Colombia´s Trade and Tourism Minister on Monday presented a report proposing 80 new airline routes which would benefit 15 cities.
The proposal in the report “Outlooks to improve air connectivity for Colombian tourism” is to connect cities with a proven need for greater airline activity, with the aim of operating to national and international destinations without having to go through Bogota.
The destinations include Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cucuta, Leticia, Medellin, Pereira, Santa Marta, San Andres, Ibague and Pasto.
The minister said that the aim of the report is to achieve greater competitivity and increase employment in the airline sector, diversify connectivity, and move closer to the target of receiving 4 million tourists by the end of 2014. Diaz–Granados also called on the government, local and regional promotion bodies, as well as hoteliers to help make the new routes come to fruition.
The minister underlined the fact that in 2000 Colombia received 557,000 passengers but this number jumped to 1.58 million in 2011. If the aim is to reach 4 million visitors in 2014, the challenge is for 2 million to arrive by air.
Diaz–Granados also referred to the recently ratified free trade agreements with the United States and the European Union and saying they will lead to pacts in the future with more countrues which will give Colombia access to over 1.4 billion consumers.
“With the agreements comes business from multinationals and with that business and convention travelers as well as leisure tourists,” said the minister.