Colombia Tourism Growth Bogs Down

The number of foreigners visiting Colombia grew only slightly in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period last year. According to statistics released by the Trade Ministry, 1.322,787 foreigners entered the country between January and September. This is 0.4 percent more than last year.

The slowdown in growth of foreign visitors breaks with the trend of the past ten years, during which tourism in Colombia grew over 300 percent. In 2011, the government reported a 7.2 percent growth in foreign visits against a 4 percent tourism growth globally.

Colombia's deputy trade minister for tourism said last month he expected tourism to pick up at the end of the year when an increase in cruise ships is expected to visit Colombia's Caribbean coast.