A recently signed open skies agreement between Colombia and the United States will lead to an increase in American tourists , the president of Colombia’s tourism and exports promotion agency said Sunday.
According to a Proexport press release, the deal “reaffirms Colombia’s strategic position for investors” and will increase the international tourist flow.
The tourism and investment promoter said that 24% of visitors to Colombia are from the U.S., adding that from January to August this year, the number of visitors from the U.S. grew 7.3% compared to the same period last year.
When the open skies agreement takes effect in January 2013, this number of visitors will be stimulated to grow even more, Proexport director Maria Claudia Lacouture said in the press release.
“There is a significant change in perception of Colombia and we have tremendous challenges ahead, because we have big goals and major tasks to accomplish,” Lacouture said.
Following an improved security situation in Colombia’s cities and tourist spots in the first decade of this century, the country has seen a steady growth in tourism.
Proexport announced the open skies pact only days after the U.S. State Department warned that “terrorist activity” still poses a threat to tourists.