Creative tourism based on handicrafts in the municipality of Ráquira, Boyacá

Abstract

This research allows to know the symbolic value and the representations that tourists give to the traditional utilitarian and artistic handicraft work in pottery and ceramics, to identify the criteria of inclusion and exclusion at the time of purchase in Ráquira Boyacá, considered as the handicraft capital of Colombia. The objective of this research is to identify the potential of creative tourism based on utilitarian and artistic crafts as a strategy for economic revitalization and cultural dissemination in the municipality of Ráquira Boyacá. In addition, it is based on the main categories which identifies having a support or information on a participatory scenario involving artisans, tourists, merchants and the community. Likewise, the type of research handled in this project is qualitative where the analysis is interpretative and reflexive. In this way, ethnographic interviews are carried out to obtain decisive information from the artisans in relation to the techniques, know-how and traditional knowledge associated with their artisan work in which tourism contributes to the dissemination, valuation and conservation of artisan work, privileging the principles of sustainability, quality and responsibility of cultural and creative tourism. Therefore, as a result, relevant information from tourists who visit Ráquira was evidenced, with the purpose of knowing the symbolic value and the representations they give to artisan work. Equally important, concluding this research, there is a great potential to strengthen creative tourism products based on handicrafts in Ráquira.