Is the US downturn affecting tourism in Colombia??

panthdave says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:26:

I don't think so maybe Medellin because many people can get great airfare with Spirit to Cartagena..Will be in Thursday night Medellin but not a tourist...I fly back and forth it has been a hassle looking for fall tickets right now...I already purchased my tickets thru August..thank god all under 5....Airfare will be the killer though....

panthdave Miami

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Medellin Traveler says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:29:

My flight to Medellin last month was EMPTY!

The economy has definitely forced many would-be travelers to stay close to home. I may have to cancel my trip in August this year, pushing it back to Thanksgiving weekend.

"Huevos Rancheros en Medellin, No Quiero Taco Bell." - www.medellintraveler.com

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goin_south says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:30:

Prepagos? You can't even ask what ladies are like in Bolivia; a simple cultural question, I thought.

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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usher127 says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:35:

yeah... i've heard similar stories of hotels, etc being empty....

i'm pleased pbh happy is not aiding whore mongers... well done peter... let's preserve Colombia

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goin_south says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:37:

(and, Bolivia!) jej

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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Monpirri says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:41:

Jajjajaja that is a funny stuff, so Medellin economy is down now? Well paisas need to get their act together and start thinking how to suceed in business without the prepagos activity

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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usher127 says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:44:

Well... i don't know if it's true... maybe just rumour... but it's not medellin's fault...

MT.... so, is your flight normally full of gringos... that's also hard to imagine...

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Monpirri says on Jun 10, 2008, 17:46:

Maybe they can start to get all the cement back to Colombia.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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arthur brode (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 10, 2008, 18:24:

Medellin Traveler says on Jun 10, 2008, 19:38:

usher127 says, "MT.... so, is your flight normally full of gringos... that's also hard to imagine..."

NO. I've only seen about five gringos/gringas overall, on all my flights to Medellin.

"Huevos Rancheros en Medellin, No Quiero Taco Bell." - www.medellintraveler.com

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Mr. Hollywood says on Jun 10, 2008, 20:27:

A downturn in US tourism to Colombia is like a downturn in a drop of water.

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Monpirri says on Jun 10, 2008, 20:30:

Medellin Traveler thanks for the updates.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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goin_south says on Jun 10, 2008, 21:46:

nice analogy, Hollywood.

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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adrimm (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 10, 2008, 21:51:

miamimike says on Jun 10, 2008, 22:38:

I think a factor with more influence is the future price of Oil and its global effect. Just tonight they had a Panel of Experts forecasting that $200/Barrel Price for Oil and its within striking range. Short-term all it takes is one global disaster like Katrina or some blowup in the Mid East and there it is $200 Oil. This would have a big effect on Tourism world wide, not only Colombia. SEEING HOW THEIR ECONOMY(col) IS JUST GETTING OFF THE GROUND(caps sorry) it would have far reaching effects on Col's ecomony. Less Tourists due to high Jet Fuel prices, routes that are dropped due to nonprofitability, the Col Agriculture Industry to mention a few influencing factors. The Col Economy is very dependent on Oil and look at current Gas Prices at the Pump in any Col Major city! I cannot see how it would NOT affect their Economy overall including tourism. If you had neighboring countries(venezuela, Ecuador) full of tourists heading into Colombia that would be another matter but that is not the case for Colombia. A Good example is here in the Northern USA many people head north not too many miles into Canada for a Summer's Vacation. Colombia doesn't have that Luxury as a local south american tourist mecca as say Chile or Argentina.I'll bet come this Xmas season here in Miami, Air Traffic to Col will be down and by how much depends on the Future price of Jet Fuel!

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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gorgonabob says on Jun 11, 2008, 05:23:

but its a spectacular day here in medellin at the moment, 7.30am looking out the window.

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bufalo says on Jun 11, 2008, 05:44:

Must admit that Medellin was oooooookay, but beaching it all day on the coast then clubbing it all night was waaaaaay better.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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goin_south says on Jun 11, 2008, 06:17:

I like that style, too... bufalo.

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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rocinante says on Jun 11, 2008, 07:14:

You can do everything there is to do in Medellin in 2 days. Why people come on vacation and hole up in Poblado for 4 days is a godamn marvel of modern science.

"MT.... so, is your flight normally full of gringos... that's also hard to imagine" Usher to MT's comment about his recent flight to Medellin being empty

Don't you think that just maybe there are Colombian Americans (That would be people of Colombian herritage who live and work in the US and are thusly affected by the recession and oil prices) who might not travel to Colombia, hence empty seats on planes?

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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goin_south says on Jun 11, 2008, 07:18:

Colombia needs to do everything She Can to end the gRingo recession NOW! lol

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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bufalo says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:05:

If I going to vacation in a city (unless it's for family or a novia or something) it'd be somewhere worthwhile.... Barcelona, Tokio, something major like that, not Medellin. I think a lot go now because although the danger level is down it still has a bad rap around the world for being dangerous so they can talk it up in a "I survived" type of way.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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bufalo says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:07:

If it wasn't for family, we wouldn't come back to Colombia for vacations. The ones that go to the states finally get 2 weeks vacation and don't want to go to the same place, have to bring gifts, have to visit family they don't care about. They finally have a chance to do something else and they do so.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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ColombianoGringo (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:11:

Roci, You're right. In my case, the high peso/low dollar and increased airfares haven't slowed my travels to Colombia yet, but if it continues to get worse, I will probably travel a bit less. It could also cause me to spend less when I'm there.

However, for a lot of Colombians in the US, this combination of circumstances has made it almost impossible to travel. It is also affecting the amount of pesos they can send home.

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gorgonabob says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:20:

funny thing Medellin... from no hostels six years ago to ten or so now. having lived here for several years i can say its a great place and there are more and more tourists coming every year... medellin makes a good base to explore other areas around the city and its well on the tourist trail.. easy connections to Panama by Turbo, Cartagena, Salento and Bogota... also more and more flights coming through Rionegro, getting a lot more people flying up from Lima. also some people just want to chill out in a first world city after travelling hard for several weeks. they want to read a book, go to the dentist, go out a bit. cook a good meal in the kitchen etc.
Though saying all this I doubt the average occupancy of hostels in medellin on a day like today would be higher than 40%... The prices are certainly going up here.. Many work out there costs in US$, even Europeans and the price just keeps going up. I was going to raise my prices from 17.000 for a dorm to 18.000 but recently decided against it. Also the price of doubles is a bit high in hostels in Medellin, well have to do something about that.

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rocinante says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:21:

CG agreed - my point is that empty seats on MT's plane are not just because of pasty white gringos of Mayflower herritage feeling the crunch in the US. The empty seats on the plane are also Colombian Americans who are also feeling the crunch. Everyone with ties to Colombia who lives and works in the US is getting crunched by airfare and USD/COP FX rates.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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miamimike says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:32:

The small Col Business(store) in my north miami neighborhood informs me remittances, prepaid calling card purchases all are down the last few months as well as package shipments. His small business is pretty indictative of many stores catering to Miami area colombians, quite a seachange business wise,,,clothing, computer related, beauty product shipments all down,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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panthdave says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:55:

All tourist have there spending habits when vacationing some spend five star and some spend 2 star but that option is open everywhere you go...The number one reason tourist will be down is airfare....which there are only two options Coach or First-Business Class so the budget traveler will need to spend more for airfare and has no other choice..that will be the killer...I go down to Medellin many weekends just to relax do my barbacue, spend time with GF,family, and friends. Sometimes weekends and sometime a week...but not a vacation..My vacation will be coming where my GF and I will be spending time in San Andres or DR Christmas Week we have not decided yet...but we going on a full vacation no computer and no work..at all..Just relax and chill with my Corona..on the beach..So I agree for a vacation I would not go to Medellin...I rather be on the beach in the islands and clubbing at night...

Cartegena should not be affected with the cheap airfare from FLL and that is discrimation against Medellin and Cali I would sa..

panthdave Miami

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nine inch nails says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:09:

"yeah... i've heard similar stories of hotels, etc being empty...."

but I regularly check hotel rates (4 star) and now they seem even higher pricewise although maybe the downturn hasn't impacted the high end yet. I can no longer or no longer want to pay $130 taxes for a 4 star. $80-$90 ok but not much more. I know you can get 2-3 star for $50 but for jus a few days like some more features. Plus I still haven't really found anything in 2-3 star range I'm confortable with although I know it is there. I spent a good part of my last 7 days MDE just checking out areas and looking for more longer term 2-3 star accomodations.

I would agree overall though that economy here in US is impacting CO and rest of Latin.

The Hedge funds have all gone wild on us!

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nine inch nails says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:13:

bufalo,

did you see or read about the fuel strike in Spain this past weekend affecting Barcelona? I love BCN also but don;t know what it would be like there currently with food and fuel shortages.

The Hedge funds have all gone wild on us!

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rocinante says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:16:

Let me say that Medellin is a great place to live if you can afford it. No disrespect to a great city.

But visiting Pablo's grave, taking the metro cable, checking out Botero's fat sculptures and watching midgets dance at Mangos (for outragous prices) is the bottom of the barrel tourism wise. If I'm travelling through South America, Medellín is the low point of the vacation. I know it all depends on what one is looking for but uh....

I would much rather stay in Cartagena and enjoy the restaurants and beach and beautiful architecture - ditto Bogotá. Medellín is kind of boring actually.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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nine inch nails says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:18:

Carta fares still seem reasonable from FLL about $400 but MDE $900!!!!! I know it gets high this time of year but only $650 or so last year which was already inflated then another $250??

This years fuel surcharge should already be included in last year's $650 fare but ... the monopoly AA and Avianca have on MDE we all know about.

On a good note found an airfare to Panama for only $240 RT yest. from MIA.

The Hedge funds have all gone wild on us!

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bufalo says on Jun 11, 2008, 10:37:

nine inch nails- yeah I saw that, they also have acueduct trouble and would supposedly loose all their water in a few months. Yikes!

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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tejasmarcos says on Jun 11, 2008, 10:55:

"You can do everything there is to do in Medellin in 2 days"

- impossible. i have been here almost 2.5 years and i am still discovering new places to see and things to do in and around Medellin. besides that, the great thing about Medellin is the culture of the people and the area. Antioquia is full of awesome people to get to know...

trying to walk a straight line on sour mash and cheap wine...

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Medellin Traveler says on Jun 11, 2008, 11:26:

rocinate is correct, all my previous flights out of Miami have been booked with Colombian travelers, with a gringo/gringa on a couple of my flights. On my last flight I overheard a Colombian woman remark to her friend how empty the plane was compared to average flights, which her friend commented about airfare going up, amongst other things.

"Huevos Rancheros en Medellin, No Quiero Taco Bell." - www.medellintraveler.com

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nine inch nails says on Jun 11, 2008, 12:26:

I thinkin too that yeah the hostels and budget accomodations still doing good as their guests proly coming down for extended periods and can live cheaply for longer periods of time but us workin blokes here in US that only have so much time off we (or at least I) can't afford to travel down somewhere every 6 wks. or so now with airfare the way it is. So now have to wait more like every few months and by each 3 month break hell I'll take a whole week and do that several times a year at least. But the long weekends away somewhere are just about gone now.

Yeah TM I always find ways to fill my time too exploring new areas or just working out, budget shopping etc. Never really been bored in MDE. I wanna ride the new cable car line.

The Hedge funds have all gone wild on us!

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panthdave says on Jun 11, 2008, 12:31:

Well...Airfare during the summer I don't see much difference....well I bought all my summer tickets before this fuel thing in April and early May...all under 5 Beans for all my summer tickets..Fall tickets my god I paid last year with American I bought 7 RT tickets at 335.00 each for there fall special including taxes this year all above 5.5 beans but fall promotions will come out in July lets see what happend..

Overall Colombia will lose tourism due to Airfares...because people can re adjust from 4 star to 2 star if they want its the airfares..

Fuel goes up anymore Damn I don't care how horrible an airline is as long as they go up and go down to my destination even I have to stand up the whole flight like a subway..I wish they would have General Admission Discount Tickets...I would sit on the floor don't give a damn I like to save money...So please Spirit start flying to Rio Negro..

panthdave Miami

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miamimike says on Jun 11, 2008, 13:44:

With the current recession and many Colombians here in Miami having their hours cut at work, spending much more $$$ to maintain themselves(and their families) here how could it NOT affect how often the travel to Col, what they send(and how much) and the frequency? They did a study on Cuban Remittances from Miami, which usually run around $15 Million weekly and their remittances are way down also,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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Medellin Traveler says on Jun 11, 2008, 14:16:

Western Union recently reported a drastic decline in monies being sent out of the US. The economy is affecting everyone.

"Huevos Rancheros en Medellin, No Quiero Taco Bell." - www.medellintraveler.com

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Monpirri says on Jun 11, 2008, 14:37:

That's because they are using a cheaper service.

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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sandman0011 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 11, 2008, 15:07:

durito says on Jun 11, 2008, 15:26:

I've never been on a plane from the US to anywhere in Central/South America except costa rica/mexico where there were more than a handful of gringos on the flight.

There are 10x the number of hostels and probably 2x the number of hotels in Medellin today (with more opening everyday it seems) than there were the first time I came here 5 years ago. And the prices are double, so I'd say business must be pretty good. Who's coming is another story -- outside of friends that live here, I almost never see other gringos (even in poblado).

5 years later and I'm still discovering new places to go and stuff to do -- and it's still my favorite place in south america.

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getting better says on Jun 11, 2008, 16:02:

I am involved in helping tourism in Colombia and my perception is that we would have experienced a massive growth due to the better security situation and more positive image, but that this growth will be much more modest due to the dramatic movement in the exchange rate and the US (and to a lesser extent Euopean) economic situation.
Colombia has unique attractions and to some extent has a backlog of people who "need" to visit but have been deterred by the security situation, but on the other hand its international competitiveness as a tourist destination has been massively eroded by inflation and exchange rate movements.

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Joel y Luza says on Jun 11, 2008, 16:09:

I read an interesting story..... since you all are talking about the US economy on tourism in colombia, and maybe the Colombian economy. The story went along the lines that the world has done a great job decoupling from the US economy, and other areas, namely asia and europe are picking up, where the US left off, economically. The addressed toursim.. Alot of countries that used to attract USD have learned to go after the EURO or YEN, or YUAN. I ``````
hate to say it, but Ol' Uncle Sam is off his game a bit..

It was interesting to note they proposed that SA, central america, and north america start forming a cozier relationship in order to survive the Asian and Indian economic Tsunami over the next few years. Hmmmm maybe more uniform growth economically throughout the Americas and Caribbean?

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bufalo says on Jun 11, 2008, 17:50:

about going after the Euro. The guys in Time's Square that sell pirated CD accept Euros now. Saw it on the news, they prefer them.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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Joel y Luza says on Jun 11, 2008, 22:21:

Hell... a lot of business owners that travel to Europe are taking euros now. One gentleman that trades in french art will only accept euros.. He goes to Paris to buy a couple of times a year, and it saves him on the exchange rate spread and he has been gauranteed a bit of appreciation, between trips.

I think the treasury has their work cut out to get the USD value back up. something is wrong when the canadien dollar is at par with the usd after years of being 70-80 cents on the dollar..

I can understand the COP strengthening, Colombia actually has better percapita economic growth, than a lot of countries, but canada? they export hockey sticks and drink beer???

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rocinante says on Jun 12, 2008, 06:09:

Sandman is correct - it's the amount of time.

Tejas you write "impossible. i have been here almost 2.5 years and i am still discovering new places to see and things to do in and around Medellin. "

Dudeski - You LIVE in Medellin, don't work and have all the time in the world. I was talking about people going on vacation and being able to do the major things all in two days - not discovering a little bar in El Hueco. This thread and comments are about tourism and people on vaction. I could vacation in Paris and see all the major stuff in about 2 weeks - but if I moved there I could spend forever discovering new things because cities such as Paris (and NYC) are dynamic and constantly evolving. There is a difference.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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bufalo says on Jun 12, 2008, 07:38:

True you could live in the boondocks somewhere in Buttplug, Idaho and still discover new things every day.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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sloopskipper says on Jun 12, 2008, 07:40:

Monpirri says on Jun 11, 2008, 14:37: flag

"That's because they are using a cheaper service." Maybe not only that.

I sent money to Cali a few weeks ago, via Western Union. They have my credit card number, and after the first couple transactions I could do it all on the computer.

But this time, it was still incredibly expensive, but also an economy sized PIA. I had to call them and answer a bunch of stupid questions about facts they found in my credit report. Like identifying a Volvo lease from 2001, and telling them what banks I DIDN'T have accounts with.

I sent it for a friend and the recipient did not really know my name, or that the money did not come from Panamá, but from my pseudo address in Florida.

They had her name, and she had her cedula (and the transaction number), but it was a hassle for her.

Next time, Moneygram.

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Joel y Luza says on Jun 12, 2008, 09:18:

i use moneygram very easy electronically.. They do monitor your isp and will call you to verify that its you sending from a different computer or location... I think its pretty secure..

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podborski says on Jun 12, 2008, 10:02:

80% of my guests here in BsAs are American.

Quite a few tell me they were going to go to Spain or France or Italy then they saw the euro...now they are all coming here instead.

Not sure if Colombia is getting quite the same benefit, as the COP went up so much, as opposed to the argy peso which has not moved in 2 or 3 years.

People with euros are coming here and literally laughing at the prices...

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billyb says on Jun 12, 2008, 10:27:

Sh!t, euros in argentina? Must be sweet.

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BillBigD says on Jun 12, 2008, 15:28:

Argentina still good valve for the US $. Top end hotels are pricey but eats are very well priced.

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