In the midst of the situation caused by COVID-19 and social distancing measures, Colombia began a virtual tour with potential United States investors which has already yielded results.

According to ProColombia president Flavia Santoro, in the last two weeks, several one-on-one meetings have been held with California and Georgia companies in the technology, agribusiness, forestry, and manufacturing sectors. Among these companies are Equifax, Home Depot, Georgia Forestry Association, Amplio Ventures, and Treezero.

"The great news for Colombia is that they have already expressed interest in learning about and exploring investment opportunities in our country that could materialize in 2021," Santoro stated.

The tour—led by ProColombia and the Colombian Embassy in the United States—is part of the CO-nectados strategy, a government initiative that promotes collaborative work to internationally position the country as a goods and services exporter, as well as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment and international travelers.

Ambassador Francisco Santos states, “We have seen very positive and satisfactory results. American businesses are very pleased with this initiative because they can clearly see the Colombian government’s willingness to support their investment and business plans in the country, and they know that they can count on Colombia’s collaboration to make those plans successful. The cohesive work of the Embassy and ProColombia generates confidence in the business community.”

Santoro added, “We are working with Ambassador Francisco Santos in the mission of presenting the opportunities that Colombia has to offer as an investment and business destination to potential investors who currently have no projects in our country. The United States is the largest investor in the world, and in Colombia. There is interest in increasing this investment, and there are ample opportunities to be found in our resilient and transforming country. Our government encourages foreign investment as a tool for building a country with equity."

The United States is the world’s largest investor in Colombia, with an accumulated foreign investment worth US $39.19 billion from 2000 to 2019, according to figures from the Central Bank. According to ProColombia reports, more than 500 U.S. companies operate in Colombia, in sectors such as manufacturing, agribusiness, chemicals and life sciences, Industry 4.0, apparel, and business and financial services.