The country’s breathtaking landscapes, captivating culture, and rich heritage offer the perfect
counterbalance to intensive meetings and networking events. Adding just 3-4 extra days to your trip can
deliver value and experiences that simply cannot be squeezed into a regular business schedule.

The Case For Corporate Leisure

You may have heard the term corporate leisure. Several Travel Management Companies (TMCs) take
a more proactive approach to business travel and offer to extend a business trip. It is something that
many business travelers are beginning to take seriously. Why not extend your business trip to get an in-depth view of the land and business cultures or just a few days of rest?

Stay at a traditional hacienda, tour coffee plantations to understand the bean-to-cup process, and
explore picturesque small towns like Salento

Unique cultural experiences indeed broaden perspectives and rejuvenate the mind. Colombia offers a
handsome return on your time investment with its accessibility, diversity, and value. Rather than rushing
back to familiar surroundings, consider the benefits of extending your Colombian journey beyond
Bogotá’s corporate corridors.

The Ideal Extension: 3–4 Days of Colombian Exploration

For business travelers with limited flexibility, a three to four-day extension strikes the perfect balance
between experiencing Colombia’s highlights and maintaining a reasonable absence from the office. This
timeframe allows for either an exploration of Bogotá’s surroundings or a quick domestic flight to
experience another facet of this diverse country.

Day 1: Immerse Yourself in Bogotá’s Cultural Heart

Begin your extended stay by exploring Bogotá beyond its business districts. The historic La Candelaria
neighborhood offers cobblestone streets lined with colonial architecture, interesting street art, and world
class museums. The Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) houses the world’s largest collection of pre
Hispanic gold artifacts, while the Botero Museum showcases the distinctive works of Colombia’s most
famous artist, Fernando Botero.

For unparalleled views of the city, take the cable car to Monserrate, a mountain peak that rises 10,341
feet above mean sea level. From this vantage point, you’ll be able to view Bogotá’s sprawling urban
landscape against the backdrop of the Andes — an ideal setting to reflect on business opportunities in
this emerging market while enjoying panoramic views.

Day 2-3: Choose Your Colombian Extension

Colombia’s geographical diversity means business travelers face a pleasant dilemma: Which direction
to explore? The country offers a wide choice of holidays. Here are just a few compelling options:

• Option A: Stay in Bogotá, but take excursions to nearby towns and cities. Recommended are either a
  full-day trip to Zipaquirá to visit the underground Salt Cathedral or a 2-day trip to Villa de Leyva — a
  16th-century colonial town where time stands still. Better still, do both!

Zipaquirá Plaza Mayor. Photo credit: Mano Chandra Dhas.

• Option B: Take a flight to Medellín, the “City of Eternal Spring,” to enjoy Colombia’s second-largest city.
  The people of the region, the Paisa, with their warm hospitality, are renowned throughout Latin America.
• Option C: A one-hour flight from Bogotá will take you to Colombia’s famed Eje Cafetero (Coffee
  Triangle). This UNESCO World Heritage region offers lush landscapes where some of the world’s finest
  coffee is produced.

Stay at a traditional hacienda, tour coffee plantations to understand the bean-to-cup process, and
explore picturesque small towns like Salento. The Cocora Valley, with its towering wax palms
(Colombia’s national tree), offers hiking opportunities through cloud forests and breathtaking vistas that
clear the mind after days of intensive meetings.

Day 4: Return to Bogotá with Fresh Perspectives

Whether you’ve explored coffee plantations or colonial streets, your final day offers time to return to
Bogotá, perhaps pick up some final souvenirs like Colombian emeralds, artisanal coffee, and
handwoven textiles. They make thoughtful gifts for colleagues or family that carry more meaning than
standard airport purchases.

Financial Considerations for the Business Traveler

Extending your stay offers surprising value. Colombia’s favorable exchange rate means luxury
accommodations, exceptional dining, and unique experiences come at a fraction of their cost in major
European or North American cities. Many international hotels offer extended stay rates, and domestic
flights between major Colombian cities typically cost between $50 USD and $150 USD—less than many airports
transfers in global financial centers.

Safety and Logistics: The Modern Colombian Reality

Colombia has transformed dramatically over the past two decades. Major tourist destinations maintain
security standards comparable to other global business centers. Hotels catering to business travelers
can arrange trusted transportation and guides, while digital transportation services operate efficiently in
major cities. Mobile telecommunications connectivity is good throughout tourist areas, allowing
executives to stay connected as needed.

Why This Trip Extension Matters

In our increasingly virtual business environment, genuine cultural understanding creates competitive
advantages. A Colombian extension provides context and cultural insights that are impossible to gain from
conference rooms alone. For financial professionals especially, experiencing Colombia’s economic
renaissance firsthand offers valuable perspectives on emerging market opportunities.

When colleagues ask about your Colombian conference, you’ll share not just meeting outcomes but
stories of breathtaking landscapes, world-class cuisine, and cultural experiences that transformed a
business obligation into a meaningful journey. In a career filled with similar hotel rooms and conference
centers across the globe, it’s these distinctive extensions that remain in your memory and enrich your
professional narrative. Extend your trip.

All photos: Mano Chandra Dhas.

This was more than half a billion dollars, or 8.6% growth, above the $5.2 billion USD reported in 2015 and puts the industry second in terms of generating foreign exchange after the oil sector, which brought in some $10.1 billion USD last year, per the ministry. The two leaders were followed by coal ($4.6 billion USD) and coffee ($2.4 billion USD).

Photo: The colorful, walled city of Cartagena remains Colombia’s most iconic tourist destination. (Credit: Jared Wade)

The ministry noted that foreign tourism revenue has nearly doubled — a growth rate of 86.6% — since 2010, when the sector accounted for $3.1 billion USD in revenue. Going back to 1995, when Colombia was in the middle of the most dangerous era in its history, that number was only $887 million USD (inflation adjusted), according to United Nations World Tourism Organization.

President Juan Manuel Santos had previously set $6 billion USD as the 2018 revenue target for the sector, a sum that the nation now looks poised to reach in 2017 if the annual increase of the past two years holds. “These results confirm that the tourism industry has become a motor of development for the country,” said María Claudia Lacouture, Colombia’s minister of commerce, industry, and tourism. “The country being at peace makes it more attractive to come to Colombia, and destinations will be easier to visit thanks to the post-conflict transition.”

Overall, more than 2.5 million foreign visitors came to Colombia in 2016, a 13% jump over last year, according to the government. Travelers from the United States made up the largest percentage with about 500,000 arrivals. Europe, Venezuela, and Brazil the rounded out the top four in terms of tourists’ locations of origin.

Bogotá continues to receive the bulk of international travel, making up nearly half all arrivals. But Cartagena saw its percentage of the pie jump in 2016 to account for nearly 15% of international visits, per the ministry.

Infrastructure and Security Hurdles

Despite the ongoing growth, Bancolombia recently acknowledged that Colombia still lags even many regional peers when it comes to its tourism appeal. In a note to investors, the Medellín-based financial institution pointed out that Colombia fell outside of the top 50 countries in the recently released World Economic Forum ranking of global travel and tourism competitiveness.

“Despite overall concerns about security within the region, six other LatAm countries did make that list,” wrote Bancolombia. “For a country so rich in diverse destinations, such as the incredible Salt Cathedral, there is still much to do in order to take its rightful position.”

Mexico (22nd), Brazil (27th), Panama (35th), Costa Rica (38th), Chile (48th), and Argentina (50th) all made the top 50. In the region, Peru (51st) and Ecuador (57th) also outperformed Colombia, which came in 62nd overall worldwide (an improvement on its 68th-place finish in 2016).

“Combining the lively atmosphere with its rich natural environment makes Colombia a destination capable of attracting different types of tourists,” stated the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its report. It highlighted “the enormous travel and tourism potential of Colombia,” something that is reflected by its top-25 rankings in both natural resources and cultural resources.

Accessing the nation’s gorgeous terrain and lovely traditions is even made easy by Colombia’s “relatively efficient air transport infrastructure, which connects all domestic cities and the main overseas markets effectively,” according to the WEF. But the financial organization chastised a national ground transportation network that remains slow and outdated while also citing the “little progress” achieved in improving a business environment that is “held back by high costs to obtain construction permits” and an “inefficient legal framework.”

Most of all, the WEF pointed to the security risks still present in Colombia. “Colombia is safer than it used to be, attaining adequate levels of security, especially in the main tourist areas,” stated the report. “However, it will take longer before the peace process will drive down crime and terrorism fears in all areas of the country.”

Working to Improve

According to the Ministry of Commerce, both the public and private sector are working to improve this perception. A 30-year rental tax exemption has been enacted to foster hotel growth, and the agency says that 5,739 new rooms were added last year while another 1,538 were refurbished. In the previous six years, more then 35,000 new rooms were added.

The country has seen more flights coming online as well. Some 82 routes from 28 countries now operate in Colombia, which helped facilitate the increase in tourist arrivals last year, according to the ministry.

On top of the connectivity and lodging improvements, government-led promotional campaigns are also seeking to get the word out about Colombia’s top sites. While the coffee region and Caribbean coast hotspots continue to be heavily advertised, the tourism sector is now also looking to leverage the appeal of once-off-limits areas like the so-called “Most Beautiful River in the World” Caño Cristales and the Ciudad Perdida jungle hike that leads to the nation’s most impressive ruins.