Media:
Report

Team:
Linda Cadavid
Lacy Davis
Caitlin Goodman
Emily McKenna
Jessica Tallarico
Julie Tam

Organization:
Comite Municipal de Turismo

About:

La Merced, Caldas has started to grow the tourism industry to address the economic stagnation in the two main agricultural sectors, coffee and cattle and to provide incentive for youth and other residents to stay in the town. The La Merced PIA team is a consultant on the initiative to promote tourism in La Merced. This partnership between the New School and La Merced was built on a tourism initiative that was established between the IFP 2012 participants and the Municipality of La Merced. Based on the IFP 2012 report delivered to the municipality, La Merced’s four year development plan, the PIA research trip in the Spring of 2013 and the work of student liaisons placed in the town from the Universidad Autonoma de Manizales, the PIA team researched information on the client, the Mayor’s office, and their intentions to enhance the promotion of tourism for community and economic development.

Taking these recommendations given to the client by IFP participants, the team conducted relevant literature reviews, policy analyses and field research through surveys, focus groups, meetings, workshops, individual interviews and our observations as tourists in La Merced. The team did not just focus on how tourism can improve the economic opportunities in the town but how it can include youth, the national policy frameworks, the past conflict challenges and the community for sustainable and equitable development. The report leads to eight broad findings.

Thirty-nine concrete and specific recommendations stem from these eight broad findings, which are detailed in the report. This project is fortunate in that some of these recommendations will be directly utilized by the Summer 2013 IFP students in La Merced. Along with the report the team created model maps of La Merced, promotional videos, and a mock website. The report, the deliverables and the IFP students’ work in the town this summer will support the continued collaboration of the New School with the municipality in order to further the tourism initiative.