Colombia relies on tourism as the main foreign revenue source

Colombia’s touristic destinations are currently generating more revenue for the country than coal mines exports

According to Colombian government data, 2015 tourism revenue went up 6 per cent when compared to 2014, for a total of $5.2 billion, $0.6 billion more than national coal sales income.

The decrease in the national currency (peso) tumbled revenue from the country's main industries, such as oil, coal, gold, coffee and nickel industry, at the same time making the destinations here more affordable to foreign tourists.

Officials expect a boost in Colombian tourism also because Bogotá, the country capital, is safe considering the Zika-virus spreading around in all Latin America, due to its 2.600m above sea level location.

Moreover, the current possibility of a peace agreement with Marxist rebels following 52 years of tense conflict opens up country's tourism industry for further development. The negotiations between the government and the guerrillas are set to finish on March 23.

Concurrently, President Juan Manuel Santos declared that the country aims to remove all anti-personnel mines threats used during the last 5 years of insurgency, which will no longer deter travelers who want to visit the country's hot-spots.

Colombian deputy tourism minister Sandra Howard Taylor stated:

“Once the peace deal is out of the way, people will start looking at other regions of the country. For tourism, we know that the Orinoco basin will begin to be very important, as will the Pacific coast.”

The Colombian government also aims to gain $6 billion from tourist revenue by 2018.