Successful edition of Colombia Nature Travel Mart

Manizales has received the tenth version of the Colombia Nature Travel Mart, a business conference led by ProColombia, in alliance with the Government of Caldas, the Mayor of Manizales, the Manizales Chamber of Commerce and Visit Manizales. 

Between September 14 and 16, around 50 face-to-face and 30 virtual buyers from 22 countries had business meetings with 90 Colombian businessmen who presented their offer of products associated with nature tourism. Buyers from the United States, Japan, France, Korea, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, among others, have taken part.

The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, highlighted the great natural wealth of the country, which positions it as one of the most biodiverse in the world. “Colombia treasures in its 1.1 million square kilometers 10% of the planet's biodiversity. That is why in the government of President Gustavo Petro we will promote green tourism as a sustainable source of balanced development and generator of decent income in all regions”.

For his part, Gilberto Salcedo, Vice President of Tourism of ProColombia, said that "Colombia Nature Travel Mart responds to the Government's strategy of consolidating tourism based on sustainability as a pillar of development and employment in the regions, with international tourists. and high-spending market niches, and that positions Colombia as a world power of life”.

He also assured that the context of the sector is very positive. “We have already reached, even exceeded, the generation of foreign exchange from international tourism that we had in 2019, before the slowdown caused by the pandemic. In the first half of the year, this figure reached US$3,207.5 million, which represents a recovery of 101.2% compared to the result recorded in the same period of 2019, when it was US$3,170.5 million” Salcedo pointed out.  

The Colombian offer is based on nature and adventure destinations in the Six Tourist Regions of the country, with innovative products, focused on attracting tourists from specific niches and with high-spending profiles, with the transversal attribute of sustainability throughout the portfolio. Among others, well-being experiences through direct contact with whales stand out, in Chocó; bird watching exclusively for women, in Huila and Putumayo; bicycle touring through coffee plantations, in Caldas; and tours designed to immerse yourself in the extensive savannah of Casanare, in search of mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians, in the midst of an environment that offers a memorable botanical experience

Among the novelties, the offer of hotel projects with innovative proposals, associated with nature and adventure, has been presented. One of them is Ankua, an eco hotel with a value proposal focused on experiences with nature, in the ecosystem of the Greater Colombian Caribbean; Casa Rosé, in Carmen de Viboral and Hacienda Santa Rosanna, in Risaralda. Likewise, air taxi companies such as Fly Colombia and agencies that facilitate the diversification of the portfolios of Colombian wholesalers, such as Tolima Travel, Amazonía Travel and Colombian Bike Roads, with a unique product for tourists interested in motorcycle tours.

The national offer has been presented by exporters from 15 departments, mainly from Cundinamarca (19), Valle del Cauca (7), Caldas (7), Quindío (6), Risaralda (5), Antioquia (4) and Bolívar (4). . Entrepreneurs from La Guajira, Magdalena, Tolima, Santander, Putumayo, Amazonas, Casanare and Boyacá also participate.

In parallel, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as ProColombia's international partner for conservation, led the measurement of CO2 emissions during the event, which was held for the first time in a scenario of this type.

The main foreign delegations, which participate both in the virtual and face-to-face scenario, are made up of buyers from the United States (13), Canada (9), the United Kingdom (7), France (5), Brazil (5) and Argentina. (5). Likewise, the participation of entrepreneurs from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Japan, China and India stands out.

Prior to the business roundtable, 45 entrepreneurs participated in six familiarization trips, which included nature destinations in the country's Six Tourist Regions, and products associated with bird watching, butterflies, community, a focus on tours led by women for women, orchids, mammals, among others; trekking and bike touring.

These trips allowed foreign buyers to get to know the tourist offer of nature destinations in Casanare, Putumayo, Meta, Huila, Chocó, Antioquia, Valle, Caldas and Cundinamarca.

In addition, in the prelude to Colombia Natura Travel Mart, the Chain Wheel was also held, between August 25 and 26, with the participation of 48 exporters, 249 suppliers and 803 scheduled appointments.

The chain wheel is one of the services offered by ProColombia as part of the Tourism Export Route, which offers businessmen the possibility of internationalizing their tourism offer, from training to promotion in international markets.