Producing, branding and managing multifaceted tourist destinations: Cartagena, Colombia, as a study case

Sammanfattning: The present dissertation intends to unveil some of the dynamics and processes found in multifaceted destinations. Two broad conceptual areas are considered in order to conceptualize and analyse the issues found in such places: destination making and destination management. Specifically, the destination studied is Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, a place boasting sun and sand as well as built heritage, hence a ‘multifaceted destination’.First, an overarching literature review of the following concepts is carried out: destination production, destination management, heritage production and heritage management. Especially Latin American researchers are reviewed, as it is intended to research into a Latin American destination but taking into account frameworks developed by Latin American researchers.The methodology applied is Case Research Theory and the field work consisted of observation, archival research, a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the ‘expert’ stakeholders in the destination. Qualitative methodologies were preferred as these allow for deep insights into dynamics and processes, thus making this research comprehensive and rich in details.The results show a destination that was produced in an organic way, both in terms of heritage as well as sun and sand. This was combined with hard elitist, top-down processes which resulted in brand disengagement and disagreements from the side of the stakeholders. Therefore, Cartagena de Indias is an intrinsically difficult place to manage. As the field work unveils details of the management of this place, several recommendations for practitioners may be found in the final chapter of this dissertation.The contributions to theory from this research are, among others, (a) confirming the difficulties in separating place production from place management on a theoretical level. In fact, both concepts are found to be highly interdependent; (b) refining the concept of ‘semiotic spaces’ broadening them and making them more flexible; (c) the preeminence of the wishes and desires of the demand as a force changing the destination, over factors such as the planning and marketing by local authorities or the passing of time as changing forces, and hence the need to combine lifecycle theories with consumer marketing theories for sound destination analyses.Further follow-up research could be done by analysing similar cases of destinations with sun and sand as well as heritage, or other multifaceted destinations combining different typologies of attractions. Including the ‘consumption’ aspect in into the analysis of places (apart from their production and management) would make for a broadened and extended discussion about the issues this dissertation has dealt with.