ANATO presents a positive outlook for the tourism sector in 2025

Throughout 2025, tourism in Colombia has consolidated its position as one of the country's best-performing sectors. The industry's positive performance has been driven by growth in key indicators, such as the arrival of foreign visitors, foreign exchange earnings, and air connectivity.

“The sector's dynamism in the country has been fueled by international tourism. Regarding Colombians traveling abroad, between January and October 2025, 4.7 million Colombians traveled overseas, representing a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This performance confirms the gradual recovery trend in the outbound tourism market observed over the last three years, with total departures increasing by 7.7% in 2024 alone,” stated Paula Cortés Calle, Executive President of ANATO

Furthermore, between January and September 2025, Colombia received 4.8 million non-resident visitors, of which 3.5 million were foreign non-residents entering the country, and 1.2 million were Colombians residing abroad. Likewise, the cruise passenger segment reported slight growth of 0.6%, reaching 217,000 travelers.

Regarding foreign exchange earnings from tourism, the country reached USD 5.247 billion during the first half of 2025, representing an 11.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. These figures continue the growth trend of 2024, when the sector closed with a 13% annual increase, reaching USD 10.083 billion.

Another indicator that has solidified as a strong pillar for the industry is air connectivity, evidenced by the favorable results in this segment. By November 2025, the country reported 6,809 weekly domestic flights, operated by 7 airlines covering 226 routes. Internationally, there were 1,520 weekly flights, an 11.3% increase, with 29 airlines connecting to 55 cities in 29 countries. Regarding air traffic, the country's airports handled 42.3 million passengers between January and September, representing a 1.7% year-on-year increase. Of these, 18.3 million were international passengers, a 7.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024, despite a 2.2% decrease in domestic passengers.

Furthermore, as of October 2025, Colombia reported 17,594 Travel Agencies with National Tourism Registry (RNT), representing a 10.7% increase compared to the previous year. “Our sector is showing greater business activity. In addition, regarding sales and product marketing, most agencies reported a favorable third quarter. According to the results of the ANATO-ETA Quarterly Survey, member agencies registered sales increases, especially in domestic destinations such as the Coffee Region, Cali, and the Caribbean coast, which accounted for 35% of the total. Internationally, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico-Cancun, the United States, and Panama stood out,” the industry leader pointed out.

Finally, for the end of 2025, ANATO projects USD 11.344 billion in foreign exchange earnings for the country from tourism, representing an 11% growth. Furthermore, a total of approximately 6.7 million foreign visitors is expected (-4.4% vs. 2024), due to the lower number of Colombians residing abroad. Even so, non-resident foreign visitors are projected to grow to 4.7 million (+5% vs. 2024). Regarding air traffic in 2025, 57.2 million passengers are expected (+1.3% vs. 2024). Domestic traffic is expected to decrease by 2.4%, with 32.5 million passengers, while international traffic is projected to grow by 6.6%, with 24.7 million passengers compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, the number of Colombians leaving the country is expected to reach 5.7 million, representing a 3.5% increase compared to 2024. According to the latest survey of travel agency sales, these are expected to grow by approximately 8% by the end of the year.

Source: Migration Colombia, BanRep, ProColombia, Aerocivil, Confecámaras and ANATO projections.