Colombia’s capital city Bogota plans high-end tourism fair “Chic Travel Market,” scheduled for November 28, in hopes of cashing in on increasing luxury tourism in Latin America.
The event will take place at the JW Marriott Hotel in Bogota, and will for the first time bring together leading experts on luxury tourism, including providers, travelers, and those curious for new experiences in elite travel.
“The Chic Travel Market is a space to promote the culture of luxury tourism in the country. The event is an opportunity to educate operators, consumers, and travel agencies about luxury tourism,” explained Paul Pries, director of the South American Luxury Travel Association.
“Often perceived as a low-cost destination with poor quality infrastructure, Latin America is preparing to captivate the North American, European, and Asian-Pacific markets for luxury tourism, and within the region one of the countries with the most potential is certainly Colombia,” stated a report by Euromonitor at the World Travel Market, a major luxury tourism trade fair in London.
Colombia’s objective is to attract an increasing amount of high-income travelers, who although they only make up a small minority of tourists to the region, spend “eight times more on average than others.”
Pries went on to explain that “Colombia is one of the most suitable targets for promoting this type of tourism” because it has improved its image of security and economic stability abroad.
The luxury tourism expert said that “it is important to flip the switch on the destinations the country offers, and focus accordingly: Cartagena is cultural and historical, not just a place of beaches, Medellin offers much more than corporate tourism, and there is also the gastronomical culture and salsa music of Cali.”
The event is being made possible by the support of sponsors; AviancaTaca airlines, Aviatur, Proexport, BBVA bank, the South American Luxury Travel Association, and Conde Nast Johansens.
