Arrival of foreigners to Colombia had a better reactivation than the rest of the continent
"The flexible measures for the entry of visitors to the country, and the design of innovative portfolios by Travel Agencies, have been key to attracting more tourists to choose us as their next destination" said Paula Cortés Calle, Executive President by ANATO
The reactivation of tourism in the country continues its progress. Despite not showing a rapid acceleration, its steady recovery in 2021 surpassed even the figures in South America and the world in the arrival of foreign visitors, which shows Colombia as one of the destinations with the greatest progress in the region.
At a global level, according to the Barometer of the World Tourism Organization, UNWTO, last year 415 million international tourist arrivals were reported, that is, a reactivation of 28%. In fact, the forecasts of 64% of the experts estimate that international arrivals will reach the figures for 2019, approximately in 2024.
As for the South American report, the reactivation reached only 18%, while, according to ANATO calculations, based on figures from Migración Colombia, the arrival of foreigners to Colombia in 2021 closed at 38%, which it stands out among the region and the world.
“The flexible measures for the entry of visitors to the country, and the design of innovative portfolios by Travel Agencies, have been key to attracting more tourists to choose us as their next destination. In addition, during the ANATO 2022 Tourist Showcase, which we will hold from February 23 to 25, sector entrepreneurs will find new alternatives that allow them to strengthen their offer and thus expand the receptive market”, explained Paula Cortés Calle, executive president of ANATO.
It should be noted that within the main issuing countries during 2021, the Dominican Republic stood out, with a reactivation of 91%; followed by the United States, with 73%; Paraguay, with 56%; Israel, with 51%; and Panama, with 46%.
However, the data on the arrival of foreigners to Colombia in December 2021 was positive, since a reactivation of 79% was reached when compared to the same month in 2019. It is noteworthy that there were three countries that reported growth figures, compared to 2019: Dominican Republic, with 68%; United States, with 16%; and Chile, with 6%.
“We hope that during 2022, Colombia will continue to lead the levels of reactivation in the region, through the continuous work of the private sector with the National Government, identifying the challenges and assuming them with the creation of more actions that benefit both the business fabric and the travelers”, concluded the union leader.