Marketing the Niche Market of Markets
Or How I survived 73 minutes in Bazurto
The Mercado Bazurto in Cartagena, Colombia is one of those “I dare you” destinations. Just ask the
concierge at any hotel and they’ll advise you to stay away from the place. Sort of. The mixedmessaging about venturing into the ‘mercado bazurto’ or shopping market is that a) you will experience
a genuine market where Cartagenians like themselves do their shopping but b) as a tourist you will
stick out like a sore thumb and inevitably be stalked, robbed, harassed, intimidated and ultimately,
shocked. Those involved in tourism would prefer that you not visit the market, lest you use this as a
reference point to speak negatively about the city of Cartagena. And the advice, if you do decide to
visit, is the usual “don’t wear jewellery, dress down, don’t take photos, don’t get lost in the maze of
narrow alleyways, watch yourself…but enjoy!”
Yikes. So much travel advice we receive nowadays is based on perceptions of tourist behaviour. I
remember a classic incident—straight out of a Marx Brothers movie—where I asked the concierge at a
hotel in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for directions to a particular restaurant. I said I wanted to walk. He said it
was too far and unsafe so I should take a taxi. Well, who was I to argue with a knowledgeable local? I
waited for a taxi, gave the driver the address, he drove 2 blocks (literally), stopped and pointed to the
restaurant. So I learned the hard way. But the perception of the tourist (me in this case) was that we
are innocent, gullible, don’t speak the language, could get into trouble, and no one wants negative
publicity if something should indeed happen.
Back in Cartagena, I mulled over the scare tactics being used on me. Then I remembered other socalled ‘dangerous’ market adventures from the past, ranging from Rabat, Morocco to San Telmo in
Buenos Aires, and from Mombasa, Kenya to Sulawesi, Indonesia, and I decided that in the spirit of bold
adventure we would definitely check out Mercado Bazurto.