Cultural Tourism Management: Emerging Perspectives from Local Development and Knowledge Sharing

Abstract

Cultural tourism in rural areas is characterized by the provision of tourism products and services by local communities, grounded in their knowledge, traditions, heritage, and understanding of the territory. Proper management contributes to social and economic cohesion by protecting heritage and strengthening the community's identity. This research article analyzes the conditions of cultural tourism in relation to local development and knowledge exchange, using local actors from two provinces in the Department of Boyacá, Colombia, as a post-pandemic case study. The study follows a qualitative methodology and employs a constructivist grounded theory approach to code and prioritize categories that reflect the perceptions and experiences of the actors and institutions involved in the object of study. The results reveal territorial tensions over the equitable use of common goods between companies and local actors. Within the framework of local development, consensus is grounded in the construction of shared visions of tourism. It is articulated with the management of resilient and sustainable business models for value generation, which emerge as central categories. A cross-cutting finding is the articulation between local actors and institutions in spaces for discussion and collective construction, according to the priorities and realities of the local actors who participate in cultural tourism. This integration strengthens the social capital present in the territories through dialogue, exchange, and the transmission of knowledge.