Colombia Attracts Record Number Of Foreign Visitors In '07

rhydewithdis says on Jan 10, 2008, 13:50:

As long as the situation remains stable, Colombia is sure to see an increasing number of foreign visitors conducting business and for leisure. Especially from North America.

They said I couldn't play football I was too small / They say I couldn't play basketball I wasn't tall / They say I couldn't play baseball at all / And now everyday of my life I ball.

tasco66 says on Jan 10, 2008, 14:07:

This is good news, but it is still a small number for a country the size of Colombia…

Bravo, Presidente Uribe for the perfect operation!

Chelesupercono says on Jan 10, 2008, 17:13:

Good news, but how many were Cruise Ship tourist in Cartagena that stay for about 12 hrs.?

never go to bed with someone crazier then you are, you will do it and you will regret it.......

adrimm says on Jan 10, 2008, 17:50:

Probably not that many more from 2006.. I remember seeing them there when I was visiting in the early 1990s.

Does the port authority have any data online about how many visits they had?

adrimm says on Jan 10, 2008, 18:02:

okay I just checked.. They had 10,000 more visitors on cruise ships in 2007 than in 2006.

I'm betting that the backpacker adherents listening to the Lonely Planet top 10 list had waaaay more to do with the increase in visitors than cruise-ship riding baby boomers.

Coonsie says on Jan 10, 2008, 19:13:

I helped!!

cpchester says on Jan 10, 2008, 19:20:

The weakness of the US dollar is pricing many would-be European tourists to seek out travel to Central and South America. Though the largest number of tourists travel to countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Argentina, many more will travel to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil than ever before.

Robert Jorge says on Jan 10, 2008, 21:55:

1.27 million tourists is over 4% of the total Colombian population. Did the US get the equivalent "tourists?" (proportionally 12,000,000 last year) No matter how you look at it, that is a shit-load of tourists and a dramatic increase in a very short period of time.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

eywed says on Jan 10, 2008, 22:04:

/.

Ay Hombe!!!!!

Albatross says on Jan 11, 2008, 04:20:

I hope FARC and ELN get back in the game before it's too late.
How much is a prime tourist worth these days ?

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

panthdave says on Jan 11, 2008, 04:40:

Yep we are here in Colombia the invasion has happened...Watch out for the Gringo Spaceships there scary...

panthdave Miami

Panda says on Jan 11, 2008, 05:40:

whatever the governent and the media says, Colombia is still very dangerous. I am Colombian and got to visit every now and then and every time i go I want to stay less and less to the point that I won´t be going back at all.
If you visit Colombia, watch out for your personal belongings because the place is full of thieves and the Police couldn´t care less and they don´t even pretend they do.

Timba says on Jan 11, 2008, 06:06:

Fact is, most tourists in Colombia are from Venezuela.

droble77 says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:21:

I think Cuba has about 2 million visitors a year for about 4 years now, their numbers have been "flat" so 1.27 million is not ginormous, and going from 1.05 to 1.27 is not exactly tourism blowing up, at least not yet. . .

Cerealkiller says on Jan 11, 2008, 08:31:

I have a q for you guys, from your personal experiences what is the proportion of "gringos" on the flights you take to colombia? Every time i take my flight to colombia I see maybe 5 people I can absolutely tell are foreign tourists who come to just see the sights (putas, shopping, never been to colombia and no tie to the country). Rest of them are Colombians who no longer have an colombian passport and come to see their families. I do not mean to make it sound like 1.2 million is a silly number but in all actuality, a large share of these 1.2 million are people who left 10 years ago. Same goes with foreign investment, most of the people buying houses and property in colombia are colombians who live abroad, not rich gringos who are convinced colombia is the latin american miracle. The tourist boom is not what's cracked up to be.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

panthdave says on Jan 11, 2008, 09:56:

Cereal if I think about it....I go back and forth every two weeks via Avianca,Copa,or American from MIA and mostly see Colombians like you said but I don't see Gringos like I but not as many Colombians..except Copa to Panama different story but my connection with Aero Republica to MDE almost all Colombians shopping in Panama...

panthdave Miami

panthdave says on Jan 11, 2008, 09:57:

Correction I do see some Gringos like I on every flight..

panthdave Miami

mranderson says on Jan 11, 2008, 20:38:

My last flight back to medellin after christmas I saw lots of gringos. Maybe it was for the new year though. I remember a couple years ago I would be the only one and everyone(including the stuardess) would look at me strange like what was I doing there.

Robert Jorge says on Jan 11, 2008, 21:39:

I haven't seen too many gringos on my flights to Colombia either. Perhaps 5 to 10 on the entire plane - similar to what CK said she has experienced. On a flight from Miami to Bogota on LAN, I may have been the only gringo. It was a 767, so I obviously didn't see everybody. But I remember it occurring to me that I didn't see any non latinos on the plane.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

adrimm says on Jan 12, 2008, 17:50:

As I mentioned in another post, my flight to Colombia had a group if 65 elder-hostel type travellers that were on their way for a birding expedition in Colombia on the flight. Next to me I had a Colombian-American citizen and her non-hispanic American husband. On the walk through first class there were at least 3- 4 non-hispanic, english-speaking business-types.. I'd say about 10 -15% of the travellers didn't look stereotypically hispanic to me.

On the flight to the Leticia from Bogota there were at least 10 non-Colombians (2 backpackng Brits, a Dutchman, what looked like a pair of Gringo researchers and 4-5 Brazilians, plus myself).

Robert Jorge says on Jan 12, 2008, 21:15:

My last trip to Colombia 11 months ago, the guy I sat next to on my flight was a gringo. It turned out he was going to his fiance's interview the exact same day as we were scheduled. The guy wouldn't shut up on the plane.

A few days later, sure enough, we spot him at the embassy and say hello. Then, as time went by while waiting, I overheard him talking about all the chicks he's banged in Colombia, blah blah blah. The jerk-off was talking about his conquests, literally as he was waiting for his fiance to have a visa interview!

I forgot about that dude pretty quick. Then, when I was searching around on the web, I clicked on the Medellin Mansion site. I was curious about the place because of a thread here on PBH. Guess who is in a picture on that site but the dude from the plane / interview. Small world!

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

Enrique187 says on Jan 12, 2008, 22:44:

unfortunately Colombia is increasingly becoming more popular for douchebags like that.

Robert Jorge says on Jan 13, 2008, 00:25:

It isn't just Colombia. But you are right.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

Medellin Traveler says on Jan 13, 2008, 06:51:

"I clicked on the Medellin Mansion site. I was curious about the place because of a thread here on PBH. Guess who is in a picture on that site but the dude from the plane / interview. Small world!" - Robert Jorge

He's converting a puta into a housewife! Suerte!

I made three trips to Medellin last year and also noticed that there were no gringos on my flights until my third trip.

Also think that packbackers make a big impact on the tourists numbers as apposed to any other type of traveler, for now.

Medellin es una chimba! www.medellintraveler.com

panthdave says on Jan 13, 2008, 07:34:

I fly every two weeks on American,Copa, and now just started back up with Avianca....I see a few gringos on the flights but the same amount as a year ago no changes....My Christmas flight on Avianca 12/21 was all Colombians did not see one...or maybe Colombians/US Residents/Citizens... Have not seen a change that much...and in the streets see a few in Centro Medellin but have not seen much around where I hang or live except the normal who already live there a few Americans in Castropol...Funny thing is there promoting tourism like crazy..Our general manager in our Orlando office actually was offered a full paid trip to Medellin by the Colombian Tourism Board to see if we can promote Corporate Meetings and Events in Medellin....which the business I work in for now 11 years with with the same company..in which I am in the Miami office...and with other airlines bidding to get routes to Colombian must see a good forecast for Tourism in Colombia....

So definitely Tourism numbers are going up y up y up..but I don't see it funny...maybe blind..

panthdave Miami

panthdave says on Jan 13, 2008, 07:36:

Oh we denied the offer we just did not see any good forecast for Corporate Meetings in Medellin..with limited hotel space and accomidations...Mexico has been target for that and has been working amazing for large Corporate meetings...

panthdave Miami

adrimm says on Jan 13, 2008, 17:59:

Medllin Traveller,

Definitely the backpackers burning the trail. As long as nothing horrible happens, in 10 years they;ll go back with spouse (& possibly kids) in tow and some $$ to spend. In the meantime they spread the gospel to other young travellers and older open-minded travellers.

The thing I see possibly going wrong is criminals beginning to prey on the travellers as they are in other parts of Laton America that have seen tourism booms (I've heard that parts of Quito can be quite bad for this).