of cultural and historical memory; implement social business models and the principles of the solidarity economy to generate support networks and independent local economies, which in addition to generating income, guarantee food sovereignty and community well-being.

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The axis contains the following programs:

3.3 Generation of Cooperation and Associativity

3.1 Strengthening the sense of community

3.2 Rescue and exaltation of traditions and cultural and historical memory

Figure 28. Axis No. 3 Community Social Capital Programs.

5.5.1. Strengthening the sense of community Some of the programs proposed to consolidate local rural economies are Communitybased Tourism, associativity, and the implementation of social business models. This program strengthens the sense of community in rural territories where these tools can be implemented.

It is then sought to generate feelings of trust, cooperation, and reciprocity among the community members so that social capital is strengthened and visions of the future, shared goals and objectives are established, fundamental elements for the success of any project that requires community work.

It will then be necessary to have a precise knowledge of the communities, to know their composition, the situation of their members, their knowledge, skills, capacities to have clarity about the training requirements or productive chains that could be achieved. It is also important to work hand in hand with the different communities to establish and monitoring any community-based tourism and /or cooperative tourism program and its contribution to endogenous development, to the generation of participatory ventures that contribute to the generation of employment and income, to the consolidation of destinations through differentiated, competitive and sustainable tourism products. The program must prioritize rural territories, minority groups, and victims of the armed conflict.

Table 19. Program No. 13. Strengthening the sense of community. actions

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Implement (1) program for the empowerment of local communities through community tourism

Program implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

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Execution of rural communities population census to establish its composition and the trades or tasks that each of the members can perform. This will be the basis for establishing the products that could be part of local productive chains.

Design and implement a program of activities to build trust between different actors in local rural communities Through the Rural and Community Tourism Committee, we encourage the creation of a shared future, vision, mission, and objectives in each of the communities where programs are implemented

Census carried out

number

0

1

Short Term (1-2 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Communities with shared visions

number

0

5

Short term (1-2 years)

5.5.2. Rescue and exaltation of traditions and cultural and historical memory This program seeks to advance actions for the recovery of cultural and historical memory and the promotion of the territory's identity from the recognition of its material and intangible heritage, its socialization and appropriation, and the strengthening of tourism by implementing tools related to intellectual property safeguard identity and heritage.

For the particular case of Santa Marta, the creation of two brands of origin for the Sierra Nevada and Minca respectively is formulated as a program to safeguard the cultural identity and heritage of the indigenous communities and peoples of the Sierra and generate additional income from the granting of trademark licenses by third parties. The brands must cover all products and services whose manifest origin corresponds to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the corregimiento of Minca. The trademark ownership will be granted to the cooperative, association, or organization designated by the consensus of the inhabitants of each sector. However, the rights of use will be administered by the District Institute of Tourism - INDETUR, and the resources generated by the concept of brand use will be assigned to the District Tourism Fund for reinvestment in tourism development projects in each of the aforementioned geographical areas.

It also proposes the design and standardization of thematic routes such as the Macondo Literary Route, the Ethnic Route, Coffee and Cocoa Route of the Sierra Nevada, the Riviera Tayrona Route, Bird Watching Route, the Teyuna Route, and the Historical Heritage Route, as tourist products that help to conserve and disseminate the cultural heritage of the territory. This action also includes the registration of collective marks that safeguard the integrity of the routes during their operation, which must be carried out in a standardized manner by the authorized agencies and establishments. The operation of the routes in the District of Santa Marta will work in a similar way to the franchise model, being the District Institute of Tourism - INDETUR, the entity in charge of its administration, promotion, and positioning and of establishing the rights of use of the brands of each route. To ensure the overall benefit of local communities, priority will be given to the use and inclusion of establishments and hiring guides and cultural managers originating from each host community.

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Table 20. Program No. 14. Rescue and glorification of traditions and cultural and historical memory. actions Improve and preliminary inventory of cultural heritage of the District to safeguard the heritage and raise public awareness of the importance for individual and collective identities, deepening the knowledge of indigenous peoples Register and implement (2) origin marks for the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Minca, respectively, as a strategy to safeguard the cultural identity and heritage of local communities Design and standardization of Thematic Routes through intellectual property strategies and product design Design and publish (1) booklet that collects the ancestral knowledge of indigenous communities and rural communities around the protection of natural capital

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Improved inventory

unit

1

1

Short Term (1-2 years)

Registered and implemented origin marks

number

0

2

Medium term (2-6 years)

Designed and standardized thematic routes

number

0

7

Medium term (2-6 years)

Booklet designed and published

number

0

1

Medium term (2-6 years)

5.5.3. Generation of Cooperation and Associativity This program aims to empower local communities so that, through cooperative and collaborative models, which in the medium term can be led and managed by the same community members, the strengthening of local economies and improving their income and well-being, in general, is achieved.

In this program, it is necessary to consolidate technical training processes focused on the needs and capacities of the members of the community, personalized advice to start working on social business models that are based on the local economy and achieve a good quality of the product, the services provision and the profitability of the business. At this point, it must be clear the allied entities that can help with the financing of the developed business ideas. In addition, especially, it must work on forming leaders who can strengthen the processes from the community itself and guarantee their functioning in the future.

In the case of Santa Marta, the creation of a multi-active tourism cooperative is proposed as a program for economic recovery, job creation, and social cohesion. This action seeks to organize and strengthen associations and cooperatives of small, medium, and microentrepreneurs in the tourism sector through support and technical assistance programs managed in coordination with the Government of Magdalena and entities of the territorial order. Also, the consolidation and strengthening of tourism promoters for the Rodadero, Taganga, Minca, and the Historical Center, as support organizations for Destination Management led by the District Institute of Tourism of Santa Marta - INDETUR. It is proposed the design and implementation of a program for the performance of enterprises based on the social business model that, as the case may be, establish production chains and rotation systems for the tourism services provision to strengthen local economies, focusing especially on projects of single-parent families, women in vulnerable situations, minority groups and victims of the armed conflict. Furthermore, this program must include a stage of monitoring and accompaniment to entrepreneurs for the identification of problems Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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that arise in the evolution of their business idea, to adapt the business and improve its competitiveness and profitability and the product to real customers and their needs (Minimum viable product for each unit) and another stage of transfer of good practices.

It also seeks to implement a program for incorporating agricultural products of organic origin generated by rural communities in the supply chain and supply of hotel and restaurant companies. This action seeks to guarantee food sovereignty and income generation for rural communities by integrating their products into the tourism value chain. In the same way, it proposes to reduce GHG greenhouse gas emissions from supply chains.

Table 21. Program No. 15. Generation of Cooperation and Associativity. actions Creation of a leadership and innovation school focused on training leaders in rural communities Create and implement a program for the implementation of enterprises based on the social business model that establishes productive chains and rotation systems to strengthen local economies, focusing especially on projects of single-parent families, women in vulnerable situations, minority groups, and victims of the armed conflict.

Create and put into operation (1) multi-active tourism cooperative as a strategy for economic reactivation, employment generation, and development of cooperatives.

Manage the restructuring and strengthening of (4) tourism promoters present in the Rodadero, Taganga, Minca, and Historic Center sectors Design and implement (1) program for the incorporation of local agricultural products into the supply chain and provision of hospitality and catering companies in the District

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Trained leaders

number

0

25

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Multi-active tourism cooperative created and in operation

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Tourism Promoters restructured and strengthened

number

0

4

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

5.6. TOURISM PROMOTION AND DESTINATION POSITIONING This Axis aims to achieve the positioning of Santa Marta as a sustainable tourism destination with an offer of services based on culture and natural capital; take advantage of the strengths of the destination to, in a participatory, coordinated, and articulated way with all the sector actors, consolidate the image of the District as a biodiverse destination and with great natural and human capital; do market intelligence to focus your advocacy efforts on the right market segments and help conserve and preserve valuable local heritage.

This axis has the following programs:

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4.3 City Brand Management

4.1 Market Research

4.2 Destination positioning in specialized markets

Figure 29. Programs of Axis No. 4 Tourism Promotion and Destination Positioning programs.

5.6.1. Market intelligence This program must establish the actions to be followed to obtain reliable and valuable information about the local visitor market (number of visitors, sociodemographic data, preferences, trends, etc.). Then, focus the promotion and communication efforts on what you want to show about the destination and on the correct market segments that help conserve and preserve the local heritage.

In Santa Marta, the creation of the Tourist Information Network is strategically proposed as a tool for the integration of the Tourist Control Points and the Tourist Information Points with the different tourist attractions. With this Network, it is intended first to provide key information to tourists, visitors, and locals about the different routes, plans, packages, and tourist products offered in the District by agencies and establishments accredited for the provision of tourist services; and second, collect information about visitors arriving at the destination through rapid surveys and other market research tools.

New tourist information points located at important points of tourist flow must be built and adecuaciónd through alliances and agreements with hotels, agencies, and tourist establishments that wish to be part of the Network.

Conduct and disseminate market intelligence studies that guide the development of specialized tourism products for specific segments with a particular interest in the enjoyment and conservation of natural capital (e.g., "sustainable" tourists). As well as implementing periodic satisfaction surveys to visitors through tourism information points, digital platforms, electronic applications or smart tourism tools.

Table 22. Program No.16. Market intelligence. actions

Indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Conduct and disseminate (3) market intelligence studies that guide the development of tourism products for specific segments

Market intelligence studies conducted and disseminated

number

0

3

Medium Term (2-6 years)

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Create and operate (1) tourist information network as a tool for the integration of control points and tourist information points Build or adapt (5) tourist information points through alliances and agreements with private sector companies to deliver information to visitors and Design and implement (1) program for the permanent measurement of the level of satisfaction to visitors through tourist information points

Tourist information network set up and running

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Tourist information points built or suitable

number

0

5

Short term (1-2 years)

Visitor satisfaction measurement program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.6.2. Positioning of the destination in specialized markets This program focuses on the execution of actions that guide the destination's positioning in the prioritized markets. For this, it is necessary to formulate plans or marketing documents through which these actions lead in a systemic, structured, and efficient way to the increase of visitors, to greater expenditure on local products or more extended and more active stays, this will depend on the approach that is applied in the design processes of marketing strategies.

In this case, Santa Marta must formulate and execute a marketing plan to promote sustainable tourism in Santa Marta, focused on high-value tourism products and customer segments responsible for the environment.

It is also proposed to design and disseminate the Official Tourist Guide of Santa Marta in digital and printed versions. Furthermore, integrate into national and international promotion campaigns a transversal message of sustainability to position Santa Marta as a sustainable tourist destination, responsible in relation to its communities and biodiversity, in the main source markets.

Develop and implement mechanisms for the sustainable promotion of destinations, adjusting the focus of campaigns to diversify demand, attract visitors in low seasons, promote less-visited attractions, encourage extended stays and stimulate new tourist routes in partnership with the private sector.

Design an instrument to monitor information on the remembrance and positioning of Santa Marta as a sustainable tourist destination in the main emitting countries.

Carry out marketing and promotion activities (e.g., press and familiarization trips, participation in fairs, sponsorships) focused on the sustainable offer of the country, in urban and rural areas, to position the destination in strategic source markets.

Table 23. Program No. 17. Positioning of the destination in specialized markets. actions Formulate and execute (1) marketing plan for the promotion of sustainable tourism in Santa Marta Design and disseminate (1) the Official tourist guide of Santa Marta in a digital and printed version Carry out (6) national and international promotion campaigns with transversal

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Marketing plan formulated and executed

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Official tourist guide of Santa Marta designed and disseminated

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Campaigns carried out

number

0

6

Short term (1-2 years)

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messages on the importance of sustainability in tourism Develop and implement mechanisms for the sustainable promotion of destinations to extend the stay times of tourists and stimulate the creation of new routes and sustainable tourism products Design (1) instrument to monitor information on the remembrance and positioning of Santa Marta as a sustainable tourist destination Participate in (3) fairs, congresses, symposia, or international tourism events to position the destination in strategic source markets Design (1) guide map of thematic tourist routes offered in the District

Sustainable advocacy mechanisms developed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Monitoring instrument designed

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Participation in international tourism fairs, congresses, seminars, or events

number

0

3

Short term (1-2 years)

Designed guide map

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.6.3. City Brand Management Understanding the term Place Branding as the management of the reputation of a territory, as an important tool to effectively locate a destination in the imagination of its potential visitors and as a tool that, for its success, and therefore the success of the destination, requires a long-term approach, the responsible and coherent action of those who use and promote it and the collaboration of all the actors of the destination, this program proposes actions to work or define this process. (Govers, 2020) For the case of Santa Marta and as mentioned above, the District Administration created the brand "Santa Marta Naturally Magical" in 2018 (See Figure 31). Despite the work done, the brand is not used by tourism providers; only public entities and some local organizations use it in their publications and events. For this reason, it is proposed that in the first place, the evaluation of the relevance of the brand is carried out, a survey to sector actors to establish the failures of this brand.

Considering the results, the Administration must define whether to update the brand and begin the process for the appropriation of this by the sector actors. It must also define collectively the image it wants to project in the different areas, how it wants to be seen as a destination, and as a place.

It is recommended to advance actions that show the activities carried out by the destination to achieve its image or brand; this requires articulation with the press managers of the Administration and the different decentralized entities. It is also proposed as a specific action and to consolidate the image of "sustainable" to postulate attractions, destinations, activities, and experiences of the tourist offer of the District that are implementing good sustainability practices in International Awards that recognize the most responsible and sustainable destinations and tourism practices and disseminate them as success stories.

Table 24. Program No. 18. Management of the City Brand.

Actions Evaluation of the relevance of the brand "Santa Marta Naturally Magic" Design and implementation of the campaign to define "corporate image" or city brand through

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Evaluation carried out

number

0

1

Campaign designed and implemented

number

0

1

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Deadline for action Short Term (1-2 years) Short Term (1-2 years)

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activities that ensure the participation of all stakeholders and residents Awareness campaign on the importance of this tool for positioning the destination and place among all the actors involved in the dissemination of official notes about the city Apply (3) attractions, destinations, or activities of the tourist offer in international awards that recognize responsible and sustainable tourist destinations and practices

Campaign designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Attractions, destinations, or activities nominated for global awards

number

0

3

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Figure 30. Logo brand city. Source: INDETUR (2020).

5.7. SUSTAINABILITY AND BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION. This Axis aims to ensure the incorporation of sustainability criteria in tourism planning and management processes, create conditions and incentives for the use of natural capital in the value-added proposition of tourism activity, the implementation of mitigation practices, control and compensation of adverse environmental impacts by entrepreneurs and actors associated with the value chain. Likewise, this axis has the objective of harmonizing the actions related to tourism sustainability proposed and implemented in the destination, with those proposed by the National Government in its Sustainable Tourism Policy since this Policy seeks to consolidate environmental sustainability and the conservation of natural capital, as pillars of tourism activity in the national territory.

The axis contains six programs:

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5.6 Creating sustainable and regenerative products

5.1 Tourism Environmental Performance Information System

5.2 Destination management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems

5.5 Raising awareness and changing worldview

5.4 Sustainable Tourism Quality

5.3 Adaptation to climate change

Figure 31. Axis No. 5 Sustainability and Biodiversity protection programs.

5.7.1. Tourism Environmental Performance Information System This program aims to implement actions that generate reliable environmental information with good availability for adequate decision-making processes and better management of tourism development. It is necessary to clarify the information available in the destination since, in many cases, the measurements related to the impacts of tourism on the destination are a task that until now begins. Therefore the necessary actions and mechanisms must be established to start the reports and follow-ups.

For example, in the present case, it is proposed to prepare a diagnostic study on the environmental footprint of the tourism sector in the District of Santa Marta, which establishes the baselines for (i) generation of GHG emissions; (ii) water consumption; (iii) energy consumption; (iv) solid waste generation; (v) generation of discharges and wastewater; (vi) water quality on beaches with a tourist vocation; and (vii) deterioration of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These data should be calculated by subsector or type of tourism service provider and should serve to set baselines and goals for mitigation, control, and compensation of environmental impacts, as well as activities aimed at achieving them.

It is proposed to start with measurements on impacts, resource use, and emission generation through indicators compatible with the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism to ensure that the information is comparable, relevant, and homogeneous with that produced worldwide. Also, the periodic realization of studies to determine the quality of sea waters in the main beaches with tourist vocation is a monitoring tool for measuring environmental impacts generated by tourism activities on the marinecoastal ecosystems of the District of Santa Marta.

A special follow-up is proposed to the effects that community tourism projects or tourism, in general, may cause on the ecosystems in which these activities are developed to identify possible changes and propose actions to counteract them.

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Implement a carbon calculator that allows tourism entrepreneurs to monitor, on regularly and disaggregated by subsector, progress in mitigating the contribution of tourism to climate change. The action must contemplate the execution of training and the familiarization of the service providers with the application.

Table 25. Program No. 19. Tourism Environmental Performance Information System.

Actions Carry out (1) diagnostic study on the environmental footprint of the tourism sector in the District of Santa Marta Design and implement indicators for measuring the impact of tourism on the natural environment based on the Common Statistical Framework for Measuring Tourism Sustainability Create (1) Network for community monitoring of ecosystems in which tourism activities are developed Implement (1) carbon calculator to measure progress in climate change mitigation

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Diagnostic study carried out

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Indicators designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Network for community monitoring of ecosystems created

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Carbon calculator implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

5.7.2. Destination Management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems This program aims to implement actions that promote the use of technical tools for the sustainable management of destinations and the gradual recovery and regeneration of areas and ecosystems that have suffered damage caused by tourism activity or the establishment of compensation mechanisms for damage caused to the environment the exercise of tourism. Programs for establishing tourist load capacities for areas requiring it, visitor flows, and seasonalization are part of this program.

For the particular case of Santa Marta, the formulation and implementation of the Management and Recovery Plan of the coastal area of Santa Marta focused on controlling coastal erosion that occurs in Bahía de Santa Marta, Playa Salguero, and Plenomar; Watersheds and riparian areas management plan for tourism use to avoid plugging pipes, deforestation, and sedimentation of water mirrors, including basic sanitation works to control wastewater discharges into water bodies and mitigate negative impacts generated by tourism activities. In addition, regenerative tourism campaigns are also proposed, at this time, through "tree plantations" for the restoration, rehabilitation, or recovery of affected ecosystems in the territory.

On the other hand, actions are proposed for the conservation and proper use of water resources, energy, natural capital. Concerning these objectives, the program contains activities focused on the destination, such as the design and implementation of the integrated water resource management plan to reduce the pressures generated on it and equitably maximize social and economic well-being without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems; the design and implementation of a sustainable protection plan for the natural protected areas of the District through the preservation of water bodies and especially the conservation of the ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, the marine-coastal zone and the riparian zone.

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It is proposed to develop plans that promote water conservation by the actors of the sector's value chain in areas that present water scarcity (in high seasons or throughout the year). These plans should encourage responsible practices using water resources and be accompanied by specific goals that ensure that tourism does not interfere with the supply of water availability to residents. Also, the structuring and execution of a program to reduce the water footprint generated by tourist activities, especially the segments of hotels and tourist accommodation. This program should be designed in coordination with the trade union organizations, INDETUR, and the environmental authorities of the Santa Martha District.

About the use of energy, it is proposed to design and implement a plan for the management of energy efficiency and reduction of the carbon footprint for the fulfillment of the goals of the 2030 agenda adopted through CONPES 3918 "Strategy for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Colombia". This action seeks to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas generation. (GHG) generated directly and indirectly by tourist establishments in the Santa Marta district; the implementation of a Plan for energy diversification and promotion of non-polluting energies that promotes migration to clean energy sources in the tourism sector companies in the District of Santa Marta; a plan for the renovation of electrical appliances and low-energy refrigeration equipment in the tourism sector, with emphasis on accommodation establishments, travel agencies, tour operators and tourist restaurants. The purpose of the action is to reduce the energy consumption of tourist establishments, generating medium-long-term savings for owners, contributing to reducing the carbon footprint generated by the sector.

Among the actions that seek to establish mechanisms for the compensation of the environmental footprint are the formulation, adoption, and implementation of a compensation program and payment for environmental services that tax the income or uses for commercial purposes, of strategic ecosystems, voluntary compensation schemes of the ecological footprint by visitors, or tourist services providers that operate in the attractions, the definition of guidelines of "rest" of the attractions and tourist destinations that have unique environmental values or that correspond to strategic ecosystems of national character contemplating the closure of beaches and strategic natural ecosystems of high traffic and tourist use.

It is necessary to generate and make available to the environmental authorities a register of natural areas with a tourist vocation available to make compensation for loss of biodiversity (forest use permits and environmental licenses) and adjust the applicable sanctioning regime when tourism service providers and actors associated with the value chain incur environmental infractions.

Table 26. Program No. 20. Destination Management and conservation and recovery of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Actions Formulate and implement (1) coastal zone management and recovery plan to prevent erosion and sedimentation Design and execute (1) management plan of watersheds and riparian areas for tourist use Design and implement (1) integrated water resource management plan as a strategy for its management and used in companies in the tourism sector

Indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Coastal zone management and recovery plan formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Long Term (610 years)

Watershed and riparian zone management plan designed and executed

number

0

1

Long Term (610 years)

Integrated water resource management plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

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Design and implement (1) district's sustainable protected area sustainable protection plan Implement (1) program for the updating and permanent review of studies of carrying capacity and environmental impacts on marinecoastal ecosystems derived from tourism Define and adopt restrictions regarding the use and consumption of single-use plastics on tourist beaches and strategic ecosystems Carry out (10) campaigns for the restoration, rehabilitation, or recovery of ecosystems affected by tourism activities Structure and execute (1) strategy for the reduction of the water footprint generated by tourism activities Design and implement (1) plan that promotes water conservation by actors in the tourism value chain Design and implement (1) energy efficiency management plan and reduction of the carbon footprint of the tourism sector Design and implement (1) energy diversification plan for the promotion of renewable and nonpolluting energies in the tourism sector Design and implement (1) plan for the renovation of non-energyefficient electrical and refrigeration equipment Design and implement (1) Plan of care of the ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada Formulate and implement (1) compensation and payment program for environmental services Adopt and implement technical guidelines to define voluntary compensation schemes for the environmental footprint by visitors and tourism service providers Define guidelines for the "rest" of the attractions and tourist destinations of nature of high strategic importance Make (1) database of natural areas with tourist vocation available to make compensation for loss of biodiversity Strengthen the district sanctioning regime for environmental infractions

Sustainable protection plan for protected areas designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Defined and adopted restrictions on the use of single-use plastics

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Campaigns carried out

number

0

10

Short term (1-2 years)

Structured and executed strategy

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Water conservation promotion plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Energy efficiency management plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Energy diversification plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Electrical equipment renovation plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Ecosystem care plan designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Payment for environmental services program formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Technical guidelines adopted and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Rest guidelines for defined nature attractions

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Database made

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

strengthened environmental sanctioning regime

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

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5.7.3. Adaptation to climate change The program aims to incorporate guidelines for mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the processes of management of tourism activities, design and diversification of the tourism product, tourism security and in the services provided and operations carried out in the different types of tourism (in particular in those most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change).

For this, we must begin with a diagnostic study on the consequences of climate change on the management and tourism offer of the destination, with particular emphasis on tourism activities that are developed in strategic ecosystems of the country (high mountains, moorland, beaches, coral reefs, mangroves, and flood zones) and types of tourism highly dependent on climatic conditions and the integrity of ecosystems (e.g., adventure tourism), sun and beach tourism, agrotourism, scientific tourism, aqua tourism).

It proposes the generation and compilation of strategic information for identifying hazards, analysis of risks and vulnerabilities of the destination that may generate emergencies. As well as the formulation, adoption, and implementation of the Attention of Emergencies and Contingencies derived from the tourist activities Plan. To this end, a detailed diagnosis must be made of the risks identified, delimiting specific actions for their time management, as well as the competencies, responsibilities, and actors involved in the care of emergencies in the event of their materialization.

This program proposes the incorporation of environmental criteria and prevention of damage to natural capital in the Risk Management System of the tourism sector to generate capacities to face environmental situations that can negatively impact tourism development of attractions and destinations, the provision of services to travelers and the economic sustainability of the tourism industry in the Santa Martha District.

Table 27. Program No. 21. Adaptation to climate change. actions Incorporate climate change mitigation and adaptation guidelines applicable to tourism product planning and design processes Carry out (1) diagnostic study on the consequences of climate change on the management and tourist offer of destinations Implement (3) pilot projects to adapt the tourist offer to climate change with emphasis on high mountain destinations and tourist attractions Design and implement (1) matrix of hazard identification, analysis of risks and vulnerabilities that may generate emergencies related to the exercise of tourism activities Formulate and adopt (1) emergency response plan and contingencies arising from tourism activities Form (13) brigades for the attention of emergencies in the tourist corridors of nature

indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Climate change mitigation and adaptation guidelines incorporated

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Diagnostic study carried out

Number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Pilot change adaptation projects implemented

Number

0

1

Long Term (610 years)

Hazard identification matrix designed and implemented

Number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Emergency and contingency response plan formulated and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Emergency response brigades formed

number

0

13

Medium Term (2-6 years)

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5.7.4. Sustainable Tourism Quality This program aims to carry out actions that improve the quality of the tourism services provision and the implementation of national sectoral technical standards, quality certifications, and the destination sustainability and its actors. It includes programs for the Accompaniment and advice in implementing the NTS for tourism service providers that require it, actions to achieve the certification of the destination, or a specific area of it, as sustainable. To achieve these certifications, aspects such as environmental conservation criteria, adequate management of water resources, mitigation of harmful environmental impacts generated by dumping, pollution by solid waste, and the use of marine-coastal ecosystems, among others, must be worked on. Alliances and agreements must be reached with national and international entities to finance actions and/or support in their execution.

In this specific case, certifications are proposed for the beaches of Taganga, Bahía de Santa Marta, Rodadero, and Costa Brava in the Sectoral Technical Standard NTS-TS-001-2.

The Beaches certification, the Piscinita, the Swimming Pool, Playa del Muerto (Cristal), Playa Grande, and Playa Blanca in the international standard Blue Flag. Minca's certification in the Sectoral Technical Standard NTS-TS-001-1. The certification of Santa Marta as a Sustainable Tourism Destination according to standards of the brand "Biosphere Responsible Tourism" recognizes the competitiveness of the tourism sector in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Charter for Sustainable Tourism +20, and the guidelines of the Paris Climate Summit.

It is also proposed to promote the certification of tourism services providers in quality through the Tourism Quality Seal of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism MinCit and their accreditation in strategies for the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents - ESCNNA through courses and training given by entities and agencies accredited for certification in the matter.

Other actions aimed at promoting and improving the quality of the destination are the creation of the Santa Marta District Tourist Operation Card, as a tool for quality assurance in the offer of services and as a means of verifying the service providers suitability; the creation of the inspectors body of quality and tourism sustainability as a support team for the verification and monitoring of compliance with the Sectoral Technical Standards in the tourist establishments of the District; the creation of the incentive and recognition plan, as a stimulus for the strengthening of quality, sustainability, and excellence in the tourism services provision.

It also provides for the creation of the order of tourist merit, the medal for quality and good service, as well as recognitions in environmental excellence and tourism sustainability; and the creation and formalization of the Certification and Standardization Committee as a technical advisory body for the implementation of certifications and standards for the assurance of tourism quality in destinations, attractions, and tourist establishments. The committee will also evaluate the delivery of recognitions, medals and incentives to companies and individuals that excel in the tourism services provision.

Table 28. Program No. 22. Sustainable Tourism Quality.

Actions

Indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Certify (4) beaches in the sectoral technical standard NTS-TS-001-2 to ensure the sustainable use of water resources and the mitigation of environmental impacts generated by tourism activities

Beaches certified in NTS-TS001-2

number

0

4

Medium Term (2-6 years)

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Certify and recognize (5) beaches in Blue Flag standards to ensure the sustainable use of the tourist resource Implement and certify Minca in the sectoral technical standard NTS-TS-001-1 to ensure the sustainable use of ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural capital Certify Santa Marta as a sustainable tourist destination according to standards of the brand "Biosphere Responsible Tourism" Promote the certification of (100) companies in the tourism quality seal of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism Train and certify (120) tourism service providers in the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents – ESCNNA Carry out (10) training days for tourism service providers to encourage the reduction of solid waste generation in nature tourism attractions Create and adopt (1) District Tourist Operation Card as a tool for quality assurance in the offer and providers of tourism services Create and operate (1) group of tourism quality and sustainability inspectors to support the verification of compliance with sectoral technical standards in tourist establishments Create (1) incentive and recognition plan for the promotion of quality, sustainability, and excellence in the provision of tourism services Create and operate (1) certification and standardization committee for tourism quality and sustainability

Beaches certified and recognized in the Blue Flag certification standard

number

0

5

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Minca Implementation and Certification on NTS-TS001-1

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Certification "Biosphere responsible tourism" implemented in the destination

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Companies certified in tourist quality seal

number

0

100

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Trained tourism service providers

number

0

120

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Training days held

number

0

10

Short term (1-2 years)

Tourist operation card created and adopted

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Group of quality and sustainability inspectors set up and running

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Incentive and recognition plan created

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Certification and Standardization Committee set up and running

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

5.7.5. Raising awareness and changing worldviews The program consists of formulating actions that seek awareness, training, and appropriation of sustainability criteria and content by local entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs.

It also includes measures to raise awareness among travelers about the environmental impacts caused by their consumption habits and behaviors in destinations.

Develop actions or awareness campaigns aimed at local communities and residents, entrepreneurs, and tourism service providers about the environmental impacts of their actions; generate spaces for dialogue with ethnic communities and indigenous peoples to develop a strategy to strengthen sustainability in the territories under their jurisdiction; implement socialization campaigns among entrepreneurs and actors associated with the tourism value chain about mechanisms of access to tax benefits for investments in (i) renewable and non-conventional energy sources; (ii) environmental control and improvement Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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(e.g., improvement of discharge quality, efficient use of energy or water); and iii) science, technology, and innovation, are some of the actions formulated for Santa Marta.

Strengthen the contents and data of the sustainable tourism offer in the existing tourism applications and the official pages for the country's tourism promotion, including those of ProColombia, FONTUR, and Santa Marta Vital.

Create incentives, campaigns, and special activities for the reduction of the carbon footprint generated by travelers in destinations, as well as to apply "leave no trace" practices and offer voluntary compensation mechanisms for their environmental footprint; adopt the traveler's code of ethics and design mass communication actions to disseminate it; promote, with the support of airlines, agencies, establishments, and competent authorities, the signing of a symbolic ecological commitment that is requested from tourists when entering the destinations or tourist attractions of the District, it can motivate them to comply with environmental responsibility actions; theses are some activities proposed to ensure that visitors to Santa Marta reduce their environmental impact and contribute to the destination conservation.

Develop an awareness campaign aimed at travelers about the sustainability seals applicable in Colombia and their differential values to promote their preference for certified companies and destinations.

In addition to the above for the case of Santa Marta, it is proposed to deepen in processes of awareness and solution of problems, the development of social innovation processes with emphasis on the resolution of local sustainability problems and the mitigation of impacts derived from tourism in the communities.

What is done well must be disseminated and recognized, so it is proposed to design and implement a dissemination strategy of the initiatives of tourism service providers in terms of conservation, restoration, and preservation of threatened species and their related ecosystems.

It is also proposed to develop a strategy for disseminating the alternatives that companies in the tourism sector can implement to invest profitably in renewable energy sources and close gaps between actors in energy efficiency (e.g., Power Purchase Agreements), electronic applications, or smart tourism tools.

Table 29. Program No. 23. Awareness and change of worldview. actions Conduct (10) training days for local communities on the importance of sustainable tourism for the conservation of natural capital Design and implement (1) strategy to strengthen the sustainability of territories under the jurisdiction of ethnic communities and indigenous peoples Create and implement (1) a socialization plan of the mechanisms of access to tax benefits derived from investments in renewable energy sources, environmental improvement, and efficient use of water and energy.

Carry out (3) environmental impact awareness campaigns for tourists and service providers

Indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Deadline for action

Training days held

number

0

10

Short term (1-2 years)

Strategy designed and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Tax benefits socialization plan created and implemented

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Campaigns carried out

number

0

3

Short term (1-2 years)

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Strengthen content and data of the sustainable tourism offer in the District in the applications and tourist information systems available Create incentives, campaigns, and special activities for the reduction of the carbon footprint generated by travelers in destinations Adopt (1) traveler's code of ethics and design mass communication actions for the responsible and conscious use of the destination's tourist sites and attractions Design and implement (1) program for the subscription of symbolic ecological commitment between visitors and the destination for compliance with the rules and measures of environmental sustainability implemented Carry out (4) awareness campaigns on the sustainability seals applicable in Colombia and their importance for the conservation of ecosystems Promote the development of (5) social innovation projects, with emphasis on the solution of sustainability problems in tourist destinations and the mitigation of environmental impacts in nature areas Design and implement (1) dissemination strategy for initiatives in the field of conservation, restoration, and preservation of threatened species and their related ecosystems Create and implement (1) strategy for the dissemination of alternatives and good practices for water conservation, energy management, solid waste management, and reduction of GHG emissions that can be implemented by companies in the tourism sector in the region

Contents and data of the tourist offer strengthened

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Incentives, campaigns, and special activities created

number

0

5

Short term (1-2 years)

Code of ethics adopted and disseminated

number

0

1

Short term (1-2 years)

Program designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Campaigns carried out

number

0

4

Short term (1-2 years)

Social innovation projects promoted

number

0

5

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Strategy designed and implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

Strategy implemented

number

0

1

Medium Term (2-6 years)

5.7.6. Creating sustainable and regenerative products This program seeks to support the design and promotion of sustainable and regenerative tourism products. Products that exalt the biodiversity of the territories, based on the identification of the endemic components of the territory, and that help to manage the seasonality of attractions and destinations, to avoid saturation and mass tourism, as well as pressures that generate risks for the environment, natural resources and/or tourism infrastructure; tourism products and innovative experiences that add to the country's tourism offer, where travelers contribute to the conservation of the environmental values of the destinations and act as agents of change for the communities they visit.

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Table 30. Program No. 24. Creation of sustainable and regenerative products. actions

Indicator

Unit of measure

Baseline (2021)

Goal to 2030

Design (6) tourism products based on the biodiversity of the territories

Designed tourism products

number

0

6

Design and implement (1) strategy for the seasonalization of tourism

Strategy designed and implemented

number

0

1

Design (6) tourism products focused on the conservation of the environmental values of the destinations

Designed tourism products

number

0

6

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Deadline for action Medium Term (2-6 years) Short term (1-2 years) Medium Term (2-6 years)

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6. CONCLUSIONS After the different analyzes carried out within this research work, it can be concluded that the structural problems of the territory related to poverty, the lack of education, and diversification of the economy directly and negatively affect the competitiveness levels of the District.

After studying the different development approaches applied in Latin American regions and their limitations, it can also be said that poor economic growth, or poor development of economic sectors, limits the generation of wealth and capital and jobs needed to reduce unemployment rates, labor informality, and inequalities. In other words, this can be a clear example of the phenomenon called the vicious circle of poverty, in which the interaction of all mentioned factors promotes the stagnation of development (Martinez Piva, 1998) and competitiveness. Therefore, it can be concluded that in effect hypothesis 1 that cites “The low tourism competitiveness level of the District of Santa Marta is a direct cause of the local structural problems related to monetary and multidimensional poverty, the low educational achievement of the population, and the low level of economic development and diversification. Those factors have generated high unemployment and social inequality levels, and their impacts are reflected in the predominance of informality and the lack of diversification in tourism services and products. ”,

describes the District situation.

However, the analysis carried out shows that in addition to the previously mentioned aspects, the lack of tourist infrastructure and roads to ensure the connectivity of tourist attractions with the urban area and vice versa, the low investment in tourism planning and ordering processes, the low Compliance with tourism regulations by tourism service providers and the irresponsible use of natural capital are also primary causes of the low level of tourism competitiveness in the District of Santa Marta. All these aspects denote limitations and failures in the regional development and planning processes since they affect the development of tourism and affect the well-being of the community in general. This suggests that its solution does not only depend on adequate tourism planning. Solving local problems will require joint work and articulating all interested agencies, entities, agencies, and actors, which imposes a great responsibility on the local and regional governance process.

On the other hand, the exercise carried out effectively concludes in formulating a strategic tourism planning model, which has two transversal strategic axes that are the basis for the integral development of tourism in any destination: Governance and Sustainability.

This model confirms our hypothesis 2 since precisely the destination's current situation is the basis of the proposed model.

By complying with this thesis´ specific objectives that proposed the elaboration of the diagnosis of the current state of the tourist sector of the District, the study of the main norms, policies, and plans that govern the activity, the analysis of the stakeholders and main actors of the chain of tourism value and being clear about the situation of the tourism sector at the national level, it was possible to obtain a much more detailed understanding of tourism and therefore, to the approach of more articulated actions and with the holistic approach that the complexity of the sector requires.

Likewise, conducting participatory exercises with tourism service providers and members of the value chain led to a deep understanding of the endogenous aspects of the system, helping to formulate bottom-up actions that can then provide real solutions to the main needs and actor problems.

In addition, the analysis of the case, destination problems, weaknesses, and threats helped us to define the structure of the model and the strategic axes or lines that make it up, Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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ensuring that each of the lines and programs focuses on solving any problem and weakness identified: Table 31. Axes and problems to be solved. axis

1. Tourism Governance

2. Integral Development for Competitiveness

3. Community Social Capital 4. Tourism promotion and destination positioning

5. Sustainability and biodiversity protection

Problematic to be solved Lack of articulation between the internal dependencies of the Administration for the implementation of plans, programs, and projects related to tourist activities and attractions Lack of articulation between the public and private sectors for the formulation and implementation of policies and plans aimed at the destination's sustainable tourism development.

Low level of citizen participation in the formulation of policies and sector plans related to tourism Weakness in the articulation between the tourism sector and environmental authorities Low level of technical skills, resources, and specialized personnel for sustainable tourism management of the territory Low allocation of public investment resources for tourism development Lack of reliable information to guide decision-making for the sustainable development of tourism in the District.

Lack of tourist infrastructure and roads to ensure the connectivity of tourist attractions with the urban area and vice versa, Low investment in tourism planning and management processes High levels of labor informality and in the provision of tourist services affect the quality of the service and, therefore the satisfaction of travelers Lack of diversification and innovation in the tourism offer High levels of poverty among local tourism actors and indigenous or Afro-descendant communities, especially in rural areas High levels of social inequality and monetary poverty Weakness and lack of participation of vulnerable communities in the tourist offer Low Santa Marta´s positioning as a sustainable tourism destination Unrepresentative dependence on external tourist information that leads to poor decisionmaking or outside the local and regional context Weakness in the incorporation of sustainability criteria in tourism planning and management processes Insufficient conditions and incentives for the use of natural capital in the value-added proposal of tourism activity Lack of mitigation, control and compensation practices for negative environmental impacts by entrepreneurs and actors associated with the value chain Irresponsible travelers´ behavior and consumption Little compliance and implementation of national policies on sustainable tourism and conservation of natural capital for the use of natural capital in tourism activities Overuse and deterioration of nature tourist attractions

Additionally, in the study of successful cases of tourism planning, such as the case of the Spanish municipality L'Estartit analyzed in the subject of Regional Tourism Planning of the Master (OSTELEA Tourism Management School, 2020), it can be observed how wellplanned tourism, With a vision of the future shared among all the actors in the territory, it contributes to the integral improvement of the destination, but its development requires the commitment and leadership of the Public Administration. Therefore, success also depends on the ability of the Administration to achieve articulation between the various actors and, logically, on the availability of resources for the execution of planned actions, elements well exposed in L'Estartit.

Therefore, it can be concluded that, in theory, the actions proposed to strengthen Governance processes in all aspects that define it, taking into account the concept of the UNWTO studied in the theoretical framework, should promote the strengthening of tourism.

Likewise, the actions whose objective is the implementation of sustainability in the tourism Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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value chain or the provision of tourism services and products designed and provided under sustainability principles consolidate the competitiveness and responsible growth of the sector.

However, we must be clear that if a strategic tourism plan is adopted in the Santa Marta District based on this tourism planning model, it cannot be guaranteed that the tourism situation will improve since this will depend on the work that forward the District Administration and the resources it allocates for this purpose, as already mentioned.

Therefore, it is crucial to offer options for the financing of a possible strategic tourism plan. That is why alternatives such as the Proturismo Stamp and the Tourist Tax were proposed, which can generate part of the resources necessary to execute the proposed actions, although they may not be popular. The adoption of these collection mechanisms will imply a significant effort for those affected by them. Contractors in the stamp and hoteliers and visitors in the Tourism Tax will oppose the measures, and a great work of conciliation and awareness will be necessary to make them help with the process. Likewise, for the creation of Tourist Control Points, conciliation and awareness will be required with the communities that inhabit the areas where the Points are projected.

Other vital aspects are, in the first place, the training of the formulators and executors of the actions, which is why a training program is proposed aimed at INDETUR officials trying to cover all important issues so that they can fulfill their functions of acceptable form, and, secondly, the monitoring and follow-up of the results of the proposed actions. Only through careful monitoring will it be possible to establish whether the proposed actions led to the integral development of the sector.

Thus, it can be affirmed that the District's situation gave many bases to build an adequate and viable planning model in theory. In practice, its effectiveness will depend on the execution and will of the District Administration and the tourism stakeholders.

Finally, what is straightforward and can be seen in some practical cases is that by achieving consolidation of actions that empower local actors, indigenous or Afro-descendant communities, that strengthen local economies, that consolidate support networks and production chains based on Local products that facilitate the arrival of visitors to the points where they are located, will generate income and work for these communities, helping them to achieve better levels of well-being and life and their independence from the urban economy. We hope that any public and/or private actor will carry out these actions to start giving better opportunities to people who need it so much and who, for different reasons, have not managed to access the level of well-being and tranquility that we all deserve.

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7. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Despite the efforts made and as occurs in all research works, this work has had various limitations that may at the same time be possible lines of the future with which to improve what has been done and advance in future studies.

The most relevant limitations are presented below: • Initially, the participation of members of indigenous peoples was considered. Still, it was not possible due to the restrictions of their traditional authorities given the pandemic, so it will be possible in the future to specify other actions related to these communities in this model. However, programs that include them are proposed; it will be necessary to determine them with their participation and considerations.

• It was planned to carry out an online survey to characterize the Providers of Tourism Services to better understand their conformation and work capacity by this means. However, there was difficulty filling out surveys by providers, only 270 out of 2,000 were received, and most of them were very poorly completed. In addition, there was difficulty in collecting data by electronic means in rural areas, so it was not possible to include a representative sample of the tourist corridors of Guachaca, Don Diego, Bonda, nor of the indigenous reservations.

The previous shows the lack of skills to use digital tools and their interest in participation processes, so it will be necessary to gain their trust for the joint work required by developing tourism and addition for rural communities, internet connection options.

• Really, the lack of reliable statistics that are prepared and published periodically and constantly makes the monitoring processes challenging to carry out and not very accurate, so it will be a process that will need special attention in the execution of the future plan.

Despite everything, the work continues on the ground as the team members continue to develop tourism in Santa Marta with dedication and commitment. Therefore, the strategic tourism planning model will continue to be developed for its future and possible implementation by adopting a Strategic Tourism Plan for the District of Santa Marta 20222031.

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8. REFERENCES Alcaldía de Santa Marta. (2016). Plan Santa Marta 500 años. Obtenido de Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta D.T.C.H.: https://www.santamarta.gov.co/plan-santa-marta-500 Alcaldía de Santa Marta. (2020). Plan de Desarrollo Distrital 2020-2023. Obtenido de Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta D.T.C.H.: https://www.santamarta.gov.co/portal/archivos/documentos/transparencia/2020/PDD/ COMPONENTE_ESTRATÉGICO_PDD_2020-2023.pdf Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta. (2019). Informe de Desarrollo y Competitividad Santa Marta 2019. Obtenido de Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico y Competitividad.

Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta. (2020). Expediente territorial 2018. Densidad Poblacional.

Obtenido de Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial Santa Marta 2020 - 2032: https://www.santamarta.gov.co/sites/default/files/expedienteterritorial_4.pdf Boisier, S. (2006). América Latina en un medio siglo (1950/2000): el desarrollo, ¿donde estuvo? Investigaciones Regionales, 145-167. Obtenido de https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5017295_AMERICA_LATINA_EN_UN_M EDIO_SIGLO_19502000_EL_DESARROLLO_DONDE_ESTUVO Caracol Radio. (2020). Santa Marta celebra aumento del 19% en la visita de cruceros.

Obtenido de https://caracol.com.co/emisora/2020/01/10/santa_marta/1578652000_131947.html CITUR - MinCIT. (2017). Muestra de formalidad e informalidad en el departamento de MAGDALENA. Obtenido de citur.gov.co: http://www.citur.gov.co/estadisticas/departamental/mastersample_dpto/47#gsc.tab=0 CITUR - MinCit. (2020). Información estadística regional por Departamentos de Colombia.

Obtenido de Citur.gov.co: http://www.citur.gov.co/estadisticas/departamental#gsc.tab=0 Cook, R. A., Taylor, L. L., & Hsu, C. (2018). Tourism: The business of hospitality and travel (Sixth edition., global edition). Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

CPTUR. (2019). Índices de competitividad turística regional de Colombia - ICTRC. Obtenido de Ciudades Capitales y municipios con vocación turística 2019 - Centro de Pensamiento Turístico de Colombia: https://cptur.org/publicaciones/WY1JVgF5v6ArxSW Cuervo Garcia, A. (1975). La planificación en el proceso de decisión de la empresa. Revista de Economía Política, 141-189. Obtenido de http://www.cepc.gob.es/publicaciones/revistas/fondohistorico?IDR=11&IDN=976&IDA=31798 DANE. (2018). Gran encuesta integrada de hogares (GEIH). Trimetre móvil, Ene - Mar 2018 a Nov - Ene . Obtenido de https://sitios.dane.gov.co/visor-geih/#/visor DANE. (2019). Variaciones nominales de la incidencia de la pobreza monetaria 2018 - 2019.

Departamento del Magdalena. Obtenido de Incidencia de la pobreza monetaria 2020: https://dane.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=95c7c093a076433d8 4e5c07f8f4c2824 DANE. (Diciembre de 2020). La información del DANE en la toma de decisiones regionales.

Obtenido de Información estadística desagregada con enfoque territorial y diferencial: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/planes-departamentosciudades/201216-InfoDane-Magdalena-Santa-Marta.pdf Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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DANE. (9 de octubre de 2020). Proyecciones y retroproyecciones de población nacional para el periodo 1950-2017 y 2018-2070 con base en el CNPV 2018. Obtenido de Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018 - Colombia: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/censo2018/proyecciones-de-poblacion/Nacional/anexoproyecciones-poblacion-NacionalArea2018_2070.xlsx DANE. (Enero de 2021). Indicadores del Mercado Laboral. Obtenido de Trimestre móvil: octubre 2020 - Diciembre 2020 : https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/boletines/ech/ech/Presentaciones_oct_2 0_dic_2020.zip DANE. (Enero de 2021). Mercado Laboral. Santa Marta Noviembre 2020 - enero 2021.

Obtenido de Información enero 2021: https://www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/boletines/ech/ech/Presentaciones_nov_ 20_ene_2021.zip De Mattos, C. (1984). Paradigmas, modelos y estrategias en la práctica latinoamericana de planificación regional. CEPAL - Programa de Capacitación. Obtenido de https://repositorio.cepal.org/handle/11362/33147 Di Terlizzi, J., & Casas, M. (2015). Colombia: A revolution in infrastructure. Obtenido de IFLR1000: https://www.iflr1000.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Colombia-A-revolution-ininfrastructure/Index/3235 Díez, J. I. (2004). Transformaciones en la gestión municipal: el caso latinoamericano.

Instituto de Economía Universidad Nacional del Sur. Obtenido de http://www.economiayregion.com.ar/pdf/documento%20de%20trabajo-JDIEZ.pdf Díez, J. I., & Gutierrez, R. (2008). La transformación de las políticas de desarrollo económico: De la planificación del Estado Nacional a la gestión de iniciativas locales.

Revista de Estudios Regionales, 111-142. Obtenido de https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46486749_La_transformacion_de_las_politi cas_de_desarrollo_economico_De_la_planificacion_del_Estado_Nacional_a_la_gesti on_de_iniciativas_locales Díez, J. I., Gutierrez, R., & Pazzi, A. (2014). ¿De arriba hacia abajo o de abajo hacia arriba?

Un análisis crítico de la planificación del desarrollo en América Latina.

Geopolítica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder, 199-235. Obtenido de https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_GEOP.2013.v4.n2.41460 Dirección General Marítima. (2021). Jurisdicción. Obtenido de dimar.mil.co: https://www.dimar.mil.co/jurisdiccion Duran, C. (2013). Governance for the Tourism Sector and its Measurement. UNWTO Statistics and TSA Issue Paper Series STSA/IP/2013/01. doi:https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284415632 Durston, J. (2002). El Capital Social Campesino en la Gestión del Desarrollo Rural. CEPAL. Obtenido de https://www.flacsoandes.edu.ec/sites/default/files/agora/files/1252000579.durston_ca pital_social_campesino_0.pdf El Heraldo. (Enero de 2021). Santa Marta, destino preferido de turistas en la pandemia.

Obtenido de Magdalena: https://www.elheraldo.co/magdalena/santa-marta-destinopreferido-de-turistas-en-la-pandemia-786719

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EUROJET S.A.S. (2019). Estudio de mercado - Proyecto Jet Boat Santa Marta. Obtenido de Agencia operadora de turismo: https://1drv.ms/x/s!AnKhju4f9QK_qgOFLjEBsxDY_MI6?e=G6lfiG FONTUR. (Diciembre de 2020). Base de datos de prestadores de servicios turísticos diciembre 2020. Obtenido de Registro Nacional de Turismo de Colombia - RNT. FONTUR. (2020). Base de datos PST - Santa Marta RNT 2020. Segmentación por empresas activas en el Registro Nacional de Turismo.

Garofoli, G. (1995). Desarrollo económico, organización de la producción y territorio.

Desarrollo Económico Local en Europa, 53-71. Obtenido de http://www.yorku.ca/ishd/CUBA.LIBRO.06/DEL/CAPITULO10.pdf Govers, R. (2020). Imaginative Communities. Govers VOF. INDETUR. (Octubre de 2020). Informe de Gestión - Octubre 2020. Plan de Recuperación económica del sector turismo. Santa Marta: Instituto Distrital de Turismo. Obtenido de Plan de recuperación de la actividad turística.

INDETUR. (2020). Metodología para la apertura segura de playas. Santa Marta: Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta D.T.C.H. Invest in Santa Marta. (N.d.). Sobre Santa Marta. Obtenido de https://www.investinsantamarta.org/conozca-santa-marta/ Martinez Piva, J. M. (1998). PROCESOS ACUMULATIVOS Y DESARROLLO: DE MYRDAL A PORTER. Economía y Sociedad, 49-58. Obtenido de https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277861051_PROCESOS_ACUMULATIVO S_Y_DESARROLLO_DE_MYRDAL_A_PORTER Meisel-Roca, A., & Ricciulli-Marin, D. (2018). La pobreza en Santa Marta: Los Estragos del Bien. Documentos de trabajo sobre economía regional y urbana, Banco de la República de Colombia. Cartagena: Centro de Estudios Económicos Regionales (CEER). Retrieved from Documento de trabajo sobre economía regional y urbana.

Banco de la República de Colombia: https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/bitstream/handle/20.500.12134/9184/dtser_266.pdf;j sessionid=D4EB18DC7344952FC62BFFE7A02586DF?sequence=5 Mincit - Procolombia. (2020). Política de Turismo Sostenible: Unidos por la Naturaleza.

Obtenido de Mincit.gov.co: https://www.mincit.gov.co/minturismo/calidad-ydesarrollo-sostenible/politicas-del-sector-turismo/politica-de-turismosostenible/resumen-ejecutivo-politica-de-turismo-sostenible.aspx MinComercio. (2012). Diagnóstico Turismo de Naturaleza en Colombia. Obtenido de colombiaproductiva.com: https://www.colombiaproductiva.com/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=56e56497-881d41f6-b23c-4df2d0685f6b MinCultura-Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta. (2019). Inventario Preliminar de Patrimonio Cultural del DTHC de Santa Marta. Obtenido de Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta: https://www.santamarta.gov.co/documentos/disponible-inventario-preliminar-delpatrimonio-cultural-del-distrito Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Comercio. (2018). PLAN SECTORIAL DE TURISMO 2018 – 2022 “TURISMO: EL PROPÓSITO QUE NOS UNE” . Obtenido de Mincit.gov.co: https://www.mincit.gov.co/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=2ca4ebd71acd-44f9-9978-4c826bab5013 Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Comercio. (2021). Funciones del Viceministerio.

Obtenido de Mincit.gov.co: https://www.mincit.gov.co/minturismo/viceministerio Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo. (2020). Reporte Estadistico a Corte de Junio .

Bogota: MINCIT. Myrdal, G. (1957). Economic Theory and Underdeveloped Regions. London : G. Duckworth.

Norberg-Hodge, H. (2019). El Futuro es Local Pasos hacia una Economía de la Felicidad.

Barcelona: Pol-len Edicions.

OCDE. (2019). Estudios Económicos de la OCDE Colombia. Obtenido de OCDE: https://www.oecd.org/economy/surveys/Colombia-2019-OECD-economic-surveyoverview-spanish.pdf Organización Mundial del Turismo y Organización de los Estados Americanos. (2018). El turismo y los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible – Buenas prácticas en las Américas.

Madrid: OMT. Obtenido de Organización munidal del turismo: https://www.eunwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284419937 OSTELEA Tourism Management School. (2020). Master in Sustainable Tourism Destinations and Regional Tourism Planning. Obtenido de Masters Universitarios: https://www.ostelea.com/programas/masters-universitarios-en-turismo/master-insustainable-tourism-management-of-resources-and-destinations Ostelea, Tourism Management School. (2020). Tourism and leisure as territorial development strategies.

Paelinck, J. (1963). La Teoria del Desarrollo Regional Polarizado. Revista de Economía Latinoamericana No 9.

Saarinen, J., Rogerson, C., & Hall, M. (2017). Geographies of tourism development and planning. Tourism Geographies, 307-317. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2017.1307442 Saporiti de Baldrich, P. A. (2006). Turismo y desarrollo económico. Documento de trabajo No. 4 del Departamento de Economía de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Económicas de la Universidad Católica Argentina. Buenos Aires: Universidad Católica Argentina. Obtenido de https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/bitstream/123456789/2391/1/turismo-y-desarrolloeconomico.pdf Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico de Santa Marta. (Enero de 2021). Impacto de la crisis de la COVID-19 sobre el sector turístico del Distrito. Obtenido de Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta D.T.C.H. Semana. (2016). Alertas en Santa Marta por posible recorte en pista de aeropuerto. Obtenido de Semana.com: https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/santa-marta-posiblerecorte-en-la-pista-del-aeropuerto/470480/ SITUR. (2019). Medición Turismo Receptor. Marzo 2019. Obtenido de siturmagdalena.com: https://www.siturmagdalena.com/multimedia/informes/informe-54/archivo.pdf SITUR. (2020). Inbound Tourism numbers. Data processed from 2016 to 2019. Obtenido de siturmagdalena.com: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.siturmagdalena.com/indicadores/receptor &sa=D&source=editors&ust=1612839046197000&usg=AOvVaw0IBjoqgrgvBWREz 180RFzf

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SITUR Magdalena - COTELCO. (2018). Medición del Turismo Sostenible desde la perspectiva social, económica y ambiental 2017. Obtenido de Siturmagdalena.com: https://www.siturmagdalena.com/multimedia/informes/informe-2/archivo.pdf Soms, E. (2007). Estrategia Regional y Plan Regional de Gobierno: guia metodológica.

Santiago: División de Planificación Regional, MIDEPLAN. Obtenido de http://www.desarrollosocialyfamilia.gob.cl/pdf/genero/estrategia-regional-y-planregional-de-gobierno-guia-metodologica.pdf Value&Risk Rating. (2019). PERSPECTIVAS MACROECONÓMICAS DE COLOMBIA: ¿QUÉ PASÓ EN 2019 Y QUE SE ESPERA PARA 2020? Obtenido de Value&Risk Rating: https://www.vriskr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Informe-Perspectivas2020-Value-and-Risk.pdf Vargas Leira, F. d. (2017). DIAGNÓSTICO DEL SISTEMA DE ESTADÍSTICAS DE TURISMO EN EL DEPARTAMENTO DEL MAGDALENA (COLOMBIA)1, 2*.

Obtenido de redalyc.org: https://www.redalyc.org/jatsRepo/5762/576263127011/html/index.html von Haldenwang, C. (2000). Nuevos conceptos de la política regional de desarrollo: aporte para la discusión Latinoamericana. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL. Obtenido de https://www.die-gdi.de/uploads/media/lcr1965e.pdf

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9. ANNEXES Annex 1. Characterization of tourism service providers in the District of Santa Marta.

For the initial collection of data required for the approach of the lines of action of the planning model, a data survey was carried out to characterize the population of tourism service providers in the District of Santa Marta. This survey was disseminated with the support of the District Institute of Tourism of Santa Marta, obtaining 270 responses, which served as a guide to determine the sector's particularities and training needs. However, although the survey contained only five questions, the respondents had difficulty completing, finding duplicate and erroneous data during tabulation. For this reason, only 243 responses were taken into account, which were analyzed one by one to delimit the particularities of the sector as a complement to the official information provided by the District Institute of Tourism, the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Marta, and the Magdalena Tourist Information System – SITUR. To simplify data collection and facilitate survey completion, only basic questions were included, along with respondents' first and last names. The survey was disseminated with the support of INDETUR during March 2021 via WhatsApp through the Google Forms platform, through the following link: https://bit.ly/2Sa1IDZ. The questions were as follows: 1. What is your position or occupation?

2. In which sector or corregimiento do you usually provide your services?

3. What kind of company or service do you offer?

4. How many employees do you have?

5. What kind of training would you be most interested in?

9.1.1. Survey format.

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Figure 32 Annex 1. Survey format carried out for the characterization of tourism service providers.

These questions were asked to characterize the population of tourism service providers, the sectors of most significant demand, the type of existing companies, the size, and their training needs.

9.1.2. Results.

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Figure 33 Table of data collected by survey. Data processed through Excel.

According to the data collected, 12.2% of the tourism service providers surveyed claimed to be managers of their companies, 10% owners, 6.7% are legal representatives.

Autoempleado (Trabajador autónomo sin contrato laboral) Contratista prestador de servicios

Gerente y representa nte legal

Guía de turismo

Propietario

Autoemplea do (Trabajador autónomo…

Gerente

Representante legal

Empleado

De… C

S

Desempleado Empleado Gerente Gerente y representante legal Guía de turismo

Figure 34 Annex 1. Type of service provider surveyed according to your position or occupation.

99 55 2

11

27

18

25

Bo nd

a Ce Bu nt r i ta ro ca Hi st ór t Gu ico ac ha ca Po M zo s C inc a ol or ad Ro os da de r Ta o ga ng a

5

The sector with the highest presence of tourism service providers corresponds to Rodadero with 41% (99) of the population surveyed, followed by the Historical Center with 23% (55) and Minca with 11% (27). Also highlighted were sectors of high tourist concurrence such as Taganga with 10% (25), Pozos Colorados with 7% (18), and the rural corridor of Guachaca with 5% (11).

Figure 35 Annex 1. Location of service providers according to tourist concurrency area.

As for the type of company, it was evidenced that 19% (45) corresponds to agencies operating tourist services; or tour operators, 15% (37) to hotels, followed by travel and tourism agencies and tour guides, each with 14%.

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AVT – Travel and tourism agency (14%)

OAC 4%

AOS - Tour services operating agency (19%)

RES 8%

ETT 1% ETM 2%

GDT 14%

ERM 1%

HOT 15%

BUC 1%

CAR – Tend renters (1%)

AVT 14%

CMA - Wholesale of handicrafts and the like (1%) CME - Retail trade in handicrafts and other products (2%) APT - Aparthotels and tourist estates (6%)

AOS 19%

HOS 11%

APT 6%

HOS - Hostels (11%) HOT – Hotels (15%)

CAR 1%

BUC - Diving companies (1%)

CMA CME 1%

ETM - Shipping companies (2%)

2%

ERM - Maritime recreation companies (1%) ETT - Land transport companies (1%) GDT - Tour guides (14%) OAC - Other complementary activities to tourism (4%)

Figure 36. Annex 1. Distribution of tourism service providers according to the type of establishment or activity carried out.

RES – Restaurants (8%)

2% 7%

44%

Unipersonal Menos de 10 Entre 11 y 50

47%

Entre 51 y 200

Figure 37 Annex 1. Distribution of tourism service providers according to the size of the company.

Regarding the size of the company, 47% (113) correspond to microenterprises with less than ten workers, 7% (18) are companies with between 11 and 50 workers, and only 2% (5) are companies with more than 50 employees. The rest of the population, 44% (106), is classified as sole proprietorships, which may or may not be legally constituted; since the survey was disseminated generally, being finished both by providers of formalized and informal tourist services.

Finally, the training needs identified are mostly related to the need to implement bilingualism programs, technical assistance, and training to develop tourism plans and experiences, intelligent management of tourist destinations, sustainability and environment, entrepreneurship and business formalization, and digital transformation processes. The answers are listed below; it should be clarified that the same user could select several options from the list provided in the survey format and even add additional options. For this reason, the number of responses exceeds the number of people surveyed.

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Cursos de inglés (con énfasis en…

119

Creación de planes y experiencias de…

93

Gestión inteligente de destinos…

90

Sostenibilidad ambiental y medio…

81

Emprendimiento y formalización…

67

Transformación digital y TIC's

56

Gestión de recursos humanos

40

Producción de medios audiovisuales

35

Marketing digital y comercio…

Logística y eventos

13 3

Figure 38 Annex 1. Identification of the training and technical assistance needs of the surveyed population.

9.1.3. Process limitations.

First, it was expected to get a greater number of responses from tourism service providers, as the census for 2020 reports the existence of more than 2,000 companies active in the RNT. However, the tabulation result provides an approximate picture of the reality of the tourism sector composition in the District of Santa Marta, in which there is an informality index of 65.3%. (DANE, 2020) On the other hand, there is a difficulty in collecting data by electronic means in rural areas, so it was not possible to include a representative sample of the tourist corridors of Guachaca, Don Diego, Bonda, nor of the indigenous reserves.

Annex 2. Distribution map of the Tourist Service Providers of the District of Santa Marta.

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Annex 3. Matrix of actions and indicators of the Tourism Planning Model.

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As an integral part of the document, a matrix of actions and indicators is included for the implementation of the Tourism Planning Model proposed through research, which relates the respective axes, programs, actions, and indicators proposed, adding elements to facilitate the follow-up and monitoring of the proposed strategic lines in case it is decided to adopt the model through a public policy, development plan, strategic plan or decennial tourism plan.

These elements correspond to units of measurement, the baseline for 2021-2030, the scope of implementation of the actions, the objectives of the related development, and co-responsible for implementing each of the indicators proposed.

Figure 39 Annex 3. Strategic axes of the proposed tourism planning model.

Figure 40 Annex 3. Preliminary view of the matrix of actions and indicators proposed by the Tourism Planning Model formulated by the research thesis

____ Note: The access link to the document "Annex 3. Planning model matrix" is as follows: http://bit.ly/TourismPlanningModelSMR . In case of not being able to access it, you can contact the emailsSergio.usma@icloud.com or anropefo@gmail.com to request the file or a new link.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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Annex 4. Photographic record.

Figure 41 Annex 4. Socialization of the initial model with the presidents of the guilds of COTELCO, ANATO, ProRodadero, Travel Agencies of Rodadero, and the general director of INDETUR.

Figure 42. Annex 4. Workshop of data collection for the elaboration of the diagnosis with providers of tourist services of the rural areas.

Figure 43 Annex 4. Photographic record. Data analysis process through the use of agile methodologies.

Figure 44 Annex 4. Workshop of data collection for the elaboration of the diagnosis with members of the tourist value chain of the historic center.

Tourism planning model for the District of Santa Marta Colombia Master in Sustainable Tourism & Regional Tourism Planning Peñuela, A. & Usma, S. (2021)

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