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Colombia seeks upgraded image to lure tourists
Better known in the past for drug wars and kidnappings, Colombia is now trying to deal in tourists.
Government officials say they have completed Phase I in tourism development, which was to boost domestic tourism in part by using 120-strong contingents of police to move visitors through roads considered unsafe because of guerrilla activity.
Most vacation roads are now safe, according to tourism official Jorge Humberto Botero, and are now ready for more tourists.
“We have beach resorts on the Caribbean. We have virgin jungle in the Amazon and along the Pacific. We have high mountains in the Andes,” Mr Botero told CNN.com.
Columbia had just over 1.7 million visitors in 2003, compared with Mexico, which had 19 million.
Mr Botero said even the US government’s travel warnings reflect the safety of Colombia. The US Department of State, while issuing a warning, noted that violence has decreased considerably in major cities such as Bogota, Medellin and Barranquilla.
Mr Botero said in addition to US visitors, he hopes to attract more Latin Americans and Europeans.
Report by David Wilkening
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