More than 100 Colombian and foreign companies will do business in the field of natural tourism

The eleventh edition of the Colombia Nature Travel Mart, the business meeting connecting Colombia’s offer with international demand in nature and adventure tourism, will be held in Rionegro, Antioquia.

Between September 27 and 29, the Colombia Nature Travel Mart (CNTM), the country’s most important nature tourism event, will take place in Rionegro, Antioquia, where Colombian entrepreneurs will present various proposals to foreign buyers that include bicycle tours, butterfly tours, whale and bird watching, wellness, diving, community tourism and trekking, and other experiences.


The city of Antioquia will be the epicenter of this meeting thanks to its rich offer of natural and adventure tourism.


Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arturo Bravo, underlined that “under the administration of President Gustavo Petro we are committed to sustainable and inclusive natural tourism, which allows visitors to appreciate the offer of our beautiful destination and emphasize why Colombia is the country.” beauty.”


It is hoped that holding this meeting will generate business expectations exceeding 10 million dollars, on top of the 8.4 million dollars agreed upon at the previous year’s event which took place in Manizales.


Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia, highlighted the importance of this event: “at CNTM we managed to show in one place the extraordinary offer of nature and adventure that the country and its region have. In harmony with the National Government, we are doing this promotion in response to the call to care for and protect our resources, and that is what we want to show to international entrepreneurs, that Colombia is a destination in harmony with life that is committed to the conservation of natural resources. region and understand that tourism is a means to meet these sustainability parameters.”


The official also emphasized that they aim for the event to be carbon neutral. “This implies that we will carry out calculations of CNTM’s carbon footprint and take the necessary actions to compensate accordingly,” he said.


Meanwhile, Juan David Blanco, Secretary of Tourism of Antioquia, stated that “we are delighted that our magical department of Antioquia is hosting the Colombia Nature Travel Mart 2023 (CNTM) in its eleventh version. This nature tourism business meeting is a very valuable opportunity to promote Antioquia’s potential as a sustainable tourism destination and strengthen business relations in the nature tourism segment. We welcome the participants of this event with open arms and invite them to explore the natural riches of abundant biodiversity, enjoy the warmth of local communities and discover the wonders that our region has to offer.”


This event will bring together 60 international buyers from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Honduras, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Brazil and the United States will be the countries with the most representation with 10 and 12 participating companies respectively.


The Colombian delegation will consist of 70 tourist service exporters from the departments of Amazonas, Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Casanare, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, San Andrés and Providencia , Santander, Tolima and Valle del Cauca.


As a complement to this event, on September 29, foreign entrepreneurs had the opportunity to explore Rionegro and discover its potential. Activities include a visit to Hacienda Alma del Bosque, home to one of the largest orchid collections in Colombia; a tour of Cerámica El Dorado, a company dedicated to ceramics inspired by the famous work of Carmen de Viboral; bike through San Nicolás Park to learn about export-oriented floriculture and its sustainable practices; and a visit to the majestic 80-meter waterfall, Salto del Buey, surrounded by lush vegetation.



Previous socialization trips


Prior to the business conference, international businesspeople will participate in eight familiarization trips, covering natural destinations in the country’s Six Tourist Areas, and products related to diving, wellness, whale and bird watching, safaris, bicycle tours and trekking .


This trip will allow foreign buyers to learn about the tourist offer of natural destinations in San Andrés, the peaceful region of Valle del Cauca, Santander, Casanare, Nariño, Bolívar, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Huila, Vichada and Guainía.


Additionally, during this journey, operators will implement sustainable practices, including eliminating single-use plastics, establishing relationships with local suppliers and supporting community initiatives. Additionally, each trip will have heritage actions to highlight such as coral restoration, restorative planting, beach clean-ups, sports equipment donations and support for environmental conservation initiatives.



Business between Colombian entrepreneurs and suppliers


Other events held within the CNTM framework were carried out in a hybrid format. It was Chaining Wheel which took place on August 25, with Guaviare as the host. This commercial platform aims to facilitate and encourage the incorporation of local and specialized suppliers in Colombia in the field of tourism in the national wholesale catalogue. In doing so, these wholesalers can demonstrate to their international colleagues the richness of the country’s tourism offer.


According to Laura Durana, Executive Director of Acotur, an organization that supports the chain: “the real power is the formation of new connections and the identification of opportunities for tourism diversification in different regions. The anticipation and support provided by Acotur, the Swiss Cooperation SIPPO Program and USAID, from the United States, visible since the previous virtual session allowed the entrepreneur to perfect his offer to buyers. The tour operator received a well-structured offer, full of new experiences and updated rates even for 2024. We closed the event with a feeling of satisfaction and confidence that this new offer will be well received by the international buyers of CNTM 2023.”


At the event last August, it met 144 suppliers from 27 departments and 74 buyers from 15 departments. These meetings resulted in business expectations exceeding 1,763 million pesos. It should be noted that 75% of these commercial leads come from buyers from Cundinamarca, Antioquia and Bolívar.