Exportaciones

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’s swimsuit would retail for approximately US$105 in 2014, whereas today, you’d be able to purchase that same suit for only US$66.

The 150 events classified as international that were held in Colombia enabled the country to improve its position in the world rankings as a destination for conferences and conventions. It also ranked 25th among 111 countries, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), whose annual report will be released on Monday.

The list of international buyers PROCOLOMBIA is bringing this year are ranging from specialized retailers in decoration to hotels and museums from around the world.

31 entrepreneurs from nine different countries, 15 of which are visiting the Trade Show for the first time. "We have a range of unique products, displaying cultural wealth and social impact. These are some of the reasons that attract the vast majority of craft shoppers in the world," said Maria Claudia Lacouture, president of PROCOLOMBIA.

This specialized event, organized by PROCOLOMBIA and ACOPI Centro Occidente, took place in the Coffee Cultural Landscape city of Pereira in a matchmaking forum format, where Colombian companies showcased their products and services to international buyers.

The Caribbean was a strategic region in this year’s tradeshow, with a total of eight companies from Puerto Rico (4), Dominican Republic (3), and Trinidad & Tobago (1) attending. The buyers from these countries were able to have one-on-one meetings to discuss potential opportunities with the Colombian companies.

Colombiatex is the main platform for textile and raw material for the apparel industry. It is focused on fashion systems and apparel production including technology, materials and machinery. Last year, 9,168 local and 1,760 international buyers from 41 different countries attended the show.  The biggest business deals were made by companies from the U.S. with 46 percent of the total purchases being made by American buyers.

After a busy couple of months in which the Colombian textile industry participated in different trade shows and events, including the very successful Miami SwimShow, Colombian companies continue to work hard to show the world what they are made of. Colombian textiles also had strategic presence in two important events, the WWD Global Sourcing event in New York City in October and the USFIA’s Textile and Apparel Importer Trade and Transportation Conference in November.

After analyzing 190 hospitals and clinics of 12 Latin American countries, the magazine AméricaEconomía selected 42 of the best in the region of which nearly half are Colombian.

From the highest rated, 20 are from Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Bucaramanga. In addition, Colombia is the country with the largest number of institutions in the top 10, four of them include: Fundacion Cardiovascular de Colombia, Fundacion Valle del Lili, Pablo Tobon Uribe Hospital and Fundacion Cardioinfantil

Colombia is getting ready to host its major trade show for the textile and apparel industry: Colombiatex 2015. The show has become one of the most important for the textile sector in Latin America.

T-shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants, denim products, all made in Colombia, have taken over the window displays of Bloomingdales. The clothing exhibited belongs to Rosé Pistol Kids, a brand of the Colombian group Color Siete. Rosé Pistol Kids offers fun and expressive wardrobe choices. The garments have a perfect fit on active children, with comfortable and soft fabrics.