Tourism to Colombia grew 10 percent during the first semester of the year, while in the world it fall 8 percent, according to Cotelco, the Colombian Association of Hotels. The statement was done by Jaime Alberto Cabal, president of the hotels’ association and published by Dinero Magazine. More than 60 thousand foreign visitors have entered the Colombian territory during the first six months of 2009, much more than last year at the same period. (more…)
On 2009/08/21, In Travel, By Albeiro Rodas
If in past decades it was crazy to think in Colombia as a tourist destination, things are changing. The interest for the South American nation is growing, especially in US and Europe that used to regard Colombia as a pariah country and a dangerous spot.
But is it true that Colombia is a safe place to plan your next summer? At least it is what is said for well known tourist guides and agencies in the last years. But in this time Colombia has been placed as a luxury destination by the Luxury Latin American tourist website from US that focused on upscale travel in the Americas and reviews the best hotels in the region. (more…)
On 2009/01/25, In Travel, By Albeiro Rodas
The Chicamocha Aerial Tramway. Photo Chicamocha National Park
Now it is possible to contemplate the fascinating views of the Chicamocha canyon, the second largest of the world, in a modern aerial tramway. Near Bucaramanga, the canyon was declared natural park in 2006 and soon attracted national and foreign visitors to see one of the most famous geographical accidents of the Colombian Andes. Yesterday president Uribe inaugurated the aerial tramway. (more…)
The Inter-American Development Bank will have its 38th General Assembly in Colombia this year. The chosen place is Medellín, the second largest economical center of the country. It is expected an increase of four thousand foreign visitors to the country by that time, especially to Medellín. The Assembly will be celebrated between 27 and 31rst of March. By other the other hand, tourism has increased in Colombia in 13.5 percent in the last six years, thanks to the improvement of security in the country. (more…)
It is near to reach a historical season
By Vicente Arcieri and Juan Carlos Díaz / Correspondents of EL TIEMPO – Cartagena, published in Portaforlio.com.co / Translation by Albeiro Rodas, Colombia Passport
Colombian and foreigners tourists walk by its streets, fill its beaches and spend everywhere.
The turbulence of the economical recession still not touch the coasts of Cartagena, where a wave of tourists enjoy the city at ease. Even it seems that the activity did not to stop after the holidays. (more…)
On 2009/01/11, In Culture, By Albeiro Rodas
Normally a Caribbean city like Cartagena de Indias can be associated to Salsa, Vallenato and tropical dances. But this time Cartagena de Indias, the first tourist spot of Colombia, is the scenery of the most exquisite taste for classical music. And the best musicians of the world accepted the challenge to give concerts in one of the oldest cities of the Americas. (more…)
On 2008/03/16, In Culture, By Albeiro Rodas
Another great photographer in love with Colombia, Gregg Bleakney in his blog. Here the presentation:
Colombia Photo Gallery
From January through March 2008, I traveled over 4,000 kilometers by car, bicycle and boat through Colombia–from coffee to coastline, the Andes to the Amazon. My mission was simple: to photographically document the country in its current state and to determine whether it is ready for western tourism. What I discovered shattered my expectations. This is a gallery of 40 of the 4,000 photos I took. The gallery will continue grow as I sift through my shots. (more…)
On 2007/12/23, In Culture, By Albeiro Rodas
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgW8Y7F8DN8&rel=1]
On 2007/12/23, In Culture, By Albeiro Rodas
Medellín goes from murder capital to model city
Tomada en (Ver más fotos aquí)
Five years ago the hillside slum of Comuna 13 was the most brutal urban battleground in Latin America, a bloody microcosm of Colombia’s drug-fueled civil war. Left-wing guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries and well-armed drug gangs, often indistinguishable despite their ostensibly conflicting aims, had been fighting over the territory for years. Government, for most purposes, did not exist. In 2002, the casualty count for Comuna 13—in chaotic street fights, targeted assassinations and neighborhood-wide “cleansings”—numbered in the hundreds.
Today Comuna 13 feels like a completely different neighborhood. Its streets are relatively safe. School construction and public-transportation projects are now underway. But it is only the most dramatic example of the remarkable transformation of Medell?n, a city that struggled for decades to shed a notoriety, well earned in the days of Pablo Escobar and the Medellín drug cartel, as “the most dangerous in the world.” In 1991, the annual murder rate was 381 per 100,000 people—more than 500 homicides a month. In 2002, it was 184 per 100,000. Last year, it fell below 30, making Washington, D.C., look bad in comparison. (more…)
On 2007/12/16, In Culture, By Albeiro Rodas
Sihanoukville — ColPas (Picture “Medellin downtown in the night” by Wooden). Things like these were unthinkable ten years ago. Tourist guides used to put aside Colombia in the Latin America destinations. It was too risky. But now, National Geographic in its National Adventure, features Colombia as one of its six top destinations for 2008. “Discover why these countries garnered our highest praise and then find out how to experience them for yourself“, said the page that points out Colombia as “Mountain: Columbia” beside the other top destinations like Albania, Senegal, Norway, Mongolia and India. Even National Adventure compares the country with its neighbouring Venezuela: “While Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez has been busy stealing headlines, his once crazy Andean neighbor is quietly settling downâand tourism is heating up.”
What is underlined of Colombia to be an ideal destination for one of the most important world magazines is its colonial cities, the whitewashed mountain villages, the mist-laden coffee country and the rapidly developing tourism infrastructure. The recommended cities are MedellÃn and Cartagena, the ones that have been at the center of the tourism revival of the country in the last decade. While MedellÃn is an Andean mountain city with a population of about three million inhabitants in its Metropolitan Area, Cartagena de Indias is the queen of the Caribbean Sea with stunning beaches and historical colonial centers. But those two cities are only two within a list of many destinations that go from the coffee fincas along mountainous highways to natural ecology reserves of endemic species.
Recent Comments