Trips to Colombia

TRIPS TO COLOMBIA: THE SECURITY IN COLOMBIA


At the present time those are majority that consider to Colombia as a dangerous destiny. Nevertheless, with respect to the tourist sector and in view of the real data, this fear does not correspond absolutely with the reality. In the last years one has demonstrated that if you are a traveller who is going to pass two or three weeks visiting the country, its archaeological zones, Bogota, Cartagena, Santa Marta, the Coffee Zone, volcanos or the Colombian Amazonia, and one moves with the clothes adapted for an excursion, is very improbable that something happens to him.

In spite of the myth on the ruling danger in Colombia the tourist never objective has been declared of no of the armed groups that operate in the country, and it has not been the tourism like so either. During last twenty years thousands of tourists of very many nationalities “they have defied” that prejudice and they have traveled by Colombia in public and deprived transport. Trying to always avoid potentially conflicting zones, hundreds and hundreds of English, French, Canadian, Italian or Australian Germans, they have moved and they move every year by many zones of the country without problem some. The statistical data collected from books of the Archaeological Centers and Parks demonstrate National it. This is an objective information and not an opinion.

The unique exception to that rule constituted the kidnapping of a small group of tourists (young European and Israelite, including a Spanish citizen) who does few years carried out the ELN in the zone of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. He lasted a little more a month, he had advertizing character, a rescue was never asked for, and the tourists well were treated and released through the catholic church. In addition, so the conviction between all the Colombians that has been extended the tourists must be besides the internal problems, addition to the negative impact that had in the international Community the action of the ELN, that never has more become to repeat a similar incident.

At present the promotion of the tourism has become a state policy. In this sense it is important to emphasize that five years ago President Uribe sent an interesting campaign under the slogan of “Lives Colombia, travels by her” unfolding to the army by almost all the national road network. So political it has been much successful between the Colombian population that, for the first time for many years, has sent itself massively with its cars to travel by the rear area feeling which, finally, they can enjoy freedom of movements. The foreign tourism obvious also has benefitted from this new sensation of security.

In summary, it is perfectly possible to travel by many zones of Colombia, properly advised and the normal precautions that any traveller must adopt in his displacements.