Medellín strengthens its international positioning with gastronomy, entertainment and air connectivity at FITUR 2026
The Colombian city is focusing on leisure tourism, events, health, and the growth of international routes as the cornerstones of its strategy to attract more visitors and consolidate its global projection
What are Medellín's expectations and objectives for FITUR 2026?
Medellín is participating in FITUR with a strategic focus on strengthening entertainment tourism and the leisure segment. The city is gaining recognition as an international gastronomic hub, so one of its main priorities is to promote its culinary offerings. Through various routes, visitors can discover everything from haute cuisine to community-based tourism experiences linked to traditional gastronomy.
At the same time, the city continues to strengthen its position in the MICE segment, which has historically been very important. The goal is to continue attracting events and capitalize on the growth in air connectivity, which allowed the city to close the last year with more than two million international passengers, with expectations of maintaining or even exceeding that volume in 2026.
What is the strategy and the main objectives defined for this year?
Medellín's strategy is structured around three main pillars. The first is strengthening city promotion through attracting events and destination marketing initiatives aligned with priority segments.
These segments are four: MICE tourism, sports tourism, entertainment tourism, and health tourism. The latter is gaining increasing relevance thanks to the quality of the city's certified clinics and a highly professional medical ecosystem, which positions Medellín as a competitive destination in this sector.
Which markets are you prioritizing and how are you working with the private sector?
Medellín is developing its promotional strategy in coordination with the private sector. At FITUR, the city is participating with a delegation of businesspeople who are not only present at the Colombia stand, but are also carrying out a parallel agenda with the Bureau. This allows for an integrated presentation of all the experiences and products that make up Medellín's narrative as a destination.
Air connectivity is one of Medellín's greatest assets. What actions are being taken in this area?
Air connectivity is a key pillar for tourism development. Medellín is currently the second best-connected city in Colombia, with 61 daily flights to Bogotá, facilitating both direct arrivals and integration into multi-destination tours.
In addition, the city recently inaugurated a new route to Canada, which currently operates via Cartagena. The goal is to consolidate this route and move towards a direct connection, while simultaneously maintaining discussions with airlines to open new routes and increase frequencies, thus strengthening Medellín's growth as an international destination.