Challenges of accessibility of a community heritage tourist route: The Route of the Caste War

This article presents the results of an accessibility analysis of The Caste War Route (RGC), prior to its commercialization as a community heritage product. The analysis consists of a diagnosis of the resource to establish destination-planning strategies. The accessibility diagnosis goes beyond adapting physical spaces for transit, considering that the resource is accessible to all types of people, including economic, spatial and temporal accessibility, criteria on which the research focuses. The diagnosis was prepared through a multidisciplinary investigation that collected information from different sectors with qualitative and quantitative tools that combined the recording of data and the opinion of the residents of the area, key informants; Government officials, museum workers, tourism service providers, non-governmental organizations and visitors were included in this research. Accessibility is a multivariate concept; its analysis required an instrument with cultural indicators distributed in categories, which provides objective, rigorous and relevant information. The research approach was qualitative, including Participatory Action Research and ethnographic techniques such as participant observation (PAR), interviews and document review as part of the process. It is necessary to propose promotional strategies focused on rural cultural products, that disseminate the sites and activities considered heritage by the community, and that the inhabitants are willing to share with visitors, so that local hosts are the ones who offer this service. The necessary strategies are the equal participation and involvement of women and men, the participation of students and academics in training courses and orientation to local service providers. These products face important challenges: they must differentiate themselves from others to build a unique local identity, and at the same time, form alliances with other local communities to create and strengthen local tourism products and services to create a complete touristic experience versus isolated experiences in individual communities. Achieving integration is essential for a successful project and the regional growth and development of the localities involved