Colombiche says on Dec 12, 2007, 09:23:
I guess this is it:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7120906.stm
A new hot-spot for the tourism industry
By Marián Hens
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
After 27 years of total stagnation, tourism is starting to flourish in Colombia again.
Now the country is safer, Colombia is trying to highlight its attractions
Marred for decades by drugs, lawlessness and Latin America's longest-running guerrilla war, Colombia's tourism industry is now awakening fast, and turning the country into a new hot-spot for travellers.
In historical Cartagena, Colombia's crown jewel on the Caribbean, business is booming.
Around the old city, handicraft shop-owners, jewellers and coachmen are more boisterous than ever.
Cruise ships have resumed docking in the colonial port, sending a clear signal abroad that, while there is still a great deal of violence in the country, parts of it are safe enough to visit.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has returned to Cartagena after a 5 year absence.
Travelling is now safe in wide swathes of the country
Andrés Delgado and Erika Bruges, eco-tour operators
"The number of tourists has clearly grown over the last couple of years and that's all to do with improved security", says Luis Caballero an emerald trader who owns a business in the heart of the city.
Overall foreign tourist visits to Colombia are expected to be up from half a million four years ago to 1.3 million for 2007.
The country is currently receiving more than $2bn (£967,000) of foreign exchange through tourism.
'Travelling is safe'
Andrés Delgado and Erika Bruges, a couple who run eco-tours in La Guajira, an indigenous region in the north, say President Alvaro Uribe's policies have made all the difference.
"Travelling is now safe in wide swathes of the country."
"Soldiers monitor security in roads and highways, and we Colombians are really enjoying this new freedom of movement," they add.
Many here credit President Uribe's tough stance on terror for the improvements.
Figures are on his side too; since he took office in 2002, kidnappings have dropped 73%, murders are down by more than 35% and urban crime rates have plummeted.
"This country has moved from terrorism to tourism", Uribe recently told delegates of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) gathered in Cartagena for their General Assembly.
"It is a great joy to see that the tourists are back."
The UNWTO also delivered a clear message through his Secretary General, Francesco Frangialli, that Colombia now offers a safer and more stable environment.
"Colombia has to be seen by visitors as a normal destination where people have a normal life", he told the BBC at the closing of the Assembly.
Image problems
But replacing conventional perceptions of Colombia is not that simple.
Despite the growth of visits, Uribe's government is aware that in many parts of the world, Colombia still means narco-terrorism.
The country is using the slogan "Colombia is passion"
"Colombia's image remains one of the stumbling blocks for the development of our tourist industry," Luis Plata, Colombian Minister of Tourism told the BBC.
"Together with the travel warnings issued by most countries on Colombia, these are two of our main challenges".
Under the slogan, "Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay" and an annual promotional budget of over $4m, the Tourism Ministry has just embarked on a campaign to improve the international picture of Colombia.
The country is also attempting to rebrand itself with the motto "Colombia is passionmbly.
"It is a great joy to see that the tourists are back."
The UNWTO also delivered a clear message through his Secretary General, Francesco Frangialli, that Colombia now offers a safer and more stable environment.
"Colombia has to be seen by visitors as a normal destination where people have a normal life", he told the BBC at the closing of the Assembly.
Image problems
But replacing conventional perceptions of Colombia is not that simple.
Despite the growth of visits, Uribe's government is aware that in many parts of the world, Colombia still means narco-terrorism.
The country is using the slogan "Colombia is passion"
"Colombia's image remains one of the stumbling blocks for the development of our tourist industry," Luis Plata, Colombian Minister of Tourism told the BBC.
"Together with the travel warnings issued by most countries on Colombia, these are two of our main challenges".
Under the slogan, "Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay" and an annual promotional budget of over $4m, the Tourism Ministry has just embarked on a campaign to improve the international picture of Colombia.
The country is also attempting to rebrand itself with the motto "Colombia is passion", a sentiment aimed as much at its citizens as visitors
No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)
0 funny, 0 helpful.
