Columbia has announced a $4 million ad campaign to lure back tourists.
Over the last few years President Alvaro Uribe has taken a hardline approach against Farc rebels and disarmed paramilitary groups. The result has been that kidnappings have fallen by 73%, and Columbia has launched the campaign to rebuild it’s image as a “safe” tourist destination.
I know tourists seem to have memories worse than goldfish, but it’s my feeling that Columbia have a lot of work to do to repair it’s battered image worldwide. Also $4 million dollars is a comparatively modest amount for a global advertising campaign.
In 2004, 10 tourists were captured by Farc rebels despite the deployment of 100,000 security guards in the National parks and tourist hotspots. Farc were kidnapping 100’s of people each year for ransom, and paramilitary groups were thought to be kiling 3,000 people a year.
Today, Columbians themselves feel safer than for decades, and are ready to try and lure back vacationers to see the Amazon rainforest, white sandy beaches and ancient monuments. Many visitors also come to take advantage of so-called “plastic surgery tourism”.
Many tourists are already chancing their luck, with nearly 1 million foreign visitors arriving in Columbia during 2005. In fact Columbia is again one of the top 10 holiday destinations according to the Lonely Planet.
However, there is still a US goverment travel advisory warning against travelling to Columbia at this time. It seems many tourists are ready to chance their luck!