In 2007 the Government of Colombia hosted UNWTO’s General Assembly with more than a hundred ministers of tourism and a thousand participants from around the world gathering in Cartagena de Indias.
Almost universally the participants were impressed with three issues:
The incredible tourism product.
The real difference between our perceptions before arriving and the positive realities of the tourism experience.
The way in which the people inside the industry and the citizens generally reflected the spirit of the Colombian national and tourism brands – “Colombia is Passion” and “The only risk is wanting to stay”.
UNWTO believes that brand will be an increasingly important competitive factor and asked the Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Luis Guillermo Plata, to undertake some more in depth analysis of the Colombian case. The goal was twofold:
To objectively dissect the Colombian Brand and the evolution of its tourism product, promotion, perception and performance.
To use the results as a basis for continuing support for Members, in the context of UNWTO’s “competitiveness” activity, in particular with the World Economic Forum.
The report represents an overview of that analysis and underscores the contribution of tourism to the success of this national branding programme as a model example of the important role played by tourism not only in social and economic development, but also in forging the image of a country.
Furthermore the report highlights the smart decision to tackle head-on the perception of Colombia as a risky destination using a clear and direct message, without shying away from mentioning risk, and using that very same perception in a positive sense, turning its originally negative connotation upside-down.
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