Tourism Up in Colombia Once Again

According to Colombia Reports:

Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism announced that tourism to Colombia increased 9.2% from January to August 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

819,613 foreign tourists arrived in Colombia between January and August, 2008, while 894.742 foreign visitors came to the country in the same period in 2009. On the other hand, more than 460,000 foreign travelers are expected to set foot on Colombian soil during the upcoming cruise season, which is 22,8% more than last year.

According to economic newspaper Portafolio, the Colombian association of travel agencies perceives a significantly increased income in the first semester of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, in spite of the 8% decrease in global tourism.

"We have perceived the same increase announced by the Ministry (of Trade, Industry and Tourism), which shows that the (travel) agencies continue to benefit, while airlines and hotels consider us their allies when it comes to the merketing of their tourist product, Mario Alfredo Nassar, a coordinator for the Colombian syndicate of travel agencies, said.

Tourism to Colombia started to soar as the security improved in and around the country's tourist destinations like Cartagena, Bogota and Medellin.