Tourism in Colombia will reduce prices and decouple from inflation in the first quarter of 2026

The tourism sector in Colombia showed a different behavior in relation to inflation during the first quarter of 2026, registering a decrease in the prices of key services such as tour packages and air transport, in contrast to the increase in the general price index.

Between January and March 2026, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 3.07%, exceeding the 2.62% recorded in the same period of 2025. In year-on-year terms, inflation reached 5.56% in March, marking one of the highest levels since 2024.

However, the tourism sector performed in the opposite way. During the same period, tour packages registered a variation of -1.96%, representing a drop of 5 percentage points compared to the 2.59% observed in the same period of the previous year. Similarly, air transport showed a decrease of -1.97% in the cumulative figures from January to March.

On a monthly basis, in March, air transport showed a slight increase of 1.65%, while tour packages continued their downward trend, with a variation of -0.54%.

From the sector, this behavior is attributed to an adjustment after the peak season and to lower demand from consumers, influenced by the increase in other household expenses, such as education and food, whose inflation levels exceed 5%.

“This behavior may be related to the adjustment after the high season, as well as a lower demand from travelers, associated with the increase in spending on other types of needs in households such as education and food,” said Paula Cortés Calle.

In this context, ANATO highlights that the current situation represents an opportunity for travelers to optimize the financial planning of their trips, taking advantage of the lower prices within the tourism sector.

With these indicators, tourism is positioned as one of the few activities that, in the current inflationary context, offers more favorable conditions for consumption, consolidating its relevance within the service economy.