AMERICAS – According to new figures released by its Ministry of Commerce Industry and Tourism, Colombia has seen a three-fold increase in the number of cruise ships arriving in the country in the last six years.
In 2006 there were 53 landfalls recorded at the country’s ports, a figure increasing to 166 in 2012.
The number of passengers also increased. Between 2006 and 2007 Colombia received 65,111 cruise passengers while between 2011 and 2012 this figure rose to 260,404.
“The cruises and international events that came to Colombia in recent years have fuelled the growth of international tourism in the country and we aim to become one of the major players in this sector,” says President of Proexport Colombia, the country’s national tourist board, Maria Claudia Lacouture. “To achieve these results we have worked with local authorities and the cruise companies to include Colombian ports to their destinations.”
During the 2012-13 season, the arrival of 347,334 cruise passengers and 193 landfalls are expected in the major port of Cartagena, which translates into an increase of 16 per cent against the previous season’s record of ships arriving there.
Residensea, Carnival Cruise Lines and Disney Cruise Lines have returned to the country after years of hiatus. Also, for the first time the Japanese Asuka, which arrived in Cartagena in 2012, will return to the port in 2014.
In terms of corporate tourism, within the past three years Colombia has risen six places to perch at number 29 out of 109 countries ranked by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
In 2012, Colombia hosted 138 events, 33 and 25 more than in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
“The country has been in constant evolution with respect to corporate tourism. In 2006, the ICCA ranked Colombia 50th place with 23 events, today we are in the top 30,” said Maria Claudia Lacouture, President of Proexport Colombia, the country’s tourist board. “For the country’s positioning as a destination for business tourism, Proexport also works in conjunction with the regional authorities; bureaus and / or chambers of commerce to attract events and therefore increase the flow of foreign travelers.”
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