Colombia’s Commerce Ministry Says Sabor Barranquilla Proves Gastronomy Fuels the Economy

Fair Draws $2.5 Billion COP in Sales and 83 Business Meetings

The 19th edition of Sabor Barranquilla, a gastronomy fair on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, closed Sunday, August 23, 2026, in Barranquilla with about 20,000 attendees and projected sales of $2.5 billion COP, results Colombia’s national government cited as evidence that the food industry can double as a tool for economic development and tourism.

The four-day fair ran from August 20 to 23 at the Puerta de Oro Centro de Eventos del Caribe and brought together 52 chefs and cooks from different regions of Colombia and the wider Caribbean, according to El Tiempo, who shared recipes, techniques, and stories tied to traditional dishes. A business-matchmaking track produced 83 meetings between 16 professional buyers and companies in the sector.

The Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism), commonly known as Mincomercio, took part through its Colombia a la Mesa (Colombia to the Table) strategy, which the ministry describes as a way to turn the country’s regional food products into tourism and business opportunities. This year’s edition was built around the theme “Frutas del Caribe, un mundo asombroso” (“Caribbean Fruits, an Amazing World”), and the ministry brought four representatives from different parts of the food and farming sector to link rural producers, regional products, culture, and cuisine.

Commerce Minister Mauricio Gómez Amín, a lawyer and former senator from Barranquilla whom Abelardo de la Espriella — now Colombia’s president — named to the ministry as president-elect in mid-2026, according to El Tiempo, framed the fair’s results as evidence of a broader economic chain. “With Colombia to the Table we are showing that gastronomy is development. Every dish presented here is a chain that starts with a rural producer and ends in a destination that generates jobs, identity, and pride,” Gómez Amín said.

The government said the fair’s results support its push to strengthen gastronomic tourism, energize local economies, and connect micro, small, and medium-sized rural producers, or MiPymes, with new markets and tourism experiences.

The business-matchmaking track was coordinated with the Fondo Nacional de Turismo (National Tourism Fund), known as Fontur, and the Cámara de Comercio de Barranquilla (Barranquilla Chamber of Commerce), and ran alongside live cooking demonstrations, tastings, and public forums. Fontur general manager María Isabel Campo Cuello, who was named to the post in mid-August 2026, according to El Tiempo, said gastronomy is shifting from a secondary attraction to a primary one for travelers. “Gastronomy is no longer just a complement to the trip — it is the reason for the trip,” Campo Cuello said.

Sabor Barranquilla was created in 2008 by the Cruz Roja Colombiana Seccional Atlántico (the Atlántico chapter of the Colombian Red Cross) and the Atlántico chapter of Fenalco (National Federation of Merchants) to promote Caribbean Colombian and wider-Caribbean cuisine, according to the fair’s website. The fair is organized by Corferias, the Bogotá-based trade fair operator, together with Fenalco Atlántico and the Red Cross chapter, at the Puerta de Oro Centro de Eventos del Caribe venue. This year’s edition featured La Guajira as the guest department and Curaçao as the guest country.

Fenalco Atlántico executive director Yilda Castro said the fair’s reach extends beyond its exhibition halls. “When we talk about gastronomy, we are also talking about opportunities, job creation, and growth for our city and our region,” Castro told El Tiempo.

Fair director Patricia Maestre said organizers are already looking to next year, when Sabor Barranquilla will mark its 20th edition — coinciding with the centennial of the birth of Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. “Closing this nineteenth edition with thousands of people enjoying, learning, buying, cooking, and discovering the Caribbean fills us with satisfaction, but it also commits us to keep growing,” Maestre told El Tiempo.