Cartagena has become the first city to submit data to a nautical guide that will map the entirety of Colombia’s coastal waters and serve as a comprehensive guide for sailors.
Jorge Barva, head of communications at the Cartagena Tourist Corporation, told Colombia Reports that 70 marine topographers of the Maritime Division of Colombia (DIMAR) were chartering the ten Colombian departments on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. The team of oceanographers are using three boats; the ARC Malpelo, the ARC Quindio and the ARC Providencia, as well as the Sundermax, a high speed launch.
Barva explained that, every year, the Colombian coast is visited by 2 million sailing boats, each carrying three passengers on average. The Cartagena Tourist Corporation hopes that the guide, which will be available to tourists in eighteen months, will attract 10% of these visitors to the city. Barva estimates that 2.5 jobs will be created for every sailing boat that visits the department capital, and that the guide will lead to an improvement in quality of life for locals.
“Cartagena is an ideal place for sailing,” Barva stressed. “It is free from hurricanes and tropical storms.”
According to the website of the Cartagena Tourist Corporation, the coastal city enjoys over 2,640 hours of sun a year. Cartagena can boast ten marinas, and more than thirteen miles of beaches in Bocagrande, Marbella, La Boquilla and Manzanillo del Mar.
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