Cultural tourism, heritage and local communities: the case of Cabildo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Tourist activity in lower -ranking communities activates complex processes of heritage, such as those observed in the town of Cabildo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The work began in 2012 to design a community cultural tourist circuit. Perceptions about heritage and the cultural landscape were defined through participatory action research. The results indicated dissimilar identity references over the selected age groups (older adults, adults, adolescents) and configurations of the heritage and cultural landscape particular to each sector, information that favoured the design of a tourist circuit integrating the different visions. This participatory experience allows us to discuss the participation of state agencies in the promotion and articulation of community proposals and reflect on these axes: is it possible to build an intergenerational heritage from cultural tourism? How do public bodies work and what role do they play?