The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism reported that 1.6 million travelers arrived in the country.

After the hardest part of the pandemic, tourism in Colombia has been recovering to the point of achieving constant increases in the figures that allow us to measure the behavior of this industry.

This Wednesday the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism reported that during the first quarter of the year, tourists who arrived in Colombia were counted at 1.6 million, which translates into a rebound of 7.6% compared to the same period of the year. past (Venezuelan migration is not included in these accounts).

According to what was reported by the portfolio, the main destinations in the country are Bogotá (36.7%), Antioquia (23.8%), and Bolívar (21%). The largest increases recorded during the first quarter of the year were seen in Antioquia (25.9%), Bolívar (23.9%) and Quindío (19.8%).

In March alone, 510,000 visitors entered the country, which is one of the highest figures recorded (for this month) since 2015.

“This is due, among other reasons, to the arrival of travelers during the Easter season and also to the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns under the narrative of Colombia, the country of beauty,” said Minister Germán Umaña.

Figures managed by Migración Colombia indicate that the main countries of origin of these visitors are the United States (26.6%), Ecuador (7.3%) and Mexico (7.2%).

“The growth in the number of visitors from countries like Costa Rica is also notable, with a positive variation of 57.6%; Mexico with 23.7% and Ecuador with 23.1% compared to the same month of the previous year. This notable performance is added to the air connectivity figures reported by Civil Aeronautics in the first quarter of this year according to which between January and March 2024, nearly 13.1 million people were mobilized by air, which is equivalent to 15.7% more than in the same period of 2023,” the ministry added.

Regarding domestic tourism, that is, tourism carried out by Colombians themselves in the country, during the first quarter of the year, 7.6 million travelers were registered, which translates into an increase of 6% compared to the same period of time. from last year. In March alone, 4.4 million passengers were transported, with a rebound of 19.4% compared to the same month in 2023.

“According to the report of the Economic Studies Office of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, in 2023 the goal set by the Government of Change of promoting domestic tourism was met, achieving that more than 10% of citizens traveled through Colombia, the country of beauty,” said the portfolio.

According to DANE, 14.6% of Colombians made a domestic tourism trip in 2023, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to 2022.