Colombia arrives at IMEX Frankfurt 2022 with a 123.1% increase in meetings tourism arrivals

In January and February 2022, 16,634 international visitors arrived to Colombia for business meetings and work-related events, representing a 123.1% increase compared to the same months in 2021. To promote these results, industry business representatives will share what Colombia has to offer at IMEX Frankfurt 2022.

To maintain Colombia's position as a top host country for major events, ProColombia will accompany a delegation of Colombian business representatives at IMEX Frankfurt. This event is one of the world's leading meetings industry fairs, which brings together buyers and providers from more than 150 countries. The event will take place from May 31 to June 2. Colombia's offer will be presented with sustainability as the overarching principle.

ProColombia President Flavia Santoro stated, "Currently, Colombia attracts 7 times more events than it did in 2009. In 2021, our promotion agency surpassed the goal for hosting major events and meetings, landing 91 events-including the IDB Assembly, the World Law Congress, and ICCA Congress, just to name a few. This year, we plan to achieve even more."

During the upcoming business event in Germany, Colombian hotel entrepreneurs, convention centers, and promotion agencies will have business meetings with buyers from all over the world, as well as representatives from large hotel chains, conference and exhibition centers, cruise lines, airlines, technology providers, and event management specialists, among others.

Santoro added, "We are going to IMEX Frankfurt championed by Colombia's recent success in the meetings industry. This segment of the tourism market has remarkable strategic relevance for Colombia's development in various areas. Due to its cross-cutting nature, it has a direct impact in terms of strengthening businesses and promoting foreign direct investment, in addition to all the knowledge generated as a result of academic, medical, financial, and infrastructure meetings."

The meetings industry is one of the strategic segments included in the efforts to promote Colombia internationally led by ProColombia, in coordination with Colombian businesses and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

With this in mind, on May 10, a meeting was held in Washington, D.C. with industry representatives from leading U.S. associations. Colombian representatives confirmed why the country is positioning itself as a regional hub for business meetings, conventions, and events. Colombia's reactivation strategy for this industry was also shared.

Key players from the U.S. meetings industry who attended the meeting included Events Industry Council CEO Amy Calvert, PCMA President and CEO Sheriff Karamat, ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, AMC Institute CEO Tina Wehmeir, Rori Ferensic from Destination International, and Valerie Sumner from VRS Events, among others.

Sherrif Karamat-PMCA & CEMA President and CEO, Certified Association Executive (CAE)-stated, "The global events and meetings industry contributes to and drives social and economic transformation, and the Colombian government is clearly demonstrating that it recognizes this industry's value. The opportunity to interact with Colombian leaders-including Marta Lucía Ramírez, Juan Carlos Pinzón, María Ximena Lombana, and Laura Valdivieso-clearly and transparently demonstrates Colombia's commitment to transformation and growth through its business and events platform."

In this regard, Flavia Santoro affirmed, "Colombia has the potential and the infrastructure to take the meetings industry to the next level. The increase in tourist arrivals is a reflection of the strategy put in place in 2020 to support meetings industry businesses with campaigns such as "Change the date, not the destination." Additionally, Colombia has adapted to new sector trends of holding hybrid and biosafe events, along with progressing in the national vaccination plan and developing infrastructure to offer safe spaces, certified with the national government's "Certified Check-In, COVID-19 Biosafe" seal.

According to a 2018 study carried out by ProColombia, the meetings industry generates over US $2.45 billion in the country every year, representing 22.8% of total income generated by international tourism in Colombia. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena were among the top 10 cities in the world for number of events hosted in 2019.

World-class destination for the industry

Colombia has 27 first-class convention centers and a network of 455 hotels with ideal facilities for holding events. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena are among the top 10 cities in the world for number of events and meetings hosted in 2019.

Due to its strategic location, Colombia is a key international air connectivity hub in the Americas. Currently, 10 Colombian cities have connections with 42 international destinations in 26 countries. According to a recent report by the Official Aviation Guide (OAG), Colombia is one of the top 20 countries in the world in terms of aviation logistics capacity; it is ranked third in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico.
Colombia's promotion strategy as a regional leader for the meetings industry has brought the country more than 20 awards in the last 2 years. Its most recent awards include the South America World Travel Awards in the categories of Cruise Destination, LGBT Destination, and Youth Travel Destination. Colombia was also the number one destination for bird watching on Global Big Day and the recipient of the Excelencias Group's "2020 Tourism Excellence Award" at FITUR 2021.

msagredo@procolombia.co

ProColombia

This release was published on openPR.