More than 400,000 foreigners have arrived in Colombia thanks to the reactivation and cultural events of 2022

The country continues to recover economically after the closures that occurred due to the covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 and so far in 2022, the percentage of visits by foreigners has increased significantly.

Although according to the World Bank, the overall economic picture is presenting challenges in all markets globally, this has also helped to potentially position the country as a very low-cost place to travel. Proof of this, the capacity of air transport seats in the region, which was 40% stronger during the first months of 2022, this compared to the same date in 2021.

Likewise, from the World Travel and Tourism Council, at The World Travel Awards in 2020, Colombia was awarded in nine categories at the South American level as Best LGBT Leading Destination, Best Culinary Destination and Best Promotion Agency for ProColombia, among others.

This makes the country one of the most sought-after destinations today by travelers. For its part, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia assured that the hotel sector was key to driving the reactivation in the country, the annual average number of rooms occupied since then has risen by 54.4%.

The union proves this not only by the figures but also by the qualities that the country has and how much it attracts international attention, “the impact we have through tourism on the national markets has been so great that we already have 19 hotels in Colombia. In addition to tourism, this has generated more jobs in the country that not only move the economy but also helps to generate bonds of trust with tourists and the tourism sector”, confirms Diana Plazas, chief sales & marketing officer at Marriott international

However, the landscape has changed over the months, as not only is there talk of foreigners arriving in the country and occupying hotels, but the trips of local citizens to different parts of the territory, which have been higher than before the pandemic.

“This shows that there is not only potential for travelers from abroad but also the importance of the Colombian market, today we are only represented in some of the cities such as Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Medellin, Bogotá and Cali, which gives us room to think about more actions in Colombia,” says Diana Plazas.

Part of the hotel reactivation has been thanks to the fact that the cultural sector once again held massive events with 100 per cent capacity, which has encouraged the flow of local and foreign tourists arriving in the different territories. The closest was held in April, the Estéreo Picnic festival, which welcomed more than 110,000 people in three days of live music.

A scenario that also allowed the hotel sector to come together to give visitors a 360 experience of what it is like to land in Colombia. In this case, programs such as Marriott Bonvoy, have allowed them to link to these festivals to show their guests that culture and entertainment are of vital importance in the country.

“We have more than 160 million members around the world, more than four million in the Caribbean Latin America region. The idea is that this program not only allows you to earn points and use them in hotels, but to be part of all the experiences that people can live. In this case, in Bogotá, with Estéreo Picnic we show not only those who live in Colombia but to everyone the option that they can use their points to have these experiences that money cannot buy”, continues Diana.

Tourism is currently one of the sectors that is most leveraging economic recovery in the country. As the months of 2022 go by, more and more figures reaffirm this industry as one of the most important in the national territory.

According to a recent report by the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies, “although the number of international tourists arriving in Colombia had been growing exponentially, the pandemic caused a contraction trend that has gradually been recovering.”

He also specified that for 2021, “the Banco de La República reported that, in terms of foreign exchange in tourism, USD $3,102 million earned, which corresponded to a reactivation of 46%, compared to 2019, being the fourth quarter of last year, the period that stood out the most with the income of USD $1.137 million and a close reactivation to 60 per cent”.

This means, that considering the 2.1 million non-resident visitors reported in 2021, their average spending would have been around USD $1,461. In line with the above, the association pointed out that it is important to continue research on trends in the industry to stimulate spending on tourists.

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