Colombia Seeks To Promote Natural & Cultural Tourism In Guainía

Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, through its National Tourism Fund (Fontur), has begun to conduct trade missions in Cartagena, Bogotá and Cali to promote the natural and cultural tourist attractions of Guainía, one of the southern, rural departments of Colombia, sparsely populated yet full of natural beauty and indigenous culture.

With this commercial agenda, the Ministry and Fontur seek to impact the economy of the entire tourism sector of the department, composed of 49 tourism firms and 2,000 individual service providers, including artisans, merchants, agro-industrial producers, and others.

According to Vice Minister of Tourism Arturo Bravo, with these trade missions “we seek to contribute to the goal of increasing by 30% the visits of domestic and foreign travelers and hotel occupancy in Guainía, a department with a great natural wealth that is worth visiting.”

He added that the “diversification of tourist destinations is a key part of the government’s plan for the consolidation of total peace in the country.”

Álvaro Balcazar, the General Manager of Fontur, said that within the framework of the promotion of non-traditional destinations, Fontur seeks to strengthen sustainable and responsible tourism. “Guainía has unparalleled landscapes with plateaus and a jungle with multiple rivers and fauna where travelers can responsibly enjoy nature.”

According to information from the Ministry of Tourism of Guainía, as of October 2022, 3,419 tourists have entered the department, of which 659 are foreigners and 3,098 are Colombian tourists. In the coming year, the ministry hopes that more travelers will choose Guainía as their next destination and thus favor the development of competitiveness and promotion of it.

Among the tourist attractions that are being promoted are the Puinawai National Natural Reserve, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Carmen, the Coco Viejo Petroglyphs, the Maloca Cultural house, the Monument of Princess Inírida, the indigenous communities of Coco viejo, Yeral and Curripaco of Sabanita, Caño Vitina, del Remanso, La Ceiba, the Chaquita “Atabapo River,” Chorro Bocón, Curripaco of Laguna Negra, and Cacahual.