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Everything from cuisine and shopping to adventure and lodging can be experienced with a smaller budget. As an example, last year, travelers could expect to pay approximately US$51 (or $97,500 Colombian pesos) for a three course meal in Cartagena. Today, you could have the same meal for less than US$32. In the same vein, a designer women&rsquo s swimsuit would retail for approximately US$105 in 2014, whereas today, you&rsquo d be able to purchase that same suit for only US$66.
Now, more than ever, travelers can up their game and experience a more sophisticated, top-tier Colombian lifestyle with all hotels, tours and attractions that are priced in pesos (which is most of them).
While the bigger value the US dollar carries in Colombia right now certainly helps, the addition of new direct flight paths and a booming hotel infrastructure has attracted a huge increase in American visitors, who are travelling largely to Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin and Santa Marta.
Air connectivity has been a big priority for Colombia these past few years. Currently there are 247 direct weekly flights from the United States, connecting nine U.S. cities (Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C., Orlando, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale) with six Colombian cities (Cartagena, Bogota, Medellin, Barranquilla, Armenia and Cali). Most recent new routes include an American Airlines route from Miami to Barranquilla, which launched in June of 2015 and an Avianca route from Los Angeles to Bogota. This December, Delta will also begin connections from Atlanta to Cartagena and Medellin, which will likely help boost higher-end travel to Colombia. And what&rsquo s more, these non-stop flights are affordable, averaging below $500 all year round. Even during the holidays, Americans can escape the cold at these prices with a non-stop flight from New York City (JFK) to Cartagena (CTG) over Thanksgiving for US$484.
Additionally, from the 7th until the 16th of September, Avianca and Procolombia will promote 25 cities in Colombia with discounts in airplane tickets from 15% to 50% off. This campaign, with the name " Colombia is Magical Realism&rdquo will benefit 22 different countries. From the USA cities such as Miami, New York, Washington, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, LA and Houston will have great deals to visit Colombia.
As for hotels, Colombia has worked to provide an expansive offering of hotels across the board to better accommodate the influx of airline passengers. While Colombia has recently welcomed new additions from major hotel chains including JW Marriot, InterContinental Hotels Group, Radisson, Accor, Hilton as well as W Hotel, the coming years will see newer luxury chains like the Four Seasons (2015 & 2017), Viceroy (2017) in addition to several others throughout Cartagena and Bogota.
While the inexpensive travel and lodgings are definitely attractive to American visitors, Colombia&rsquo s character and cultural offerings are also a huge pull. Colombia&rsquo s diverse cities offer different experiences for different types of travelers. While Bogota showcases its modern city vibe, complete with unmatched cuisine and fashion, Cartagena offers up its unique historic sites. Other regions throughout the country allow travelers to experience Colombian traditions, including the coffee landscape, Spanish architecture, and rural festivals.
Colombia has always attracted a mixture of adventurous and cultural tourists with a mixture of interests, and as long as travel to the country remains highly discounted, tourism is going to continue to surge.
About PROCOLOMBIA:
PROCOLOMBIA is the government promotion agency in charge of promoting trade, investment, tourism and country brand. In order to obtain more information about the events and festivals in Cartagena.
RELATED LINKS
http://www.procolombia.co
www.colombia.travel
