"Route of Cumbia and Caribbean Music" will promote cultural tourism in Colombia

The National Government through the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and FONTUR seeks to promote cultural tourism with the launch of the 'Ruta de la Cumbia y las Músicas del Caribe', a tourist route made up of 23 municipalities, in 7 departments, to reactivate the economy and exalt the identity of these territories. Within the initiative, similar projects such as 'Sounds of the Pacific' and 'Musics of the Colombian massif' are intended to be carried out.

“From the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism we invite local governments to bet on cultural tourism as a tool to make the identity of the regions visible, promote the richness of our cultural heritage, encourage cultural and creative industries, and generate new opportunities for communities through sustainable tourism”, said María Ximena Lombana, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

“If we are convinced of anything, it is that the greatest potential for tourism that our country can have is in the recognition of culture and its cultural heritage. For this reason, from San Jacinto Bolívar we launched the Ruta de la Cumbia, a tool to promote cultural tourism, strengthen the capacities of providers of tourist and cultural services, with the aim that more nationals and foreigners visit the municipalities of the Colombian Caribbean and the festivities of the traditional music of the regions of the country”, expressed the Minister of Culture, Angélica Mayolo.

Cumbia is that family of rhythms that were born from the dialogue between music, memory, the sky, the water and the earth; that has been mixed with vallenato, joropo, chandé, among other musical expressions.

The route of the route is made up of 1,300 kilometers of the Colombian Caribbean, having its people, talent, musical genres and cultural heritage as its central axis. The departments of Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, La Guajira, Magdalena and Sucre in the municipalities of Soledad, Puerto Colombia, Mahates (San Basilio de Palenque), María La Baja, San Jacinto, San Juan Nepomuceno, El Carmen, Mompox will benefit. , San Pelayo, Puerto Escondido, Lorica, Riohacha, Santa Marta, El Banco, Ciénaga, Aracataca, Sincelejo, Ovejas, Galeras, Barraquilla, Valledupar, Montería and Cartagena.

During the government of President Iván Duque, more than 171,000 million pesos have been invested to strengthen the tourism competitiveness of the 7 departments of the Colombian Caribbean. Through Fontur, $79 billion have been allocated to the construction and adaptation of 10 tourism infrastructure projects in the Caribbean region. They include works of great impact such as the Puerto Colombia Pier, the Santa Marta Theater and the Barranquilla Crystal Box.

“Tourism is a sector of opportunities that allows us to value the natural and cultural wealth of the territories. It promotes the authenticity of its peoples; and in this context, cultural tourism becomes a catalyst for the local economy when it is integrated into artistic and cultural initiatives that promote the comprehensive development of communities”, highlighted the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana.

This is how a special safeguard plan is being worked on, due to the nomination of cumbia in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level. This rhythm will be submitted to UNESCO to be recognized as intangible heritage of humanity and, thus, protect and encourage it as a form of expression, as an engine of musical and tourist development, directly connected to the social base in the territories.

Part of that base is made up of the work of hundreds of artists, women and men, who positioned this rhythm as one of the pillars of our regional identity. With this project, the work of some of them will be recognized, such as Lucho Bermúdez, Totó la Momposina, Pabla Flores, Adriana Lucía, La Niña Emilia, Catalino Parra, Juan Chuchita, Nacho Paredes, Esther Forero, Petrona Martínez, Carmen Pernett, Mario Gareña , Lido Pimienta, Michi Sarmiento, Abraham Núñez, Systema Solar, Shakira, Bomba Estéreo, Evaristo Mendoza and Maía.

“This is a project that makes visible and dignifies the work of our peoples and, especially, that of the work of teachers who for many years have fallen on their shoulders to safeguard this heritage, not only of the Colombian Caribbean people but of the nation. Cumbia lives!” said Veruschka Barros, cultural manager of the Bank, Magdalena.

On the other hand, this tour also seeks to exalt the great milestones of the musical heritage of the Caribbean, stimulate artistic and cultural activity, encourage economic reactivation, generate employment, move the region's tourist infrastructure and achieve an increase in the flow of visitors.