Preliminary Diagnostic of the Tourist Potential of a Heritage Town in Colombia

A tourism planning process is a valuable tool that allows us to anticipate the problems that the activity generates in local destinations. Therefore, the present study is based on a proposal of the preliminary diagnosis of the tourist potential of the Colombian municipality of La Playa de Belen. This town is home to a unique lush natural park as well as an unparalleled historical center of the country. Moreover, its total tourism potential is currently little known. The results of the diagnosis showed the potential for the development of rural tourism. Tourism is a crucial economic in studied area stake based on the political perspective of the local administration. Likewise, the tourist inventory allowed the identification of thirty-two tourist resources. Most of them are cultural heritage, showing in addition to the natural wealth, and new tourist specialties could potentialize in this municipality in the Colombian northeast.