Re-Branding Colombia: ‘The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay’

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  10.02.08 | 1:37 PM ET

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Photo of Cartagena by ho visto nina volare via Flickr, (Creative Commons).

What? That’s the only risk? What about the drugs? The rebels? The risk of catching Shakira fever? I was watching “Larry King Live” the other night when I was suddenly faced with something far more interesting than the babbling pundits: a commercial promoting tourism to Colombia. It began with footage of feet walking along a beach and a gentle voice intoning, “You are at risk when you go to Colombia…at risk of amazement, of marveling, of falling in love…” Then came images of a snorkeler in turquoise water and smiling tourists. The kicker? “Colombia. The only risk is wanting to stay.”

Heading…

I don’t think the campaign is entirely new—poking around online, I see references to it going back months—but that was the first television commercial I’d seen.

We’ve been writing for some time about the rise in tourism to Colombia amid dropping crime and violence. This campaign is sure to reinforce that.

But Colombia’s bad old days may not be gone altogether. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota recently warned about the possibility of kidnappings by FARC rebels. World Travel Watch noted last month that “The Embassy prohibits personnel from using public transit throughout Colombia and urges travelers to do the same.”

Here’s hoping that peace prevails in Colombia.


 

 



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