FITUR: Santa Marta launches new image to commemorate its 500th anniversary

There, the destination launched its new image commemorating its 500th anniversary. In this context, Travel2latam spoke with José Domingo Dávila, Director of Tourism of Santa Marta. 

What we have just experienced is a historic moment. They have presented the Santa Marta brand for its 500th anniversary. What details can you provide about your participation here at FITUR?

We are very happy and excited to participate in FITUR, the most important tourism fair in the world, where the mayor has made the official presentation of the 500 years. Santa Marta is the oldest city in America, in South America, and the oldest in Colombia. It will be 500 years old on July 29 of this year 2025, it has four living indigenous villages in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, four natural parks, sun and beach, and it has an ancestral gastronomic culture. It is a spectacular destination that we want to put on the map.

What is the current state of tourism in the destination? How many hotels or beds do they have? How prepared is the city to receive visitors? 

Santa Marta is a total experience because it has sun and beach, hotels and large and important hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton. There is a sector called the Corredor Sur, where the best hotels with the best beaches are. We also have history and ancestry, we have the Sierra Nevada with boutique hotels, with small hotels, and coffee farms. We have indigenous people who weave backpacks and make coffee. There is ecological and nature tourism. In addition, we have the world-famous Tayrona Park.

Last year, we had more than 800 thousand visitors, and between December and January of this year we reached a record date at the Puente de Reyes, where more than 250 thousand people visited. More than 90 thousand people passed through the airport at the end of the year, and we had more than 80 thousand vehicles in the city of Santa Marta in December. This shows that Santa Marta is being seen as a destination of international stature, which is what our mayor wants and what we want as the Governing Body of Tourism of the City of Santa Marta.

What other activities do you have planned to promote the new brand internationally in commemoration of its 500th anniversary? 

We have a big event, with more than 30 travel agencies and wholesale operators from Spain, where we will present the destination as such. In fact, we rented a hall at FITUR, where we will make the official presentation of Santa Marta, seeking to have it included as a preferred destination to start selling it.

In addition, we are going to have large meetings every day. We have been working with a parallel agenda. We were in Seville the day before yesterday, where a twinning agreement was signed between the mayor of Santa Marta and the mayor of Seville, where large investments from businessmen are coming.

We also have a cocktail party tonight with the CAF at the Prado Museum, where Santa Marta will be presented with some special guests from Spain. We met this morning with the President of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, and tomorrow we have a meeting with the ambassador.

On the other hand, we met with the admiral who is coordinating the arrival of the daughter of the King of Spain to Santa Marta. In other words, we have an agenda, not only for FITUR, but also in parallel, in which we are making a presence and showing everything that the destination has to offer.

And after the event, what do you have planned?

We arrived in Colombia and in February we have the Anato showcase, which is the most important tourism showcase in the country and one of the most important in South America. Last year we managed to get Santa Marta chosen as an honorary city, so it will have a main stand and we will make the presentation there. We will have a cocktail party for 700 people and a press conference for the city, with a musical and gastronomic exhibition. We will continue to commemorate because, as our mayor has said, the 500th anniversary is not celebrated on the 29th, but from January 1st to December 31st, 2025.