METROPOLIZATION AND TOURISM IN INTERMEDIATE CITIES1 ANALYSIS OF THE TERRITORIAL COMPETITIVENESS OF TOURISM IN BELLO, COLOMBIA

Abstract

Intermediate cities inside a Metropolitan Area are often subject to the role entrusted for the general operation of the metropolitan system built around the central city. This limits a possible independent development process that turns them into competitive territories. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to analyze the influence of metropolitan processes on the behavior of tourism in the Municipality of Bello, Colombia, for the consolidation of its territorial competitiveness. A mixed-method was used, with techniques such as surveys, cartography, and territorial routes. It is concluded that the image of an unsafe city it conveys, and the little tourist history of Bello in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, reduces its capacity for the territorial competition of urban tourism. However, rural tourism located in San Félix would be a great opportunity to take advantage of its distinctive features and the potential of the metropolitan market.