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When Proexport Colombia began a campaign to promote tourism five years ago, not one UK tour operator offered Colombia as a destination; now there are over 60. And Antioquia, a region with access to both rainforest and mountain in an eternal spring, is positioning itself to attract UK tourists, who are outpacing European and global tourists to Colombia in record numbers.
Among the many festivals throughout the year – the Poetry Festival and Myths and Legends Parade, for example - Medellin is home to the Feria de las Flores in the first week of August, when the world’s largest horse and flower parades take centre stage by day and bands and concerts run long into the night.
For the business minded, international trade fairs have proven successful for the region, with events such as the construction industry’s biennial Expocamacol drawing buyers from dozens of countries. Still, even business can be combined with golf and leisure tourism.
If you bring together all the festivals, along with trade fairs and business tourism, Mayor Alonso Salazar believes “we have an extraordinary product”, adding that a short distance from the city, are some of the best beaches in the Pacific and Atlantic, as well as the beautiful area of Peñol Guatape.
A popular hiking spot, Guatape is a small town near one of Colombia’s largest lakes and site of El Peñol, a 200-foot monolith rock with spectacular views. Though it is now a lake community of beautiful homes and small farms, it used to be a home for Pablo Escobar and his cartel and afterwards, FARC rebels.
That’s testament to how far the region has come in a short time. |
