Colombia’s tourism has been growing rapidly while the cruise industry is pivotal to the sector’s growth, according to a statement.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism reported that in 2022, the country welcomed over 173,000 cruisers while over 99,300 tourists have already arrived by February 2023.  This represents 57.2 percent of the previous year’s total.

This year, Colombia is launching new cruise destinations and welcoming major cruise lines in different ports. 

“We have a country with a diverse climate and coasts along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which makes it an ideal location for travelers to explore it by water,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia, the promotion agency of the country part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.

Caballero added that currently, Colombia has 10 cruise ship destinations across its territory and 26 different cruise lines have Colombia in their itineraries.

For 2023, Colombia is planning to expand its operations in the Pacific with the deployment of Buenaventura, on the Pacific Coast, and Cabo de la Vela, in the Caribbean, as cruise destinations. In early 2024, the country will welcome two river cruise ships by AmaWaterways for the first time ever, which will sail the Magdalena River from Cartagena to Barranquilla and vice versa.

Additionally, Explora Journeys announced it will begin operations with luxury cruises in both Cartagena and Santa Marta in 2024. The cruise line has been visiting Medellin and Bogota to examine Pre and Post Offshore Excursions.