The Mayor’s Office of Medellín, through Sapiencia, the post-secondary education agency, is improving language skills through the Medellinglish program. The English training program, in partnership with EAFIT University, received 10,787 applications for the 4,000 spots available in the first round of 2025, to learn free of charge.

Photo courtesy of Medellín Mayor’s office.

Priority was given to vulnerable and special populations, reflecting the commitment to equitable access to training opportunities for employment and life, with an investment of approximately $750,000 USD.

So far, 3,634 people have confirmed their enrollment and began classes on July 15 using a hybrid methodology that combines in-person and virtual learning. To fill the available spaces, a process is underway for the remaining selected applicants, who will begin their training the week of July 22nd and finish classes the week of December 13th.

The program meets the standards of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Those selected took diagnostic tests for levels A1, A2, B1, or B2, depending on their language proficiency.
Those who did not obtain a place can apply for the August application period for the Digital Citadel Medellín program. The program offers free, 100% virtual modular short courses in basic and intermediate English. This year, 14,173 people have benefited from this Sapiencia training program.

Photos courtesy City of Medellín.

Medellín is scheduled to host the 2025 Feria de las Flores from August 1 to August 10. The event, which highlights the silletera culture, will feature over 200 public and private activities across the city.

Mayor Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga announced plans for the festival, including 21 musical stages distributed across the city’s 16 communes and five corregimientos, all offering free admission. The Alcaldía de Medellín (Mayor’s Office of Medellín) has allocated $336 million COP (approximately $81,000 USD) for the renewal of attire for 535 silleteros and silleteras—flower farmers who carry elaborate floral arrangements. This update marks the first such renewal since 2017. The new attire includes trousers and shirts for men, and skirts and blouses for women, along with traditional accessories such as cotizas (sandals), paruma (wrap-around skirt), aprons, hats, and scarves.

Mayor Gutiérrez stated that the Feria de las Flores remains a public event, with over 110 activities organized by the Mayor’s Office. He emphasized the role of the silleteros as central to the festival, representing the region’s values and customs. Both adult and child silleteros are expected to debut new uniforms.

Above photo of Medellín’s “Feria de las Flores” (Flower Festival) courtesy of Medellín Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Under the theme “Medellín Te quiere celebrando lo que somos” (Medellín Loves You, Celebrating Who We Are), the program includes five parades. These are the second edition of Avenida Primavera, the Classic and Antique Cars Parade, the Chivas and Flowers Parade, and the Heroes of the Homeland Parade.

The 68th edition of the Iconic Silleteros Parade will feature 535 silleteros and silleteras, including five children with neurodiversity. Martín Atehortúa, a silletero from Santa Elena and president of the Corporación de Silleteros de Santa Elena (Cosse), acknowledged the inclusion efforts, noting it as an advance for equality. The parade is scheduled for Sunday, August 10. On this day, which marks the close of the Feria de las Flores, each silletero will wear a black ribbon in honor of victims of winter weather in the metropolitan area and nationwide.

The District Administration will provide 44 grandstands with a total capacity of 22,000 people per parade, each accommodating 500 attendees. Over 50% of these spaces will be open to the public without charge to ensure broader access. A specialized module with a capacity for 50 individuals with reduced mobility will also be available. The remaining grandstand spaces will be managed by the Greater Medellín Convention & Visitors Bureau for commercialization among festival sponsors and tourism operators.

Throughout the 10-day festival, musical stages will return with artistic programming in each of the 16 communes and five corregimientos, aiming to decentralize the event’s reach. Attendance at these stages is projected to range from 10,000 to 40,000 attendees per stage.

The inaugural concert is scheduled for Friday, August 1, in the Obelisco sector, featuring artists such as Jorge Celedón, Fernando González, and Jessi Uribe. Additionally, the Parque Cultural Nocturno (Night Cultural Park) will take place at Plaza Gardel, offering high-level performances. The program includes Colombian, Afro, and bolero music, along with a tribute to the 50th anniversary of El Combo de las Estrellas.

The 19th edition of the National Trova Festival Ciudad de Medellín will hold its semifinal rounds on August 1 and 2 at the Parque de los Deseos. The grand final for the Rey or Reina de la Trova (King or Queen of Trova) will be on Friday, August 8, at Plaza Gardel.

Other scheduled activities include the Silleteritos Parade and Sancochos Festival in Santa Elena, the La Floresta Silleteritos Parade, the Feria al Ritmo de Bici (Fair to the Rhythm of Bike) Parade, the Canine and Pet Walk, Plazas de las Flores (Flower Plazas), Fondas de Mi Tierra (My Land’s Inns) at Aeroparque Juan Pablo II, and “Florecer: orquídeas, naturaleza y tradiciones” (To Blossom: Orchids, Nature, and Traditions) at the Jardín Botánico de Medellín.

Mauricio Londoño, president of the Corporación de Silleteros de Santa Elena (Cosse), noted that grandstand ticket sales for 2025 will include the experience of visiting a silletera farm, aiming to increase visibility for these farms and allow visitors to experience them firsthand.

Migración Colombia projects that between 55,000 and 60,000 international passengers will arrive during the Feria de las Flores 2025, with at least 55% being foreign visitors and non-resident Colombians. Terminales Medellín estimates that land transport passenger arrivals will range between 250,000 and 260,000 people. Cotelco, the Colombian Hotel and Tourism Association, forecasts hotel occupancy rates between 77.0% and 81.0%, indicating an upward trend.

Medellín’s Féria de las Flores. Photo credit: Loren Moss

Bogotá is preparing to transform its main strength – air connectivity – into a powerful tool for tourist attraction with the launch of ‘Stopover, Amor a primera pista’ which means “Stopover, Love at First Landing” a strategy of the District Institute of Tourism (IDT), in alliance with Avianca, the airline that currently offers the greatest connectivity to Bogotá, with a global network of more than 165 routes that connect with 80 destinations in 28 countries.

With the support of the District Development Plan ‘Bogotá Camina Segura’ and the ‘Bogotá Airport City’ program, the strategy is presented as a high-impact initiative to consolidate the Colombian capital as a mandatory transit destination in Latin America. The proposal is to allow international travelers who connect in Bogotá to stay up to 24 hours at no additional cost on their air ticket and take advantage of their stopover to get to know the best of the city with special offers on hotels, city tours, restaurants and tourist packages offered by local travel agencies through the Visitbogota.co website.

With this initiative, Bogotá is joining a global trend – known as  a “Stopover” – that has now been successfully adopted by capitals such as Lisbon, Dubai, and Istanbul, nearby Panamá City, among others. “With Stopover Bogotá, we are looking for more travelers to take advantage of their stopover to discover our city, enjoy its diversity, and take away a story that inspires them to return. We want a stopover to become a tour of Candelaria, a lunch with an ajiaco flavor, an afternoon in Monserrate, or a night enjoying the culture of Bogotá. What was once wasted time, today can be an experience that energizes the economy and strengthens the image of the city,” said the Director of the Bogotá Tourism Office, Andrés Santamaría.

Why Bogotá?

El Dorado International Airport, with more than 355,000 flights operated and 45 million passengers mobilized in 2024, is one of the main air connectivity hubs in Latin America. Flights take off and land from its runways to 57 international destinations and 45 domestic destinations, making it a strategic hub between South America, North America, and Europe. However, according to data from the 2024 Great Traveler Survey of the District Tourism Observatory, 95% of international passengers in transit do not leave the airport. With Stopover Bogotá, the city seeks to reverse this trend, encouraging express stays that boost the local economy, strengthen the image of Bogotá as a destination, and increase tourist spending per visitor.

In 2024, Bogotá received more than 14 million visitors, of whom 1,871,956 were international tourists, evidencing a growth of 8.7% compared to 2023. Tourism generated about 7 billion pesos and more than 106,000 jobs per month, consolidating itself as a key economic engine for the city. Hotel occupancy reached an average of 61.4% and the daily expenditure of an international tourist was approximately $100 USD.

Stopover Bogotá: a city experience for up to 24 hours

Through packages designed by certified local operators, travelers will be able to enjoy tours such as:

• Bogotá in 24 hours: visit to the historic center, museums, gastronomy, and shopping.
• Flavors of the capital: experience in market squares and local restaurants.
• Bogotá in nature: routes through the hills, gardens, and green spaces within the city.

Each experience seeks to show that Bogotá is not just a point of passage, but a city that you fall in love with from the first moment. Tourists will be able to find the offer of special discounts offered by the city on the official tourism portal Visitbogota.co.
With this strategy, Bogotá’s Tourism Office that at least 472,000 passengers will opt for the Bogotá Stopover between July 2025 and December 2026, generating revenues in the order of $40 million dollars in tourism spending alone. Likewise, airport tax revenues are estimated to exceed $21.2 million dollars.

Avianca, the partner airline of Stopover Bogotá

Avianca, the airline with the most complete route network in Colombia and one of the largest in the region, will be the partner of the Stopover Bogotá program. Today, the company connects the Colombian capital with more than 40 international destinations and more than 20 national destinations. Every day, it operates more than 240 flights to and from El Dorado International Airport, transporting more than 32,000 passengers, of whom approximately 18,000 travels in connection via Bogotá, which reflects a city that has become a hub par excellence.

In its initial phase, and through Avianca’s route network, the strategy will be focused on seven priority markets: Lima, Madrid, Miami, Guayaquil, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo. The District Institute of Tourism will carry out an international promotion strategy. With this initiative, the office expects that by the second half of 202,5, the total number of travelers departing from the airport will be close to 72,000, generating an impact on the local economy of more than 6 million dollars.

“At Avianca, we have been connecting Bogotá, which is our home, with Colombia and the world for more than 105 years. For this reason, it is an honor for us to be part of projects such as Stopover Bogotá, which are essential to lay the foundations for the future of the city with tourism as the axis of development, so that those who have a stopover in the city see the immense attraction it has and want to explore it, while waiting for their next flight. For this to become a reality, it will be essential to continue working with all actors so that El Dorado International Airport has efficient processes on the air and ground side, and thus support the economic development of the capital,” said Frederico Pedreira, CEO of Avianca.

Airbus-A320. Photo credit: Avianca.

A 42-year-old man who calls himself Colombian (see video below) but was born in the United States, man identified as Emmanuel Andrés Hernandez has been inadmitted and is pending expulsion from Colombia following a violent episode at Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport’s arrivals immigration processing section last Thursday, July 17, 2025. Hernández, while waiting in the immigration line, removed his shirt and then aggressively confronted officials in the migration area, physically and verbally assaulting staff from Migración Colombia and the National Police. He also vandalized electronic equipment, throwing and smashing computers belonging to Colombia’s immigration authority.

Eyewitnesses and published videos show Hernandez displaying erratic behavior. A Daily Mail report states operators of the terminal suspected the individual may have been under the influence of hallucinogenic substances—a claim consistent with the disoriented and unpredictable conduct observed during the altercation. Initial reports stated that Hernandez is a New Yorker, but he claims to hail from the tampa area. Hernandez says the episode started when he removed his shirt because it was hot. Finance Colombia has verified that immigration intake at the Rafael Nuñez International Airport in Cartagena is airconditioned, and no other passengers felt the need to remove their shirts.

Intoxicated American Tourist Disrupts Cartagena Airport, Damages Immigration Booths An intoxicated American, Enmanuel Andrés Hernández, 42, from New York, sparked chaos at Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena, Bolívar, on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast. On… pic.twitter.com/lnzzhwf6aP

— Cartel Watch (@CartelWatchNet) July 18, 2025

Emmanuel Andrés Hernandez passport. Photo credit: Cartagena Secretary of the Interior.

Airport security and law enforcement personnel intervened, physically restraining Hernández to regain control of the situation. Migración Colombia officials then detained him, conducting standard procedures to determine the extent of the breach regarding public order and safety.

Migración Colombia invoked Article 105 of Decree 1067 of 2015, which permits the forcible removal of non-citizens who pose a threat to public order or institutional security. Under this decree, Hernández was served an expulsion order, placed on a flight back to the United States, and issued a ten-year ban on re-entry to Colombia.
Further, the Mayor’s Office of Cartagena officially condemned the incident, reaffirming the city’s commitment to protecting civil order and institutional respect at all border entry points.

The incident reportedly caused temporary disruptions in immigration processing and alarm among airport personnel and travelers; however, operations returned to normal shortly after security regained control. Authorities have reported no serious damage to structural infrastructure. As can be seen in the video below, Hernandez complains about disrespect from officials and bystanders who started recording him, that they were “violating his privacy,” as though taking off one’s shirt in an airport line is not behavior worth noting.

“What hurts me the most about everything that happened? Being expelled from the country where you spent many years of childhood. Not being able to return to Colombia to hug your parents or perhaps receive forgiveness for your aggressive behavior. What hurts me the most is not seeing my parents in Colombia for 10 years. That really hurts me.”

Hernandez Speaks

Colombian news outlet Impacto News was able to speak with Hernandez, where the traveler laments that after the episode, no airline is willing to transport him back to the US. In the interview, which can be seen below, Hernandez explains that he is from a Colombian family, and was visiting his elderly father. The video shows photos of Hernandez’s family, who had to cut his father’s birthday cake with Hernandez in custody and waiting for expulsion.

” I think it’s that when I took off my shirt, there was an immigration officer or people who were at the airport who started recording me and I told them to please stop, that this was part of my privacy, that they shouldn’t record me, Please don’t record me. And everyone started taking out their cell phones and recording me. And it wasn’t the people who were in the line, it was the people who work for immigration. Who work for the government. Instead of helping me and asking me how I was, they started recording me and that was my reaction because it’s my privacy and it broke my heart that no. If I’m feeling bad, if you’re feeling bad, seriously, Sir, I see you on the street. I try to help you. I don’t try to bring you down or humiliate you or make you feel less. That’s logical. That’s what one expects from a person, especially an official, a person who works for the Colombian government, any government in the world, you know what I mean? And that’s why, and if you watch the sequence of videos, there’s a part where I’m laughing that there hadn’t been any commotion yet and nothing had happened. I was laughing because he was recording me and I told him please don’t record me anymore. I was saying please don’t record me anymore, please don’t record me. Very disrespectful. It’s disrespectful that you record me. And he understood me and I asked him several times. And I think it’s something that, uh, everyone takes out their cell phone to record, but no one reaches out to help right now.”

While violent episodes involving foreign visitors at airports are rare in Colombia, and no charges related to illegal drug use have been leveled against Mr. Hernandez, the government cautions against the potential legal and safety risks linked to visitors consuming psychoactive substances—often without understanding their effects or legal status. In response, Migración Colombia emphasizes that it continues to reinforce protocols to manage disruptive travelers and safeguard public safety.

Emmanuel Andrés Hernandez. Photo credit: Cartagena Secretary of the Interior.

✈️ Expulsan a turista que protagonizó acto violento en aeropuerto de Cartagena.

🇺🇸 El ciudadano estadounidense agredió a funcionarios y causó destrozos. Migración Colombia ordenó su salida.

🗣️ “Cartagena se respeta”, dijo el secretario del Interior, Bruno Hernández. pic.twitter.com/I8xfExYoei

— Red+ Noticias (@RedMasNoticias) July 19, 2025

According to data from the UPRA’s Food Supply and Safety bulletin, in June 2025, the supply of food in the country’s main wholesale centers increased by 8.7% compared to the same month of the previous year. This trend reflects a greater supply of fresh and processed foods in urban markets at a key moment for the country’s food security.

The positive performance of supply was reflected in 18 of the 23 cities where the monitoring is carried out, with growth in Tibasosa (79.5%), Tunja (42.1%), Manizales (30.8%), Valledupar (25.3%), and Montería (21.5%). The highest percentage growth was observed mainly in fish, dairy and eggs, tubers, roots and bananas, processed foods, and grains and cereals.

The analysis of the data also shows a sustained recovery in supply throughout the year. In the period between January and June 2025, the total volume entered wholesale centers increased by 3.4% compared to the same period in 2024. This evolution is explained by the dynamism observed in key groups such as grains and cereals, processed foods, dairy products and eggs and fish, with no falls in any food group.

Supply monitoring is a vital input to make strategic decisions in the territories. Thanks to this data, we can guide policies, anticipate warnings, and strengthen urban and rural food security. The sustained increase in the supply of food is good news for the country, especially in highly sensitive contexts such as the current one,” said Dora Inés Rey, director of the Rural Agricultural Planning Unit (UPRA).

In specific foods, significant increases were highlighted in products such as tangerine, pineapple, blackberry, cucumber, beans, and potatoes. On the other hand, some products, such as mangoes, lemons, papayas, and pumpkins showed occasional decreases, reflecting seasonal behaviors or adjustments in production dynamics.

From the UPRA, it is projected that in July and August a positive supply will continue with products such as sapote, tangerine, pear, kiwi, banana, arracacha, cassava, broccoli, chili pepper, coriander and eggplant, among others, strengthening access to varied foods of national origin in the country’s markets.

Fish at the market. Photo credit: photo-graphe from Pixabay.

In the absence of much news over the weekend, I have deferred the first note of the week until today.

Overnight we had the latest real sector data from Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística – DANE Colombia which read well.

The manufacturing production numbers, despite the tidy GDP growth, have been spotty, but in May there was a 3% increase (above 2% estimates) in real terms, with sales (2.6%) & employment (0.3%) also showing improvement. However, despite 25 of the 39 sectors being in positive territory, it’s a little early to claim victory – only last month, there was a 3.3% overall decline. For the record, the main drivers were food, clothing, and chemical manufacture.

As expected in Colombia’s consumer driven economy, there was another big retail sales (13.2%) increase driven by vehicles (+29.8%), information/technology (+56.6%), & food (+6%). This all reads well, except for the fact that scanning through the categories, so much is imported. With exports still in the doldrums, expect ongoing deficit problems.

Interestingly, the main economic press concentrated on industrial production which dropped 0.2% – no mention of the other data points – any wonder they get criticized by the government for misrepresenting the economy !

Whilst the diplomatic & trade dispute rumbles on with no fresh news, Donald Trump & Gustavo Petro find themselves continuing as strange bedfellows with Petro again this weekend, aiming at Banco de la República – Colombia and what he perceives as their stubbornness over rates, which remain at 9.25%. Trump has the same attitude toward the FOMC. Whilst 2025 has seen slower-than-expected growth in Colombia, the reality is that overnight rates should have come down far more in 2024, and allegations of politics at play are hard to ignore. This month we should see a reduction to 9%, from there hopefully we’ll see rates at or below 8.5% by the end of the year.

Over the past few weeks, there have been a growing number of headlines related to the growth in agriculture, record revenues, exports, etc., which was one of Petro’s stated aims when he came to office. Why is there so much surprise? Colombia has arguably the best growing climate in the world, and it is also a country where only 4 million of an estimated 32 million farmable hectares are in use, so there is huge upside potential. The fly in the ointment, of course, are the mega-rich robber barons who prefer to use their farms for their purebred horses and infinity pools, as opposed to contributing to the future of the country.

Those are the main points this Wednesday, but where we haven’t heard anything significant for the past week is pension reform, tax reform, referendums, decrees, or national assemblies. There has, of course, been plenty of hot air amongst the runners and riders in the 2026 presidential derby – but there is no need to give them airtime.

Have a great rest of the week.

Roops.

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Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística – DANE Colombia office in Cúcuta. Photo credit: EEIM/Wikipedia.

More than half, 52.6%, of the products that Colombia exported to the world between January and May of this year corresponded to non-mining energy goods. That is, of the $20.433.1 million USD that the country sold to the world in that period, $10.745 million USD were products of agriculture, agribusiness, and industry (not mining), which are those promoted by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism and its assets.

This is clear from the analysis made by this ministry based on figures published by DANE, which establishes that non-mining energy exports grew 22% compared to the same period in 2024. And if the volume shipped is reviewed, it was 4.32 million tons for an increase of 9.6% compared to January-May 2024.

Within the basket of non-mining energy goods, those with the greatest weight are industrial goods, which accounted for 55.9% ($6.011.2 million USD) and grew 12.2% in 2024. Those in the agricultural sector participated with 43.9% of that basket and increased by 37.2%.

In the period of analysis, when evaluating the main export products of the non-mining pie, several contributed to boost this growth. The following stand out: coffee, whose foreign sales increased 89%; palm oil with 63.7%; coffee extracts with 36.8%;hass avocado with 24.7%, and polypropylene with 21.9%.

Likewise, beauty preparations had an important behavior and contributed to growth, 6.3%; flowers, 5.7%; bananas, 5.4%; electrical transformers, 4.7% and doors, windows, and their frames, 4.3%, among others.

By regions

About the 9 departments that export the most non-mining energy goods and that represent 90.5% of this basket, all registered increases in their sales.

In the case of Antioquia, which is the department that has the most weight in this type of foreign sales, it registered a growth of 24.8%; it is followed by Bogotá with 15.4%; those of Cundinamarca grew 15.9%; those of Valle del Cauca 16.2%; those of Atlántico 5%; those of Bolívar 10.7%; those of Caldas 44.2%; those of Huila 72.3% and those of Magdalena 44.1%.

Coffee from Colombia. Photo credit: Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism (MinCIT)

Mitch Weiss of Harvard Business School was recently in Medellín, Colombia as a keynote speaker during the 2025 WOBI event, which brings ideas and inspiration from some of the world’s greatest business minds. The global event rotates between major business hubs and capitals throughout the world, connecting thought leadership with local audiences from the business community, government, and academia.

Weiss gave an engaging, interactive presentation, evangelizing not just the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) but how to make the best of it the platform, using it to work alongside humanity rather than supplanting us.

After initial dialogue between Loren Moss, executive editor of Finance Colombia, Weiss answered questions from the local press corps with Moss moderating and serving as interpreter for the questions from local journalists attending the event.

Finance Colombia: I’m here with Mitch Weiss of Harvard Business School. You just gave a really interesting talk at this year’s 2025 WOBI. You gave great advice and counseling on using artificial intelligence and its ramifications.

Now I know that you have a history working with innovation in the public sector, and so one of the things I wanted to ask is if we look at… We’re here in Medellín, and you had a chance to tour the city, and you see that we’re kind of in a valley. And if we go into the other side, you know, most of the people here today probably already have some kind of experience with generative AI. That’s kind of the audience that we have here, but if we go on the other side of this mountain range behind us, you have people who still struggle using an ATM. And you know, fraud is a big concern and taking advantage of people and things like that, and what is the role… How can let’s say, governments, because you have experience in the public sector, help protect the consumer? Because now we have things like deepfakes, we have things like… I’m experimenting with ElevenLabs, and they can replicate my voice and things like that.

How do we promote innovation, but at the same time protect not just the consumer broadly, but when we have a big digital divide between well-versed people, let’s say the techno elite, and then people who are struggling to even catch up? What’s the role that you see the public sector and academia can play in maybe policing this wild west that we’re in?

Mitchell Weiss: Well, I think, frankly, policing is going to be hard. I think, as you mentioned, there are so many ways these tools can be used for bad means, and also there are lots of ways to circumvent whatever government regulations are put into place with open source technologies and otherwise. So I do think there’s a place for prudent government regulation, but I think it’d be a mistake to rely on that entirely.

I think we should instead, or in addition, imagine actually, how we can empower people with these tools? It’s true that there’s the ability to use them for fraud and all the rest of it, but it’s also true that anybody with it now has a teacher in their pocket. Anybody with it now has some version of a doctor in their pocket.

Anybody with it, if it’s reliable, now has some version of a fraud protector also in their pocket. So I think my posture would be, how do we make the tools available to people so that they are empowered? And there will need to be a kind of massive, in a way, upskilling or reskilling given these tools, which the government can help bring about also, but they’re not complicated to use at a first pass. I mean, one aspect of these tools is if you can talk, you can use them, if you can see, if you can type, if you can do any of those things, any one of those things, not even all of them, you can use the tools.

And so I think the government’s role, yes, is on regulation, but also a democratization and upskilling of people so they can make the best use of these as teachers and doctors and all the rest.

Finance Colombia: You know, we have… with you and I being from the US, the US kind of has a philosophy of you can do everything until it’s proven dangerous, and then we’re going to step in and regulate it, which as a libertarian I like. But then, let’s say, Europe has the opposite extreme, which is that you have to prove that it’s not dangerous before you can do it. And then most countries, including Colombia, are somewhere in the middle of that.

And again, if we look at this rapidly… I mean, I’m old enough to remember when the internet kind of came into common use, but this is so much more rapid. This is so much more disruptive. And I would say, you know, to show my bias, resist the temptation to regulate, but how can it not just be governments and regulatory entities, but academia… I went to Ohio State, and Ohio State just announced that they’re not going to fight AI. And they just said students are now expected to use it, which I thought was very interesting. And I know a lot of other colleges are as well, but how do we balance the I guess, temptation to regulate or the fear, with, on the other hand, the desire to foment innovation and to break boundaries? There has to be a balance there somewhere. And how do we find that balance?

“You can use AI to market to potential customers better. You can use AI to manage your teams potentially more effectively,” – Mitch Weiss

Mitchell Weiss: Well, I mean, the first thing is, I would agree that there is a balance. I mean, in academia, I’m a professor at Harvard Business School, and we want to make sure that our students have exposure to these tools. We’ve been very AI forward. We were probably the first leading business school in the country to make sure that all of our entering students had access to the most advanced versions of ChatGPT when it came out. And all of our students and staff, and faculty all have access to GPT Edu, and a whole host of lots of other tools as well. We want to make sure that they have access to these tools to help them become able leaders in a world that’s going to be full of them. And to give them a professional edge so that they can get jobs and lead and lead well with these tools. And at the same time, make sure that they can continue to forge and shape the tool that’s on top of their neck. And that is the balance.

I think there are ways to do that. I wouldn’t say that they’re foolproof. Some of those ways include making sure that you set out expectations so people know what’s expected inside an organization or a school. Expectations aren’t everything, but it matters to tell people what to expect. You can make work for students harder, or you can access more metacognition, so they have to think more and work more, given that they have access to these tools. You can use them to teach better so that you’re pushing and challenging students more. You can become a better yourself on the other side. And at the end of the day, I think you constantly have to ask students, How do you know it’s true? How do you know it’s true? How do you know? You have to keep helping them cultivate this part of their brain, too. And so I think achieving that balance is a matter of expectations. It’s also a matter of training and pedagogy. And I think that translates from schools beyond, but it’s not going to be easy.

Finance Colombia: Great, great. Appreciate your time. If you could, you know, go a little deeper on how we can work with artificial intelligence, keeping that human sense in it, humanize it?

Mitchell Weiss: So if the question is, you know, humanizing our AI, I’m not sure that I would do that. I think it’s important to still recognize that it is a piece of technology. And even as it starts to talk more like a human or listen more like a human, it isn’t a human. But to work with it like it’s a coworker, so for example, when I use my AI, I will often say, ‘por favor’, or, you know, ‘gracias’, for me, ‘please and thank you’. And people will say, like, “Why would you do that?” And this happens a lot. Other people are being polite to their AI. Why do you do that? Some people think it will work better. Some papers suggest that it helps or hurts. Some people say it’s because, you know, just in case these things take over, at least I’ll be nice to it. The reason that I do that is because I want to remember to think, sort of interact with it, like it’s a coworker or research assistant.

And so I’m not trying to make it a human, but I’m trying to engage in a conversation and an ongoing iterative conversation with it. I think that’s how you get the most out of it. So I’m not trying to humanize it, but I’m trying to remind myself that I can work with it as a teammate. And there are colleagues of mine who are writing papers about what it means to have an AI, a team that’s made up of people and AI together, and showing that they’re more productive than people by themselves. And so I think it’s useful to think about it like a teammate.

I really believe, and my colleagues are writing and doing some work on this, that you can use AI to understand your customer base or potential customer base better. We saw about synthetic market testing and all the rest. You can use AI to prototype your new products and services better. You can use AI to market to potential customers better. You can use AI to manage your teams potentially more effectively. Entrepreneurs can do all these things.

And one of my colleagues has written a book called The Experimentation Machine, where he tells the story of a founder who was finding that he was spending more time with his customers, not less, because of AI, because the AI was helping do lots of other things. And also, by the way, helping prepare for these meetings so they could be more engaging, and all the rest. So I would say entrepreneurs can embrace the tools and the toolkit and stay heavily invested and involved in their companies with their workers, with their customers, all at the same time.

The 2025 edition of BPrO’s CX Summit in Cartagena closed, continuing to break records. International keynote speakers included Jeff Hancock and Doug Lipp from the US, James Dodkins from the UK, María Belón and Borja Castelar from Spain, and Colombia’s Carolina Angarita, Germán Arciniegas, David Gómez, and Marcela Torres. The Hilton Cartagena resort was completely sold out for the event.

Several outsourcing firms won accolades in the 2025 CX Interaction Awards, which drew participants from around the globe, including Shelli Ryan from Ad Hoc Communications, who visited from the US.

Ana Karian Quessep, president of BPrO, the outsourcing industry’s trade association in Colombia, Ricardo Durán, and John Santafe Correa from Outsourcing SAS BIC, Jill Erika Charry from Atento, Óscar Velásquez from Konecta, Pablo Vega Pinochet from Voz Digital, Iván Pacheco Durango from the city of Montería, Colombia, and María Juliana Herrera from Huawei discuss their takeaways from the event in this video recap.

Video and featured image credit: Loren Moss/YouTube.

Sunwing Vacations is set to enhance its offerings for Canadian travelers seeking all-inclusive vacation options in San Andrés, Colombia, for the 2025-2026 winter season. The company has announced the addition of the Grand Sirenis San Andrés resort, conveniently located just seven minutes from the popular Spratt Bight Beach.

“The Québec market is incredibly important to us, and we’re proud to introduce direct service to San Andrés this winter,” says Lyne Chayer, vice president, Québec, Sunwing Vacations Group. “This hidden Caribbean gem offers an authentic and vibrant experience that perfectly complements our vacation offerings from Québec City and, with the recent addition of Grand Sirenis San Andrés, gives our travel advisors and mutual clients even more choice of all-inclusive options for their winter getaways,” Lyne added.

The Grand Sirenis San Andrés, which opened earlier this year, caters to both adventure seekers and relaxation enthusiasts alike. The resort boasts an array of amenities suitable for all ages, including:

• An infinity pool with an uninterrupted view of the Sea of Seven Colors, and a kids’ pool.
• Culinary offerings with Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, and steakhouse options.
• A variety of on-site activities and entertainment, including resort-offered yoga, the Miniclub Sirenios for kids, live music and shows, and more.
• Modern gym, curated wellness experience, and access to the region’s cultural attractions nearby.
• Accommodations with tropical-inspired décor.

The new direct route from Quebec City to San Andrés will operate from December 2025 to April 2026, providing Quebec residents with an opportunity to explore one of Colombia’s most vibrant islands and experience the newly established Grand Sirenis San Andrés resort.

Grand Sirenis San Andrés. Photo credit: Grand Sirenis San Andrés hotel.