As Colombia begins to shed its reputation for crime and violence, it still struggles to attract international visitors. A lack of an iconic tourist attraction is chief among the country’s problems.
In a speech before the Bogota Tourism Board a couple of weeks ago, travel writer Jens Porup offered a strategy to Colombia’s top tourism officials for transforming their nation into one of the top destinations in South America. Porup is the coordinator and co-author of Lonely Planet’s guide to Colombia.
For Porup, the solution lies in appealing to travelers who are willing to devote the time necessary to acquaint themselves with Colombia’s wonders, rather than tourists who often only spend a few hours in the country before returning to their cruise ships.
His advice is somewhat counter-intuitive because the travelers he refers to are backpackers who often stay in budget accommodations such as hostels. On the other hand, tourists typically stay on luxury cruise ships or five-star hotels.
Long-Term Strategy. But, as he explains, it’s a long-term strategy that he believes will ultimately yield long stays in the country by affluent travelers. Backpackers will return from their trips to Colombia and tell their wealthier parents about the amazing time they had. Or, after becoming more established in their careers, the former backpackers will return to Colombia with their families and stay in first-rate hotels.
To get to this point, Colombia must deal with what Porup refers to as the country’s “diversity problem.” It’s many attractions run the gamut of natural beauty and include the:
- Andes,
- Caribbean Coast,
- Pacific Coast,
- Amazon,
- Los Llanos (tropical grasslands), and
- Tatacoa (desert).
But in each case, Porup notes, there is a better-known attraction in another country that is luring all the visitors. Colombia has ruins, but most tourists are drawn to Peru’s Macchu Picchu. Colombia has beautiful beaches, but travelers flock to other Caribbean coasts such as the Dominican Republic. There are rare tropical grasslands in Colombia, but foreign visitors can see an even more remarkable example of this terrain in Venezuela.
No Symbol. It’s Colombia’s status as a “jack of all trades, but master of none,” that often prevents it from standing out as a tourist destination, Porup says. Unlike Paris, which has the Eiffel Tower, or Peru with its Macchu Picchu, Colombia lacks a symbol to serve as a brand for its tourism business.
While these symbols are powerful, Porup notes that they are sometimes misleading. He describes Peru as an unpleasant place to visit, where:
The water? Is poisonous. The food? Gives you diarrhea. The country? Is ugly. The pollution in Lima makes you choke. And everyone, and I mean everyone — taxi drivers, hotel owners,tour operators, souvenir vendors — tries to rob you. It makes you paranoid. I went to Peru, and I thought everyone was out to get me. Then I realized — they were out to get me!
Porup said he also often feared for his safety when visiting Ecuador.
After returning to Colombia, Porup realized that he preferred the country despite it’s lack of an iconic symbol. He says:
In Colombia, you can drink the water. In Colombia, you can eat the food. The country is beautiful. There’s some pollution, but not that bad. And, in general, Colombians are honest with gringos.
Time. But for visitors to realize this about Colombia takes time, Porup says. The travelers who spend the most time in the country are backpackers, Porup explains, who typically explore the country from three to six months. Although backpackers are known for their frugal ways, they often outspend more well-heeled tourists who typically only spend a couple of days in Colombia before returning to their cruise ships.
Backpackers also more likely to go off the beaten trail to discover some of the country’s lesser known attractions, Porup notes.
Porup believes a proliferation of foreign backpackers in Colombia would result in a P.R. bonanza for the country. He sees it working like this:
[the backpacker's] parents and friends say, “You’re crazy! Colombia’s dangerous. What about the guerrillas? I’m amazed you didn’t get killed!” Then the backpacker says, “I’ve been everywhere. Even the little tiny towns. Colombians are so friendly. They are amazing people. The country is so beautiful. I want to go back right now.”
What happens next? Their parents have money. Maybe they decide to go on a cruise that stops in Cartagena. Maybe they decide to visit Bogota. They decide to dip their toe in the lake. And I’ll bet they’re going to like what they find. And backpackers, you know, backpackers grow up. They get good jobs. They get married. They have kids. And they are going to remember Colombia. It’s impossible to forget this place. They will come back. For a shorter vacation. But they’ll fly, instead of taking the bus, and they’ll stay in nicer hotels. They’ll have less time but more money, and they will spend that money in your hotels, flying your airlines, eating in your restaurants, and shopping in your boutiques.
The full transcript of the speech is here.
Image by thejourney1972
on Oct 12th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I dont know who is that Jans Porup perhaps he believes he is the Mesiah of backpackers bu
on Oct 12th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Im sorry by the interruption of internet, as I said Jans Porup isnt “the illuminated” to discuss about experience of travel in Peru, because if he realized many flyers and info in many languages in special way in english, explains almost everything about weather, climate, accomodation, water, taxi drivers, currency, and everything you have to know before arrives to Peru, if he had diarrhea was because his stomach is not prepared to receive all kind of different food, or he bought it in non healthy conditions as in many places in the world, he has to know that we have one of the most exquisite food in the world on their variety and taste, if you pretend to pay a dollar per a complete food including dessert so you will only obtain as a prize a big diarrhea, the country is ugly??? where a hell you´ve been, Ive been in Rome, Madrid, New York, LA, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Caracas, London, and everywhere has ugly places and beautiful ones, Lima was built under classical spaniard way built in 1535 aproximately, if you are an ignorant backpacker we arent guilty of that, and before to travel to some place first READ, is a good and healthy way to discover new cultures.
on Oct 12th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Now, I have never been to Peru, but from all the Peruvians I have met and everyone I know who has been it is a nice country. I think anyone who is not prepared for the culture shock, the language, or the diet will inevitably have problems. Sometimes I feel like Chile is out to get me, but then I realize that they do that to everyone, not just foreigners, so I’m not really special in that respect. Plus, I’ve learned to deal with it, so it bothers me less and less.
As far as Colombia I loved it. It is my goal to be able to go back and enjoy it more. I actually think that Colombia’s beauty is that it has so much to offer. Personally, I sort of hope tourists stay away from it so that the culture doesn’t change too much and the landscape remains pristine.
on Oct 12th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Interesting article. I read a great piece on hiking in Colombia in the New York Times not so long ago. I’d definitely like to go when it’s safe to do so. I don’t want the tourism marketing to run ahead of the security situation though.
on Oct 12th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
[...] first saw a link to this speech on South American travel blog, TravelOjos. I’ve been having an email discussion about it with the blog’s editor, Steven [...]
on Oct 15th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Jens Porup is the perfect person to talk about travel and Latin America. He is 100 % correct on his observations. He has been there and has seen it from the prospective of a European or North American backpacker. What seems odd about his speach is that he was telling the truth, in a culture where people will give you directions to a hotel EVEN if they don’t know where the hostel is, or even understand one word that you are saying. They won’t admit they don’t know. If the Tourist board takes the advice of Porup and admits there is room for imporovement, people will arrive here with money to spend, stay longer and tell others. Porrup’s sense of humor and sarcastic tendency to tell the truth could possibly make him the modern Mark Twain.