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In the last three years, over 500 international wholesalers have sold Colombian tourism packages, thus increasing Colombia' s promotion in around 112,000 travel agencies in 30 countries from the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. In turn this improves the diversification and foreign tourist growth in the country.
Before 2010, only 387 foreign entrepreneurs from 16 countries sold Colombian vacation and corporate packages to travelers.
Hanjin Tours from South Korea, Sun Planet from Russia, Wotif.com from Australia and Transat Tours from Canada are only a few of the buyers that make up the group of entrepreneurs that offer Colombian tourism. They are driven by the progress in its tourism and Colombia' s positioning as a leader among emerging nations.
The task of going door-to-door and showing them the advantages for their companies to include Colombia in their products has been led by PROCOLOMBIA, an entity dedicated to the positioning of Colombia as an ideal destination for vacations or holding grand events.
To do so, it has implemented strategies and actions that have bore a lot of fruit on various fronts: exports and improved national offer, awareness about Colombian tourism and greater effect of promotions, etc.
Supporting the Regions and Corporate Sector
While it is possible to have experiences related to adventure, wellbeing, culture, nature, boating and cruises, sun and sand, meeting and other (weddings, honeymoons, luxury,shopping) products, Colombia' s regions have a great variety of products for visitors to enjoy.
The development of its products is one of PROCOLOMBIA' s main objectives, which, in addition to including destinations such as, Cauca, Narino, Guajira and Norte de Santander in international promotions, has carved out new niches in places such as, Medellin, Cartagena and Bogota.
While these cities only offered wellbeing, culture, sun and sand, and nature tourism in 2011, today, visitors can also enjoy adventure, shopping, luxury, golf, cuisine, fairs and festival niches.
Another of this entity' s pillars of work is supporting entrepreneurs and regions through the provision of tools and their training, such as the export plans. These teach entrepreneurs how to properly structure their products and services for the foreign market and the best ways to present them.
In 2012 and so far this year, 14 training seminars have been held in nine Colombian cities and four hundred representatives from tour operators, hotels and regional entities have attended.
Due to these programs, between 2010 and 2012, the number of Colombian entrepreneurs selling their products abroad went from 253 to 430 in the vacation segment and from 46 to 150 in the corporate segment. This means more foreigners visited Colombia, thousands of direct and indirect jobs were created and a sufficient increase in income is seen.
Data from Migracion Colombia indicates that between 2011 and 2012, 3,842,488 foreign visitors have visited the country (flights and cruises). Of those, 1,362,639 (35%) visited due to PROCOLOMBIA' s promotion work in Colombia and abroad.
Furthermore, and in conjunction with the World Travel and Tourism Council, in 2012 alone, the tourism share of the Colombian labor market was 5.5% of the national total, that is, 1,110.500 jobs.
Finally, in its most recent report, the World Tourism Organization revealed that last year, Colombia received 2,351 million dollars from tourism, placing it in fourth place among South American countries, after Brazil, Argentina and Peru for tourism income.
The tourism sector has one of the most positive variations in the world, despite the problems the top economies are suffering. International tourist travel grew four percent globally in 2012. For the first time, it exceeded a billion tourists.
PROCOLOMBIA also creates events such as international fairs and Business Matchmaking Forums, where tour operators, hotels and travel agencies can exhibit their products to international buyers and end-clients.
Since 2010, 221 entrepreneurs from 18 regions have participated in 39 world-recognized events, such as the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid focused in the meeting segment, such as, IBTM that is held every year in Germany and niche market events, such as scuba diving, Beneath The Sea, which takes place in the United States, and birdwatching, Bird Fair, in the United Kingdom.
Regarding the Business Matchmaking Forums, it should be noted that the national tourism sector has held seven, including that in February, the 2013 Colombia Travel Mart. In just the last three years, 704 national entrepreneurs from 12 departments have participated in 11,731 business meetings with 670 buyers from 18 countries (among which are Germany, Australia, China, South Korea, the United States, Indonesia, Poland, United Kingdom and Switzerland).
