Miami, a Living Laboratory for Cultural TourismThe traveler of today wants more than the beach. Statistics show that more and more people are very curious about the cultures, history and ecology about the destinations they visit. As a result of the economy, global security and the escalating price of gas, people are also checking out more of what is in their own backyard.
What is cultural tourism? It is a form of specialty tourism, becoming more popular by the day, featuring the cultural product of a destination. It engages the visitor with the community and its culture including: dance, music, art and, of course, its food.
Where New York has its Little Italy and Chinatown, it would be hard to find a city that can outnumber Miami for its culturally diverse ethnic neighborhood enclaves. After all, Miami has Little Haiti, Allapattah (Little Dominican Republic), Florida City, Overtown, Liberty City, Coconut Grove (Bahamian heritage), Little Havana as well as an area in the Northwest corner of the county that with a significant Jamaican presence.
Why not “Take a Vacation in Your own City” and explore some of the rich and culturally diverse product closer to home? In addition, Miami’s neighborhoods offer a wide variety of ethnic restaurants. Miami is also a place where there is an average of one festival per month such as the Asian Festival in Homestead, The Mardi Gras in Downtown Miami, the Goombay Festival in Coconut Grove, The Miami Music Fest Down town at Bayfront Park and the world famous Calle Ocho in Little Havana.
Two of Miami’s neighborhoods actually have begun a mini festivals the last Friday of each month. In Little Havana it is Viernes Culturales or Cultural Fridays and in Liberty City it is Soul on Seventh. In Little Havana you will arrive to a crowd filled street and may need to get there early to be able to park nearby. Live music on stage fills the air. There is a lot of artists selling their work and an area where many handcrafts are displayed from paintings, ceramics to jewelry.
Soul on Seventh was just launched in February 2004 by Tools for Change, a Liberty City-based non profit organization for business development with assistance from the City of Miami and Miami Dade Community College’s Entrepreneurial Center. The event starts off with a street parade featuring groups like, high school bands, Junkanoos. There you will also find a variety of live music on stage, as well as fish, sweet potato pie, barbeque ribs and barbeque chicken. At Shantel’s Lounge, you will hear live soul and jazz music. So why not hop aboard the Festival Bus and Take a Vacation in Your Own City!”
About the author
David C Brown, MA is a specialist in cultural and eco tourism development as well as non profit development and management. Adjunct professor at FIU School of Hospitality Management. Currently David is authoring a comprehensive book on the settlement and History of Little Haiti, Miami’s Haitian Community and operates the Urban Tour Host, providing tours of Miami’s Cultural Communities and Ecological Resources.
Informational box
For more information, please check out the following resources:
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) has just published Miami, a Sense of Place a heritage guide to Miami that features all of Miami’s cultural communities. www.gmcvb.com
The Urban Tour Host, "Leading The Way Forward for Urban Economic Development Through Cultural Tourism" www.miamiculturaltours.com (305)-663-4455.