The departure of the airlines Viva and Ultra has caused a 9% drop in the national flow of air passengers, accompanied by a 200% increase in air ticket prices so far this year. This crisis has hit the hotel sector and travel agencies hard, due to inflation and the 19% VAT that affects the tourism industry.
Faced with this situation, and with the aim of strengthening the presence of the region in the international scene of events and meetings, The Bureau of Santa Marta Convention, together with ten of the best hotels, restaurants and travel agencies in the city, has participated for the fifth consecutive year in FIEXPO, one of the most important specialized fairs for the meetings industry in the continent. In this event, Colombia reported an expectation of business for more than 100 million dollars, and Santa Marta presented a business expectation of more than 1.5 million dollars with international wedding and event planners.
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During the fair, the work carried out by the Bureau de Santa Marta agreement, under the direction of Luis Alejandro Dávila, to position and promote Santa Marta in the romance tourism industry. In addition, the importance of the specialized wedding strategy in specific segments was highlighted, such as Jewish weddings, LGTBIQ egalitarian weddings, Hebrew weddings and Orthodox weddings, among others. The Colombian ambassador in Panama, Mauricio Baquero, the director of the ICCA (International Association of Congresses and Conventions), Andrés Escandón, and María Eugenia Oriani, MICE tourism manager of Procolombia, praised the progress achieved in Santa Marta and highlighted the importance of promotion in the Panamanian market.
In addition to his participation in FIEXPO, Santa Marta has carried out a successful international promotion during this semester, visiting and training more than 300 wholesale agencies in Ecuador, Peru and Panama, countries considered strategic for the destination. The Chamber of Commerce of Santa Marta for Magdalena has also played a fundamental role in articulating efforts, through tourism programs such as the Macondo Natural Tourism Cluster, the tourism application “La Perla App” and international cooperation programs with the governments of the United States and Switzerland.
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Despite the challenges facing the tourism sector today, the industry will continue to work hard to promote tourism in Santa Marta and throughout the country. These actions seek to reactivate the economy and consolidate the city and Colombia as a first-rate tourist destination.