Colombia, the gateway of South America to the world, recently attended IMEX America 2021, a leading trade show and hosted buyer program for the meeting, event and incentive travel industry,

Colombia’s strategic location, proximity and wide air connectivity to the US makes the country the ideal destination for hosting international events and conventions. The natural and cultural diversity Colombia outstands at a global level infusing every event with its variety in climates, landscapes, and the friendliness of its people. Among the features that make Colombia an ideal venue for meetings is the culture of service and the high standards in biosafety.

Colombia arrived at this year’s IMEX America 2021 with 13 participants of the meeting industry: Colombia en Colores, Colombian Journeys, Contactos, Decameron Hotels and Resort, Greater Medellín Convention and Visitors Bureau, Radisson Cartagena Ocean Pavillion Hotel, Hotel Cartagena Plaza, Las Américas, Hotel Intercontinental Cartagena – IHG, Plaza Mayor Medellín, Macondo, Muisca Travel and Events and VAOVA Travel.

ProColombia, had as in past years, an exhibition stand within the fair, in addition to hosting a special gastronomic experience for all the attendees highlighting a flavorful journey through the six tourism regions of the country.

According ProColombia “Colombia worked restlessly during 2020 for the readiness of the country and one of the biggest results translates in the alignment of all destinations into 6 regions, carefully curated in the most intelligent and sustainable way to foster ways to explore the country that stimulate the traveler to revisit, and travel across the country: The Colombian Pacific, with its flavors of forests and sea; the Eastern Colombian Andes, with legendary moors and valleys; the Western Colombian Andes, with its unique mountains of coffee and flowers; the Colombian Massif, and its ancestral origins; the Amazon-Orinoco, the green heart of Colombia, with sacred forests and plains; and the Greater Colombian Caribbean, with more than golden sands and coral reefs, home of fascinating cultures to festivals and music to sacred archaeological sites, to Gabriel Garcia Marquez magical realism”.

“Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and we are one of the fewest places with a Sustainable Tourism Policy, which seeks to develop a more responsible and resilient tourism industry that preserves precisely our regions, our culture, our vast territory and the environment”, said Flavia Santoro President of ProColombia, the agency in charge of promoting tourism in the country. “Colombia’s unique venues are available to host the most unforgettable events any day of the year”.

Another great asset that Colombia has for welcoming numerous tourists whether they visit for leisure or business is its international air connectivity. During 2021, international air connectivity has made significant progress, reaching by summer an unprecedented 112% in the reactivation process compared to February 2020, with major airlines connecting the US and Colombia.

Currently, there are in total 23 airlines connecting Colombia with 23 countries through 858 weekly frequencies.

For the MICE market the country has 27 convention centers and 455 hotels with rooms designed for holding events and more than a hundred non-traditional venues, including museums, gardens, squares, among many others! All of them are equipped with digital services and practical and avant-garde designs.