BOGOTA, Colombia January 27, 2021

ProColombia, the government entity in charge of promoting international tourism, foreign direct investment, non-mining energy exports and the country brand, is hosting its first-ever Colombia USA Tourism Business Forum 2021, taking place from January 26th – 28th.

This event is open to tour operators, wholesalers, travel agencies and  meeting planners interested in doing business with Colombia or that already have Colombia in their catalogues. The virtual conference will include academic forums with fascinating panel discussions and business meetings that seek to highlight Colombia’s tourism product.

Agenda highlights include:

• Flying to Colombia – A journey to the country – Focused on the importance of connectivity featuring Stephane Marcoux, Director of Marketing Aviation of OPAIN, Ricardo Garnica, Sales Manager for Colombia at Delta Air Lines; Sid Raghuraman, Senior Analyst - International Network Planning at American Airlines and Nick Bartolotta Director, Network Planning at Spirit Airlines.

• Global perspectives of the Meetings industry – Featuring Natasha Richards, Senior Advocacy & Industry Relations Manager, IMEX Group; Eduardo Chaillo, CEO of GMTS; Bruce MacMillan, Chief Marketing Officer at PCMA and Pádraic Gilligan, Chief Marketing Officer at SITE.

• The power of the Travel Industry to influence the consumer’s behavior – Moderated by Jim Brody, Managing Director of Destinations at Lonely Planet. Featuring: Bruce Poon Tip, CEO of G-Adventures; Terry Dale, President & CEO of USTOA and Lisa Lutoff Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises.

Those interested in additional information and registering for the event can do so here: https://www.colombia-usatourismforum2021.com/

Colombia is a prime destination for international leisure travel and meetings, featuring unique natural wealth and ranked the second most biodiverse country in the world. The country boasts a rich and diverse culture, is a leader in sustainable tourism and offers a plethora of meeting and events venues including 27 convention centers and 455 hotels with rooms designed to hold events. Colombia also recently announced the development of Arena del Rio. Opening in 2024, the new entertainment complex is poised to be the most innovative and creative venue of its kind in the LATAM region, featuring three auditoriums, a club with 17 event salons, a semi Olympic pool, a five-star hotel, virtual reality park, 100 apartments, bars, restaurants, and a four-port marina.  

 As we look towards 2021, the country is already seeing a rebound in travel. Colombia closed the year with 75% of air frequencies reestablished, connecting the main gates of the US with 7 cities in Colombia through American Airlines, Avianca, Delta, JetBlue, Latam Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Viva Air and United Airlines, and a total of 533 international weekly air frequencies from 20 countries have already been reactivated.

And, audiences are taking notice. Colombia was recently listed as one of the “52 places to Love in 2021” by the New York Times, among other accolades, including:

• 2020 Top Destination (Colombia) – The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA)

• 2021 Best in Travel list (Medellín) – Lonely Planet

• Top 20 Worldwide Destinations (Colombia) – Condé Nast Traveler

• South America's Leading Culinary Destination (Colombia) – World Travel Awards 2020, South America

• South America's Leading LGBT Destination (Colombia) – World Travel Awards 2020, South America

• South America's Leading Tourist Board (ProColombia) – World Travel Awards 2020, South America

• In addition, six cities were recognized by the same awards in several categories: Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín and San Andrés.

• Best Tourism Website in the World (Colombia.travel) – Webby People's Choice Awards