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Forbes, BBC, DW (Deutsche Welle), NHK, Vanity Fair, Travel Channel, El Canal Gourmet, Elle, Folha de Sao Paulo, Globo, Le Figaro, Japan BS, Fashionista and the Trinidad Guardian were some of the international press sponsored by PROCOLOMBIA to visit the country, which impacted the world with their publications about Colombia.
"Press trips are a promotion strategy to showcase Colombia as a destination for investment, tourism and exportation. They have a media effect in the markets important to PROCOLOMBIA's work in search of more opportunities for international business and tourists", explained PROCOLOMBIA's president, María Claudia Lacouture.
Throughout the year, PROCOLOMBIA's international communication strategy was successful, with over 4000 publications that mentioned the country's potential for business. Forbes magazine, specializing in business and finance, defined Colombia as one "giant free trade zone", and insisted that the country's fiscal benefits drove foreign investment recovery. The article, which was published in October, reported success stories of foreign companies with offices in the country.
Altogether, 326 journalists from 95 media groups in 30 countries visited Colombia. Charles Ottley, English anchorman and journalist from the Travel Channel, delighted the British with a six-episodes special on Colombia. His audience learned about tourist destinations like Bogotá, Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Cartagena, San Andrés and Providencia, Cali, Mompox, Gorgona, Medellín, Nuquí, the Coffee Culture Heritage, the Eastern Plains, the Amazon and Boyacá.
"Colombia is not only a safe country for travelers, but also one of the most amazing destinations in Latin America", Ottley asserted.
Positive reports were also published in Trinidad and Tobago about Colombia, this time about the country's potential in the area of health care services. The Trinidad Guardian newspaper cited: "Colombia has become the premier destination for medical tourism. It is now a hub for patients from around the world seeking complex specialized treatment such as knee and hip replacements, cardiac surgery, gastric bypass, pacemaker implantation, cosmetic surgeries, dentistry and orthopedics.
PROCOLOMBIA's strategy with specialized, high-impact international journalists in promotion niches includes their visits to the country and support in content production. The themes of their publications deal with opportunities offered by Colombia in the areas of direct foreign investment, tourism, and exportation of non-mining energy products.
