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Colombia's Airstrip Enhancements Boost Travel To Remote Tourist Spots
Colombia's Airstrip Enhancements Boost Travel To Remote Tourist Spots

Forbes

time11-06-2025

  • Forbes

Colombia's Airstrip Enhancements Boost Travel To Remote Tourist Spots

From rainforest to coastline, there's more to Colombia than meets the eye. Few places can boast of a more monumental shift in travelers' collective consciousness than Colombia. The South American country's warp-speed transformation into a destination du jour unfathomable even just 15 years ago, especially as crime statistics continued to drop from their astonishing peaks in the early 1990s. From slow burn to all-out boom, travel to Colombia hit record highs in 2024, per a Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism report from early 2025. A nearly double-digit year-over-year increase bringing more than 6.7 million visitors to this diverse country's coasts, mountains and tropical rainforests. But where exactly are all these new Colombia-bound travelers headed? The answer, it seems, lies increasingly beyond Colombia's still-nascent tourist track. Even as some travelers pack flights to buzzy destinations like the cool, cosmopolitan cities of Cartagena and Medellín, other visitors are increasingly heading to destinations still spoken of in whispers by the lucky few who went there first. Revitalized airstrips bring access to Colombia's more hard-to-access attractions. For ProColombia, the nation's tourism board, that's all part of the plan to show visitors the breadth and depth of Colombia that await. Working in lockstep with government priorities to enhance infrastructure in some of the country's more remote regions, ProColombia's new Runways of Hidden Beauty campaign is renewing and revitalizing 20 key airstrips located near little-known destinations around the country, each with its own unbridled tourist potential. As a record-setting number of visitors venture across the country, bringing what Colombia's MINCIT identified as an astounding $8.34 billion in economic impact in 2024, a 31.4% increase over pre-pandemic levels. It's an opportunity to encourage development in areas of the country that have been previously overlooked. "With this initiative, we hope the impact goes beyond tourism and becomes a true transformation for the well-being of thousands of communities," says Carmen Caballero, the president of ProColombia. "If we succeed in attracting more travelers to these destinations thanks to better connectivity, their presence could become an unprecedented boost to local economies...[and] allows us to send a message of trust and closeness to both communities and visitors." Exploring still-untouched landscapes invites visitors to see a new side of Colombia, while also growing local economies. Currently, runway renovations are underway at five different locations across some of Colombia's most appealing tourist regions: the Greater Caribbean, the Pacific, the Amazon-Orinoco, the Colombian Massif and the Eastern Andes. Set to conclude by December, upgrades will open access for visitors to a number of previously hard-to-reach regions, villages and cities. Among them is Bajo Baudó, located on the country's Pacific Coast. This less-visited area in the rich, raw region of Chocó is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet, per the World Wildlife Foundation. It's home to a 775-million-acre protected area preserving the world's wettest rainforests, tangles of mangrove forests and unexpected landscapes that pack a punch. Very few outside visitors have ever heard of it, let alone made it there. Meanwhile, airstrips in Cumaribo and the nearby Barrancominas will give travelers access to the Matavén Jungle and its Orinoco River, once thought to be the site of the fabled El Dorado. A region on the road to the Colombian Amazon, it's home to numerous indigenous populations and a rich multicultural identity unlike anywhere else in the country. A bird's-eye view of Colombia's beloved Caribbean coastline. Upgrades have already been completed at nine of the identified airstrips in the campaign. Now, they receive regular upgrades, maintenance and performance checks as part of the program. One such site already reaping the benefits of improved access is San Andrés, a white-sand Caribbean island that sits over 450 miles north of Cartagena but is part of Colombia's national territory. The growing popularity of the island has been part of resetting the image of Colombia as a Caribbean destination in its own right, a rebrand started by the coastal city of Cartagena—arguably now the country's most popular destination. Tiny San Andrés even beat out destinations like the Galapagos Islands and Rio de Janeiro to be named South America's best beach destination in the 2024 World Travel Awards. Another newly improved and now fully operational airstrip is in Nuquí, a still little-visited Pacific Coast destination. Nuquí offers opportunities for surfing, hikes to waterfalls hidden in untouched jungles and whale watching as families of humpback whales migrate through the area between July and October every year. The newly improved airstrip in Leticia, meanwhile, sits in the deep heart of the Amazon, the prehistoric gem that coats much of South America. Amazon tourism in Colombia still pales in comparison to that of neighboring Peru and Brazil, but increased access is poised to change that. Added access opens up new travel potential from beaches to tropical rainforests. For the moment, tourism to these newly accessible sites appears to appeal mostly to Colombians and local visitors. ProColombia reports that among the nine newly revitalized airstrips, between just 1.73% to 2.22% of arrivals are passengers from more distant markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Argentina. However, as access continues, that feels apt to change. The program works in lockstep with a greater effort to increase flight lift to the South American country in the first place, to keep up with growing demand. Colombia welcomed a record 6.1 million international travelers in 2023 and over 6.7 million in 2024; this year, it looks on track to cross 7 million. When United Airlines introduced a brand new flight from its Houston hub to Medellín last fall, tickets started to sell out almost immediately. Other airlines like AirCanada have also launched new flights to Colombia, as Colombia's homegrown airline Avianca opens new destinations in U.S. cities like Tampa. Coming soon are the first direct flights from the Middle East to Colombia, with Qatar Airways launching nonstop service from Doha to Bogotá starting this summer. As the number of international visitors to Colombia continues to spike, it seems unlikely that the appeal of already popular destinations around the South American country will decrease any time soon. Last year, the country's three most popular cities—Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena—received 35.3%, 23.9% and 22.2% of international visitors, respectively, a whopping 81.4% of all international visitors to the country, per MINCIT statistics. Instead, added access to some of the less-crowded and arguably even more appealing spots around the country appears to be a rising tide ready to raise all boats.

Inside the Puerto Vallarta airport expansion
Inside the Puerto Vallarta airport expansion

Travel Weekly

time28-05-2025

  • Business
  • Travel Weekly

Inside the Puerto Vallarta airport expansion

Meagan Drillinger Puerto Vallarta's international airport is undergoing a major expansion designed to meet rising tourism demand and elevate the destination's global connectivity. The project, which includes the construction of a second terminal, is expected to double capacity and streamline the travel experience for millions of passengers annually. Terminal 2, 40% complete as of March, is on track for completion by the end of the year. Once operational, the new terminal will increase the airport's capacity to more than 8 million passengers per year. The expansion will add more than 957,000 square feet of infrastructure. According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP), which operates the airport, the project represents an investment of $187 million. The terminal will feature updated technology, sustainable design elements and improved services to enhance the passenger experience. Puerto Vallarta has experienced record-breaking traffic in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, Puerto Vallarta welcomed more than 6 million visitors. The growing number of international arrivals, particularly from the United States, Canada and Europe, has created an urgent need to scale up infrastructure and services. The expansion also supports broader efforts to diversify Puerto Vallarta's visitor base in order to make Puerto Vallarta more of a year-round destination. "The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board has focused on recent objectives, including a strategy to diversify its visitor base by attracting younger travelers and seeking business from South America and Europe," said Luis Villasenor, director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Trust. "This approach aims to offset the seasonal fluctuations in demand for the destination." The upgraded airport facilities will include expanded customs and immigration areas, modernized baggage handling, additional gates and upgraded amenities for both leisure and business travelers. Villasenor highlighted other infrastructure projects that are part of a $9.3 million investment in public infrastructure in the state of Jalisco. The projects include widened sidewalks and bike lanes; a new road node north of the airport equipped to handle 116,000 vehicles a day; and a new fleet of eco-friendly, air-conditioned buses that will launch in the second half of 2025. Another government measure to alleviate the city's traffic congestion is to develop two new docks: one in Mismaloya and the other in El Centro. These docks will connect travelers and cargo to the docks in Los Muertos, Boca de Tomatlan, Quimixto and Yelapa.

Cheap flights up for grabs amid ‘Trump slump' in tourists to US
Cheap flights up for grabs amid ‘Trump slump' in tourists to US

Times

time14-05-2025

  • Business
  • Times

Cheap flights up for grabs amid ‘Trump slump' in tourists to US

Tourists are turning their backs on the US as President Trump's divisive rhetoric leaves them seeking alternative destinations. Industry leaders said there were growing signs of 'Trump Slump 2.0', with airlines and destinations cutting their forecasts for 2025. This week New York City reduced its forecast by three million visitors, citing growing negative sentiment toward the US. It expects two million fewer international visitors and one million fewer domestic arrivals. Only two months ago, the city's tourism board predicted that 2025 would break records, with visitors surpassing pre-pandemic levels. It now looks like a distant wish. The effects are also being felt in Las Vegas, where arrivals have dropped by 7.8 per cent, according to the city's Convention and Visitors Authority. It welcomed 3.39 million

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