With more than US$100 million in business finished the 21st edition of the Tourist Showcase, carried out by the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Annatto).
(The formality in local tourism grew 25.6% in 2021).
Likewise, the event brought together 24,000 attendees professionals who, in principle, were expected to be 18,000 between airlines, agencies, hotels, guides and others. In addition to the 150,000 business contacts.
“We had more than 20 countries represented by their tourism professionals and this made it possible for the agencies to make alliances. It is important to highlight that it is not only important that tourists arrive in the country, but also that Colombians visit international destinations.”, said Paula Cortés, president of Anato.
For his part, the Minister of Finance, José Manuel Restrepo, pointed out that the reactivation of tourism has been faster than expected, the GDP of this sector amounts to $38.9 trillion, 15.6% more than in 2019. “This sector will be the protagonist in economic growth this year and in 2023,” he added.
(Bolívar, Atlántico and Valle lead the recovery from the regions).
In this sense, the Vice Minister of Tourism, Ricardo Galindo, highlighted the importance of formalization in the sector, emphasizing the graduation of guides within the regularization and the new resolution with the rules of the game of digital tourism platforms.
Holding this event, which sponsored interactions between the different service providers, was also an opportunity to address the sector’s projections for 2022.
(The business sectors that promote tourism in Colombia).
In that order of ideas, the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana, pointed out that it is expected that the number of foreign visitors reaches 3.1 million, 49% more than in 2021.
Another of the important announcements made by the fair was President Iván Duque’s proposal on reestablishing accounts in dollars for wholesale Travel Agencies to avoid the impact of the current exchange rate regime. “We are going to accelerate it, taking into account the important reactivation that the arrival of non-resident visitors to Colombia has had,” the president reiterated.
For the president of Anato, Paula Cortés Calle, the aid that the Government provided to tourism in the midst of the health emergency was key to enabling a recovery in the sector, which during December registered an accommodation occupation of 54.4%, a higher figure by 4.6 percentage points compared to the same month of 2019.
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