Virtual tourism, the new way to discover Colombia

Virtuality has become a main ally of entrepreneurs to continue showing the world the wonders of Colombia. This is how many have adapted their offer of tourist experiences to digital experiences.
”In these months the sector has remained active and has made a great effort to be prepared to meet international demand at the right time. While we are online experiences are a great alternative that keep interest in our destinations alive, by giving tourists a taste of everything the country has to offer, ”says Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

Pacific, hidden paradise
With this name Juan Carlos Restrepo, CEO of Be Pacific, decided to baptize his new virtual tour where he allows tourists to appreciate all the cultural attractions and adventure experiences that the Pacific Coast of the country offers.
“We started to develop this tour from all the video files we already had and in the end we obtained a product that is an alternative to do in this time of confinement, but it also became a tool that can remain in the web pages ”says the businessman.
This is how, through an hour and a half video, viewers get closer to culture, observe activities within the same community that revolve around sustainability, and can even travel the road from Cali to Buenaventura to get on a boat that takes them to Juanchaco and observe the whales that at this time of year migrate to warmer waters to give birth to their young.
Since June they launched the tour to the public through the Zoom platform, bringing this experience to North American and local tourists, and now they are in the process of translation to present it to a network of tour agents in India, South Africa, Europe, England and Spain.

Coffee culture through the screen
The postponement of the bicycle, hiking and culture tours in the Coffee Region, led the RetroCiclas Tours Colombia operating agency to explore new alternatives to offer its clients.
"We already knew the situation well and knew that we were going to be quiet for a long time, so since March we started working on the design of two activities to provide online experiences for virtual world travelers," says Arvey Alfonso Granada, leader of operations and company owner.
One of the experiences is the Virtual Coffee Tour, where they open the doors of their coffee farm and allow tourists to learn about the entire process of coffee, from the tree to the cup, and which has allowed them to reach new markets.
"Currently we have served more than 90 people, and something nice is that we have had more clients from Latin American countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru, when we are not specialized in this market," explains the businessman.
This experience, which includes the stages of harvesting when there is harvesting, fermentation, washing, and artisanal drying in the sun of the beans, ends with a flourish with an ideal preparation sample that has left excellent comments on Viators.com, Trip Advisor and your own website.
In addition, through the plan "Enjoy the Awakening of the birds" they manage to show some of the species of birds that arrive at the farm in the morning, through digital platforms and a remote camera installed.
According to Granada "we have registered 92 species, of which one can easily see between 15 and 20 in one morning. In this experience we place great emphasis on the importance of birds for nature and for a policy-based crop like ours of environmental sustainability ”.
To date they have made a total of 30 tours of this type, and 80 experiences around coffee.

Colombian cuisine and local talent
Foodies, an agency dedicated to the design of gastronomic experiences in Bogotá and Cartagena, launched its new experiences online.
“We are getting ready for when travelers return, during this time we have trained ourselves to guarantee safe gastronomic experiences in collaboration with our suppliers, including those who work in market places and street kitchen stalls. Colombia has assumed as a country a commitment to safe tourism to which we are also betting ”says María Gutiérrez, creator of the company.
Through their website www.foodies.com.co, since last July 13, they offer for the first time premium experiences in a shared option, such as walks to the Plaza de Paloquemao in Bogotá or cooking classes in Cartagena .
In addition, they also include thematic cooking classes consisting of “´Cooking García Márquez´, which joins our collection of experiences inspired by Gabo's literary menu, this time with a selection of recipes drawn from“ Love in the Times of anger"; #BlackFoodMatter serving our black roots on a three-course menu in which we are proud to present the exuberant diversity of ingredients, techniques and recipes inherited from Africa that are kept alive in the culture of two world heritage sites: Cartagena and San Basilio de Palenque; and finally "Empanada Feast", a tour of Colombia from 4 recipes with different doughs and fillings that will take us on a trip to the Caribbean regions, Valle del Cauca and the mountains of the coffee landscape "according to the businesswoman.
In each experience, those interested can download a graphic sheet that summarizes the Foodies promises and the commitments expected of each traveler to continue with the protection protocols during the pandemic mitigation period.

ProColombia with entrepreneurs
Under the slogan let's change isolation for enlistment, ProColombia made its Ruta Exportadora program virtual, a service that enables entrepreneurs in a practical way to give them tools and thus begin their internationalization process.
To date there are more than 11 thousand entrepreneurs trained in different topics such as: useful tips in the tourist operation; strategies to build a differentiating tourism product; tools to strengthen sustainable tourism; biosecurity in tourism, among others.
At the end of each category of video capsules, entrepreneurs can receive a certification and continue, if validated, with personalized advice.