The Anato 2025 Tourist Showcase Successfully Closed its 44th Edition, Exceeding 50,000 Visitors

The 44th edition of the Anato Tourism Showcase concluded successfully. 52,000 key players in the tourism sector’s value chain participated, exceeding the number of attendees of the previous year by 5%.

This year, the fair presented important novelties, including the inauguration of the “Tourism with Purpose” stand, a space dedicated to sustainable and inclusive tourism projects. Representatives of rural tourism, indigenous communities, the LGBTIQ+ population, and enterprises focused on accessible tourism for people with disabilities participated in this stand.

Likewise, the “Excellence Colombia” stand was highlighted, bringing together initiatives recognized for their high tourism quality standards. In addition, the momentum of the stands of “Heritage Towns” and “Colombia, Destinations of Peace” was maintained, the latter with the participation of 80 entrepreneurs who, through tourism, transform their territories.

A positive day

During the three days of the event, more business relationship meetings were held between various actors in the sector, with deals estimated at $54 million USD, with 80% of the information processed (according to ProColombia). The general balance of the Tourism Showcase, the most important event in the country in terms of tourism, confirms that the sector continues to consolidate itself as a key engine for national economic growth, with positive prospects for the end of this year.

At the inauguration, President Gustavo Petro highlighted: “The purpose is to replace foreign currency resulting from the extraction of non-renewable resources, such as coal and oil, with tourism, which is a sector that generates more employment and is more productive.”

For this purpose, MinCIT held strategic meetings with territorial entities and international authorities to establish lines of joint work and generate opportunities for the country’s tourism development through bilateral alliances. Among these are the meeting with the Minister of Tourism of Argentina and the meeting with the Director of Air and Maritime Access of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, in addition to meetings with countries such as Cuba, China, and the Dominican Republic.

Colombia continues to consolidate itself as a leading destination in the region. The positive results of this edition show that articulated work between the public and private sectors is the key to strengthening the industry and positioning the “Country of Beauty” in the global tourism scenario. Photo credit: ANATO.

Regarding the growth of tourism, the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, Luis Carlos Reyes, explained that the sector already exceeds coal in foreign exchange earnings. In addition, he said: “Although the goal of the four years is to reach 7.5 million non-resident visitors to Colombia, there is optimism about the possibility of exceeding these figures, since tourism is a point of consensus among all Colombians; something we all agree on, in that it not only brings foreign currency to the country, but also opportunities for people from traditionally excluded places.”

On the other hand, the General Manager of Fontur, Fernando Estupiñán, had a full agenda with tourism service providers and local authorities to provide support and project the development of high-impact tourism initiatives. Among the agreements reached is the signing of the agreement with the Mayor’s Office of Providencia and Santa Catalina for the implementation of efficient nautical signage for the beaches of the island of Providencia, with an investment of more than $4000 million.

The Anato 2025 Tourism Showcase not only exceeded expectations in terms of participation and completed business but also reaffirmed the role of tourism as a key driver for the country’s economy

Similarly, a meeting was held with the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge, in which joint actions were defined to strengthen the destinations of the Macondo Route in a sustainable and friendly way with local communities. This inter-institutional articulation seeks to promote the safeguarding of intangible heritage, collective memory, and economic development of both the territory and local inhabitants.

“In the last editions of this Tourism Showcase, we see more and more qualified and complete offers from each of the entrepreneurs and destinations that participate. This demonstrates the importance of Fontur, which carries out fundamental work to promote tourism quality and accompany territorial entities and tourism service providers. A very clear example is Mompox, where last year, important investments were made to improve the tourist infrastructure in the Albarrada, which allowed to increase its promotion at this fair,” said Fernando Estupiñán.

Award for the best stand

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Fontur awarded, for the third consecutive year, the most visited and creative stands of the Anato 2025 Tourist Showcase. In this edition, the winners were chosen by public vote, who chose their favorites.

With a total of 126,064 votes, the first three places with the highest scores were awarded. The winners received media plans for the promotion of their territories and financing of up to 100% for their participation in the next edition of the fair. The winners were:

• Third place: with 11,933 votes, the department of Buenaventura, which received a media plan package worth $40 million for the promotion of the destination.
• Second place: Boyacá, with a total of 16,369 votes. The department received a media plan for tourism promotion for $80 million.
• First place: Caquetá, which received 16,581 votes from those attending the event. As a prize, the department will obtain financing for the development of its stand at the Anato 2026 Tourist Showcase, which includes the rental of the space, design, assembly, and disassembly, for a value of up to $200 million.

The Anato 2025 Tourism Showcase not only exceeded expectations in terms of participation and completed business but also reaffirmed the role of tourism as a key driver for the country’s economy. With a clear commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and innovation, Colombia continues to consolidate itself as a leading destination in the region.

The positive results of this edition show that articulated work between the public and private sectors is the key to strengthening the industry and positioning the “Country of Beauty” in the global tourism scenario.

Headline Image credit: ANATO.