Fitur, a fair to conquer pandemic tourism
The industry tourism try to advance in the complicated path marked by the coronavirus. This is shown in Fitur, the International Tourism Fair held every year in New York and it opened on Thursday. Colombia is willing to help pedaling.
(You may be interested: paradises to detoxify the body and soul).
Although the space was significantly reduced, and the attendance has fallen to about 20 percent of what is usual in this international meeting, countries are making an effort to activate travel.
The paseo del rey Felipe VI and Letizia at the inauguration was a symbol of what is happening: much shorter than usual, it only included the pavilion where the representations of the autonomous communities (departments) and that of Spanish companies are located.
Colombia, through its regions
Colombia deploys a program based on two lines: holiday tourism and industry in the regions. To this end, it separates the country into six macro-regions, whose landscapes are displayed on large panels at the stand.
On the one hand, the Caribbean, with destinations such as Cabo De La Vela, Palomino, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Salinas de Galerazamba, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Palenque, Mompox and Capurgana.
(In addition: the EU will approve this Thursday the opening of borders to vaccinated).
In addition, the Pacific and its rich biodiversity: turtles, whales and birds; the most varied places, such as Bahía Solano, the Utría, Nuquí and Gorgona Natural National Park; and traditions such as the Cali World Salsa Festival and the Petronio Álvarez Pacific Music Festival.
Mompox is a historical and cultural epicenter, with a beautiful architecture that refers the traveler to the past for its colonial component. Mompox is a World Heritage site.
Photo:
John Montaño-the time
They also impose their presence Western Andes, between coffee and flowers. Medellín, Guatapé, Jericó, the Miel River, The Los Nevados Natural Park, the Cocora Valley and Salento are points that stand out in the region.
The Eastern Andes they are not far behind, with places such as El Gallineral Natural Park, Chicamocha, San Gil, El Socorro, El Cocuy, Monguí, Villa de Leyva, Tota, Salt Cathedral, Chingaza Natural Park and Bogotá.
Of Colombian Massif traditions such as the Holy Week of Popayán and the Carnival of blacks and Whites are highlighted, as well as sites such as the Tatacoa Desert, Tierradentro, the Puracé Natural Park, San Agustín, Isnos, Mocoa, Nariño and the Laguna de la Cocha.
The Emberá-wounaan ethnic groups of Panama show their commitment to sustainable tourism, at Fitur 2021.
The lush landscapes of the Amazon-Orinoquia you can see through the Eastern Plains, the Tuparro Natural Park, Caño Cristales, the Sierra de La Macarena, the Serranía de Chiribiquete Natural Park and the Amayacú Natural Park.
“Colombia has a sustainable commitment in the sense that the regions can be shown to the world; that is part of its social development, and is an important generator of employment,” says Silverio Gómez, director of ProColombia in Spain. ” We have a culture and a gastronomy that we are going to show, ” he adds. ”And our country is also sustainable: we have important sectors such as nature, with the great diversity of birds, and cultural heritage, which provide important conditions to offer tourists and change the switch of what will be the sector in the future.”
The Colombia stand, which this year is noticeably smaller than on other occasions, offers the possibility of experiencing sensory experiences in a booth with games of mirrors, in which you can hear typical music and watch different animations. During the weekend there will be live presentations of music and traditional dances.
The virus remains the protagonist
The protagonist of this edition of Fitur, which will last until May 23, is the pandemic. Attendees must show a negative result of a coronavirus test to enter and keep the masks on, an issue that controllers check inside the pavilions of the fairgrounds.
” This is a very particular Fitur because we are emerging from a pandemic and we are showing the world that tourism is recovering, and Colombia maintains its presence in Fitur, ” says the country’s ambassador to Spain, Luis Guillermo Plata. “Of course we have reduced it, but here we are and we will maintain the presence over time so that Colombia continues to position itself as a destination of excellence in the world,” he adds.
(Also: France reopens the cultural and gastronomic life of its cities).
It also notes that it was necessary to adapt the country’s tourist offer to the situation. ” We have to understand that it is not easy to get from Colombia to Spain and we had to work with companies that are already in Europe, with local representatives, thanks to whom we can have a more robust presence, ” he says.
It is a delegation of 16 Colombian businessmen including hotels, tour operators and Regional Promotion Entities, who participate both physically and virtually.
The mix of units face-to-face and telematics is, in fact, one of the characteristics of this edition of the fair, which brings together 5,000 participants from five continents, representing 55 countries and 33 delegations.
In the last edition, which took place in 2020 just before the pandemic, there were more than 261 thousand participants, 150 thousand professionals and 165 countries or regions.
This is, however, an important step in the reactivation of tourism, a key sector of the Spanish economy (in 2019 it contributed 12.4% of GDP). ” We want to generate confidence in international and national tourists while combating the pandemic by providing safe mobility instruments, ” says Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
With Fitur, Spain opens the doors to the world again.
MRS. J. SAMPER OSPINA
For the time
Find also in travel:
TripAdvisor presents the 25 best hotels in the world
Ten tourist and terrifying places in the world
Everything you need to know to get vaccinated against covid – 19 in the U.S. UU.
