Colombia: Besieged By Narcoterrorists or Emerging Hot Destination?

Travel Blog  •  Michael Yessis  •  02.14.07 | 11:40 AM ET

Colombia ranked No. 2 in the Happy Planet Index last year, which seems an impressive finish given the country’s well-known problems. Drug cartels and years of civil war have colored the world’s impression of Colombia, and though those dangers have begun to recede the U.S. State Department has kept its travel warning in place. So how should we characterize Colombia? Daniel Kurtz-Phelan ventured to Bogotá and Medellín for a piece in the March issue of Travel + Leisure, and he writes of a country in transition. “Throughout my visit,” he writes, “everyone from government officials and security experts to shopkeepers and demobilized rebels told me that Colombia is becoming ‘a normal country’—or, if not quite normal, at least one where violence no longer defines daily life but merely infringes on its margins.”

It’s the fruit of an initiative spearheaded by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to make the country more attractive to domestic and international tourists.

Bringing about just such a renaissance has been a core part of President Uribe’s campaign. But he has focused as much on reclaiming rural areas as he has on rescuing urban centers. Securing the Bogotá-Medellín road and the areas around it was one of his first major offensives. In 2002, even before the military had increased its presence in the countryside or a controversial amnesty offer had persuaded paramilitaries in the area to start disarming, Uribe launched a high-profile tourism initiative called Vive Colombia Caravans, an effort to encourage Colombians to venture into the countryside again. On holiday weekends, a convoy of road-trippers would roll down a stretch of highway under the watchful eye of the military—an army of families in station wagons striking a blow for normalcy.

The number of international tourists, Kurtz-Phelan writes, has risen by two-thirds since 2002. But the country knows it still has far to go before it can attract large numbers of travelers. “The kind of image we have is not something you change in a day,” Carlos Alberto Vives Pacheco, the national director of tourism development, tells Kurtz-Phelan. “But when people in the United States see Colombians out in their own country, that the vast majority of the country is safe and clean, they will see that the reality is different.”

Tags: South America, Colombia


6 Comments for Colombia: Besieged By Narcoterrorists or Emerging Hot Destination?

TambourineMan 02.14.07 | 10:05 PM ET

Thanks for the link, Mike. I’m no fan of GWBush-clone Uribe, but this was good to read. Hope to get back there some day. Haven’t been since I was a kid.

mike 02.14.07 | 11:06 PM ET

I agree. It’s a good story.

I hope you get back someday, and I hope I can get there for the first time.

Rob 02.16.07 | 4:16 PM ET

My wife is from Colombia, we meet while we were both living in Miami.  I have been to Colombia several times and the first time I was pretty worried about crime, what to expect etc.  I have been there several times after that visit and when I go, I do not think about those things anymore.  I just focus on the beauty of it all.  I like to dive/snorkel/fish/ surf.  Those are the things I focus on now when I go back.

I think when traveling anywhere you just have to know where to go and where not to go.  Good article.

Annie 02.20.07 | 2:06 PM ET

I live in Colombia near Bucaramanga with my Colombian husband.  Have lived here 1 1-2 years.  I am as gringa as they come!  We have a tourism company involved in paragliding and bringing US and European travelers here to fly and discover the country.  I have travelled by car and bus over 50% of the country and never felt threatened ...felt more more threatened in my native California in cities like LA, Oakland, and SF.  Most people go to the Caribbean coast but the mountains and high mesas and farmlands are stunning.  I love Santander, Boyaca, Valle de Cauca, Cundimarca.  This country is a treasure and will be a major destination in the next 5 years.  Enjoy it now before it gets crowded and overpriced!

Doug 06.28.07 | 3:54 AM ET

I lived in Colombia for two years during the difficult years of Pablo Escobar’s reign, and never felt threatened even then!  I lived in Cali, Armenia, Buga, Popayan and Ipiales, but never got to make it to the capital.  The people there couldn’t be more giving and genuine, definitely not deserving of the reputation and stereotypes given them.  Walking through cities at night, taking crowded buses, visiting amazing tourist areas and not once feeling in danger.  From 1991 to 1993, this gringo-looking American learned to love a beautiful yet often-maligned country.  I wish the Travel Channel could show the world just how magnificent of a country Colombia is, and what everyone’s missing out on.

Tim J. 08.22.07 | 10:28 PM ET

Great article. I am married to a Colombian and have visited the country 4 times. I fell in love with Colombia from my very first visit. I’ve been to Latin America several times, so the bad image and crime didn’t really scare me. It’s for the most part stereotypical. Simply take the same precautions you would when traveling to any major city. We have visited Cali and several towns in Valle del Cauca, the country’s beautiful capital, Bogota, and the coffe regions of Caldas, Quindio and Risaralda. Trust me, they have some of the most stunning views and friendliest people I have ever encountered. The food is incredible and the ethnic diversity striking. Definitely not deserving of the bad reputation the media has spread over the years. Can’t deny its had its share of problems, but what country hasn’t. Today, Colombia is surely making it’s way up into the top travel destinations in Latin America. My wife and I love watching the Travel Channel and really hope to see more shows about Colombia… the world needs to see what this gorgeous country and wonderful people are really like.

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