Foreigners visiting or relocating to Barranquilla, Colombia’s fourth largest city, now have a new website to help them plan their visit and get settled.
Launched by blogger and entrepreneur Will Castillo, ‘Barranquilla Living’ is an English language travel blog and resource site which provides information for visitors, expats and residents in the northern city. He sees the site as “the number one media source for Barranquilla.”
| “First of all, I love the weather – particularly after living in Toronto. The people are really welcoming, and it’s less touristy than nearby Cartagena and much cheaper to live here as a result. |
Castillo, originally from Nicaragua, has lived in Canada from the age of 11 but has also traveled copiously in Colombia. Now Castillo and his wife, who hails from Bogota, have relocated to Barranquilla for the foreseeable future – and Castillo plans to document every step of the relocation process on ‘Barranquilla Living’ to help fellow expats making the same move.
Barranquilla: open for business
“Barranquilla doesn’t get a lot of media attention, and there’s a lack of information available about the city,” Castillo told Colombia Reports. “But a lot of business people spend time in Barranquilla, and they will benefit from more in depth information.”
While the site includes restaurant recommendations, accommodation options, tourist hotspots and information on language exchanges, Castillo is writing primarily for those business people who flock to the city, either for short conferences or relocating to the city for work. He is aware that a vast majority of these people may not have a strong grasp of the Spanish language.
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Castillo also wants to give more exposure to the state of Atlantico itself, where Barranquilla is situated.
Second largest carnival in the world
He also says the city is home to the second largest carnival celebration in the world, after Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, attracting huge numbers of visitors during carnival week. Castillo’s long term aim is to harness that initial tourist interest in the area and guide visitors towards the surroundings of Barranquilla after carnival has finished.
“There are a number of small towns in the areas just outside of Barranquilla, and there’s always something to do,” he said, naming the small town of Santo Tomas as a particular favorite, only 25 kilometers from the city.
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When asked why he’d chosen Barranquilla to relocate to, Castillo was eager to explain. “First of all, I love the weather – particularly after living in Toronto. The people are really welcoming, and it’s less touristy than nearby Cartagena and much cheaper to live here as a result. It’s also safer than Santa Marta – but both coastal cities are only a few hours away. It’s really a perfect location.”
Sources
- Interview with Will Castillo, founder of Barranquilla Living (Colombia Reports)
- About Barranquilla Living (Barranquilla Living)