EL RODADERO (SANTA MARTA), CENTRO TURÍSTICO O COLONIA DE VACACIONES

Abstract

The El Rodadero, 5-6 km southwest of Santa Marta, was a lonely sand beach up to 1960 with dispersed fishing huts. From 1965 it developed more and more to the seasonally prefered bathing place of Colombia on the Caribbean Sea. Both, the Colombian press and the public opinion regard the Rodadero as "centro turístico de Colombia" or "la perla del Caribe"; it is compared with the international luxury beach towns in the circum-caribbean region (Acapulco, Miami etc.). - As there exist however strict arguments against this statement, a socio-economic study was carried out about he Rodadero in 1969/70. As a result the following characterization is possible: a constructionally unorganic, periodically frequented bathing-(vacation~)place (max. 3 months/ year: middle of December up to the end of January, the Easter week, 4 to 5 weeks in June/July according to the main school holidays) of national importance as well as of a certain value to the weekend holidays-traffic coming from the region of Barranquilla. Apartment houses with vacation flats belonging to rich Colombians are clearly dominating compared with hotels, motels etc. On the whole the infrastructure is not sufficient, especially the public supply (drinking-water, sewage, electricity etc.).