The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism aims to improve regional competitiveness and sustainability, as well as generate added value and consolidate the country’s presence in both the domestic and international tourism markets. It is comprised of three Vice-Ministries covering Business Development, Foreign Trade and Tourism.
The mission of the Vice-Ministry of Tourism is to work with tourism destinations and providers to position Colombia as a sustainable tourist destination, known for its diverse and multicultural offer, represented by highly competitive products and services that empowers regional development.
The main functions of the Vice-Ministry of Tourism are as follows:
To formulate, implement and evaluate tourism policy, and related plans and programmes in conjunction with the public and private sectors.
To design and ensure the implementation of the 2018-22 Tourism Sector Plan.
To co-ordinate the National Tourism Register, the Tourist Information System and the certification system related to the provision of hotel services.
To regulate the industry, as well as addressing complaints by tourism service providers covered by existing legislation.
In 2013, legislation was put in place to ensure robust co-ordination of tourism programmes and projects. This created the Superior Tourism Council, representing 13 different ministries and other agencies to ensure a whole of government approach to tourism development.
Regional and local authorities are responsible for developing tourism activities in their territories. The majority of departments have an office or authority in charge of tourism issues. The 32 departments are obliged to carry out a tourism development plan, which serves to gather, systematise and process information from the communities involved in local tourism. Each department aligns to and applies the policy guidelines developed by the Vice-Ministry of Tourism for the improvement of competitiveness and sustainability in their territories. The Ministry co-ordinates a series of planning activities with regional and local authorities, and seeks to identify priorities for collaboration within the public sector over a three-year period.
In addition, the Ministry has created a Consultative Tourism Council as an advisory body to government. Membership is wide ranging and currently comprised of six representatives from the tourism industry, including delegates from travel agencies, food industry, theme parks, transportation companies, hotels, and universities. Additionally, the Council has representation from the public institutions ProColombia, The National Tourism Fund and the Ministry. The objectives of the Consultative Tourism Council are to advise the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism on the formulation of policies, programmes and projects, promote economic co-operation agreements, recommend actions that enable permanent co-ordination between the public and private sectors, analyse the national and international performance of the tourism sector, and recommend strategies for tourist safety and security.
Funding comes from various sources, including the general budget, obligatory contributions from tourism service providers, income from tourism properties and brands owned by the government, and a USD 15 tourism tax on international air arrivals, collected at the time of ticket booking. In 2019, the national budget was COP 298.6 million, representing a significant increase from the 2018 budget of COP 132.1 million.
