In recent years, and more so during the pandemic, Colombia considers sustainable tourism a responsibility and an opportunity. It has developed the Sustainable Tourism Policy “Together with Nature” as a long-term strategic vision for the sector. The Policy seeks to unite all industry stakeholders towards the goal of developing sustainable tourism and consists of a strategic plan for 2030 comprised of six strategies consistent with the global Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Under the Policy, Colombia developed the strategy “Colombia Sustainable Tourism: Training for Tourism Entrepreneurs and Businesses”. The Strategy has three fundamental activities:
An e‑learning platform, with practical, digital and interactive content to acquire knowledge and skills and learn from successful sustainability case studies. More than 2 000 entrepreneurs have registered on the platform and are undertaking the modules.
A manual of good practices in sustainability for tourism entrepreneurs has also been developed with tools to identify the environmental impacts of tourism and the actions to take for mitigation and compensation.
50 virtual and in-person workshops are being run in the 32 departments of the country to disseminate the main components of the strategy.
Colombia’s main federal policy priorities for tourism are sustainability, reactivation of the economy, and developing a long-term integrated strategy. Due to COVID‑19, Colombia prioritised supporting the recovery and strengthening the resilience of the tourism economy. The new General Law of Tourism, created in 2020, aims to help economic recovery through short, medium and long-term measures (see box below).
The COVID‑19 crisis highlighted the gap between formal and informal workers in the sector and the government’s capacity to react and adapt when different support mechanisms are required to support vulnerable communities. Colombia aims to increase the percentage of workers in the formal sector to advance programmes that can benefit them.
Colombia has begun a transition to reduce the negative impacts of tourism and protect its ecosystems, communities and diversity to develop a sustainable, responsible and peaceful sector. This policy is being guided by the many local communities in the country. This includes worked with indigenous representatives to develop the first Indigenous Tourism Policy. This aims to increase participation and improve social and economic development of indigenous communities, while enhancing the protection of their heritage, culture and traditions.
Colombia is also working with the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Wildlife Fund to design a practical training course on sustainable gastronomy for the tourism sector, with a corresponding guide for restaurants and lodgings. This course promotes the sustainable use of food procurement and production, the continuous monitoring of food waste and its proper disposal, and the strengthening if the local production chain of organic products. There are over 1 710 participants on the platform.
