In this context, Travel2latam spoke with María Oriani, Meetings Tourism Manager at Procolombia.
What are the expectations and objectives with which Colombia is coming to present itself to the IBTM?
For us, IBTM is a very important fair. In fact, we go to IBTM Americas and IBTM World, since each one has a different segment and audience, even though some markets are the same. For us, the focus in Mexico is much more Latin American due to the location, and here it is much more European, but there is still a large American audience.
We have new markets developing with interest in Colombia, such as Poland and Italy, and in fact, we are starting new charter routes that, although not regular, can become commercial with more than one frequency per week. This arose from these fairs that we attended last year.
This opens up new opportunities between markets. It is a matter of supply and demand, there are opportunities for a new public to come to Colombia, who not only go to Cartagena, but also visit other regions of Colombia.
You mentioned Cartagena, but there are also several destinations and businesspeople present here. Who is with you?
We have four DMCs that offer services nationwide, including hotels, convention centers, destinations and bureaus, such as those in Cartagena and Bogotá.
We are ending the year, what taste does 2024 leave you with?
We are closing a very positive year. We are following the trend of some countries where 2019 was the star year, then it became 2022, then 2023 and today we are talking about a 2024 with very important figures. We are closing with a greater number of non-resident visitors to Colombia versus 2023, and with a very high GDP.
This is the year with the highest number of events captured, and we are also closing with new trends that are part of the strategic planning for next year, where although the incentive segment was the last to reactivate after the pandemic, we see great interest for Colombia and especially in the luxury incentive.
Today, Colombia is seen as an emerging country in the region and globally, one that has transformed itself and has been resilient in its perception of security. It is a country that has also redesigned itself so that its experiences are unique.
Medellín has been transformed, and this has happened in many of the territories of Colombia. Periods of violence have become experiences that attract international tourists interested in learning about this transformation.
We have very diverse destinations with a completely different offer, unique experiences close to nature, culture and the real history of Colombia that allow non-resident visitors to get to know the country of beauty.
Regarding the MICE segment, what are your expectations for 2025?
This year we have seen significant growth in congresses in the association market. We have gone from small congresses to global ones, and we know that we will continue to attract them over the next few years.
We see a great strength or opportunity in the corporate segment, where we have international corporations interested in an emerging market in Latin America such as Colombia. The joint work with the network of bureaus is also very important because we give visibility to the destinations through the bureaus so that they can promote their experiences internationally.
At this time there are great opportunities in meetings, specifically in corporate meetings and incentives, without neglecting the associative theme, where we have a very important challenge to help strengthen local associations so that they have that international advantage and that link with international associations to attract more events to Colombia.
Which destinations do you think deserve more exposure for the MICE segment next year?
Today we have a project where the idea is to work with emerging markets within Colombia and there is a focus on several destinations.
There is Valledupar, which is a large part of the Greater Colombian Caribbean, we have Cali, which is part of the Pacific, Quindío, which is part of the coffee-growing region, and the western Andes. We have, for example, Nuquí, which is part of the municipality of Chocó, and Bucaramanga, which is in Santander. Our intention is not to neglect those that are already developed, such as Bogotá, Cartagena, or Medellín, but we do need to strengthen other destinations that have an offer.
In addition, Mompox is also part of the Greater Colombian Caribbean, which has a very important project that will be launched in March: the cruise on the Magdalena River. This cruise will become a non-traditional incentive venue, and will be a unique luxury experience.