The Growth of Tourism in Colombia in the 21st Century

During the last decades of the 20th century, much of the outside world regarded Colombia as synonymous with cocaine and violence—country certainly too dangerous to visit. Thanks to the decline of violence, government initiatives in 21st century, strengthened by the well-publicized natural attractions of Colombia, have begun to overcome this negative reputation. Since there are few scholarly studies of tourism in Colombia, this essay breaks new ground by recapping the government’s efforts to promote tourism with an emphasis on the two immense regions that lie east of the mountains, i.e., the Llanos or plains in the north and the Amazon jungles to the south.