Air connectivity and travel are an indicator of the trust that is generated between countries, they are also a tool that facilitates the promotion of destinations and is an asset that improves competitiveness and business closing between nations.
According to data from ProColombia, ANATO calculates that the country's connectivity with South America grew by 16% in April 2023; with the Caribbean and Central America, 13%; with Europe, 4%; but with North America, it presented a decrease of 19%, compared to the same month in 2022.
“We believe that the case of North America is due to the fact that in 2021 and 2022 there was a strong increase in trips to the United States, determined by the vaccination against Covid-19, since at the time it was one of the most accessible destinations, therefore that this decrease is due more to a readjustment of the situation”, explained Paula Cortés Calle, executive president of ANATO.
In line with the above, in pre-pandemic, Colombia had 421 direct weekly frequencies with North America; in April 2022, 543; and in April 2023, 441. Although there was a decrease in the figures, the normalization compared to that moment before Covid -19 is clear. However, when comparing April 2023 with the pre-pandemic period, a growth of 5% was shown.
During this month of April, the country has 22 new international routes and 5 withdrawals. Among the new ones are 6 from Bogotá; 6 from Cartagena; 4 from Medellin; 3 from Cali; 2 from Barranquilla and 1 from Santa Marta.
"Strong work has been done in promoting tourism in Colombia, in taking businessmen to international fairs to show the world the attractions of our regions and training actions have been promoted for the actors of the value chain and of this way to strengthen their competitiveness. These strategies must be accompanied by greater air connectivity to encourage the arrival of foreign visitors and with it, the entry of foreign currency to Colombia”, said the union leader.