Author Archives: Cristina Falcione

Analyzing, Strategizing, Planning…

Its hard to believe we are starting our last week here in Minca! Time is running short and we are working hard to synthesize all of the information we collected to present back to the community and work together to come up with some strategies for how to further develop tourism here. Some major observations we have derived from our interviews:

  • 100% of the residents we surveyed enjoy having tourists in their community, many of which also believe tourism is one of the best avenues for economic development for Minca
  • We asked residents and tourism interest groups (businesses, hotels, tour operators etc) what they saw as some of the positive and negative impacts of tourism in the area and found:
    • Positive impacts: increased income, cultural exchange, increased knowledge and learning of nature
    • Negative impacts: increased pollution/trash, congestion, potential for increased crime
  • Obstacles Minca faces in developing sustainable tourism practices are:
    • Infrastructure: roads and paths can be difficult to navigate
    • Services: water systems and public services are in need of development
    • Controls: Minca lacks leadership and control systems for standardizing any sustainable initiatives

Today we are finishing up our presentation that includes what we have found from the community and some suggestions we have for a potential action plan. The purpose of the meeting will be to work together with the community to come up with what they believe is the best strategy for sustainable development of tourism as well as what next steps need to be done in order to achieve their goals. It will be important for us to not impart on what we think is best but allow the community to prioritize and strategize with our insight.

 

number crunching in paradise

number crunching in paradise

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signs for the meeting!

signs for the meeting painted by the lovely Nayibe

Hemos llegado..we have arrived!

After many travels we have all made it together to Cartagena to begin our journey with Diana and Mision Gaia!

Angel, Teryn & Kevin rocking new MG tees

Angel, Teryn & Kevin rocking new MG tees

Its very appropriate that we began in Cartagena as it’s the common first place travelers come to before traveling to Minca. This way we can witness and observe for ourselves from the tourist perspective from the very beginning. Cartagena’s historic and beautiful architecture and seaside vistas are just some of the reasons it’s a top tourist destination in Colombia.

Early this morning we departed for Taganga a small beach town north of Santa Marta and a popular tourist spot for divers and backpackers. We spent some time planning as a group and reviewing our work schedule for the upcoming weeks! It was also important to see how tourism has developed in Taganga and how it compares with the vision for Minca and it’s sustainable tourism development.

 

Planning and info sharing as a group

Planning and info sharing as a group

 

There’s much work to be done but we are excited and positive to make the final ascent to Minca tomorrow and get acclimated with our new homes for the upcoming a weeks.

Taganga at night

Taganga at night

 

Some of the group waiting to check in at casa de Felipe

Some of the group waiting to check in at casa de Felipe

 

Not Even Hercules Can Keep us Away!

As Winter Storm Hercules takes over the northeast, we are determined to get to sunny Colombia! Teryn escaped Ohio in the nick of time, re-routing a few times in order to catch her flight out of San Fran tonight. I’m posted up in Queens, NY crossing my fingers that I can fly out of JFK in the morning! Meanwhile other group members prepare to converge from all parts of the globe – from Colorado, to Brazil to China! See you in Cartagena!

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Our First Planning Meeting!

This past Saturday the team gathered to discuss trip logistics as well as review the tasks of performing a tourism assessment, impact matrix and SWOT analyses. There is much work to be done but we are excited for the projects ahead. We also Skyped with Diana, our main contact at Misión Gaia so other students had a chance to ask her more questions about the upcoming trip!

The group discussing tasks and strategy

The group discussing tasks and strategy

learning is fun!

learning is fun!

Whitney working hard!

Whitney working hard!

Jim & Lisha working on biodiversity considerations

Jim & Lisha working on biodiversity considerations