User:MBurdge/sandbox

The contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in 2016 was USD 6.1 billion. Tourism generated 556,135 jobs (2.5% of total employment) in 2016. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 3.3 million in 2016.

Colombia has major attractions for a tourist destination, such as Cartagena and its historic surroundings, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the insular department of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina; and Santa Marta and the surrounding area. The coffee region is also a very popular destination, especially the city of Armenia and its surroundings. Fairly recently, Bogotá, the nation's capital, has become Colombia's major tourist destination because of its improved museums and entertainment facilities and its major urban renovations, including the rehabilitation of public areas, the development of parks, and the creation of an extensive network of cycling routes. With its very rich and varied geography, which includes the Amazon and Andean regions, the llanos, the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and the deserts of La Guajira, and its unique biodiversity, Colombia also has major potential for ecotourism.

2.1 Land and Climate
Colombia is located in the North West area of the South American continent. Colombia coasts are along the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The Andes Mountains are within the borders of Colombia, and are a popular destination for tourist to hike.

Along the coast and in the northern areas of the country the climate is "warm and tropical . . . with a rainy season from May to November." The temperature stays fairly consistent throughout the year because Colombia is so close to the equator. The variety in temperature comes from the level of altitude, it is much cooler in the higher altitudes of Colombia than the low land coastal areas.

2.2 History
Indigenous people inhabited what is now Colombia by 12,500 BCE. In 1500, Rodrigo de Bastidas was the first Spanish explorer of the Caribbean coast. In 1510, Vasco Núñez de Balboa founded the town of Santa María la Antigua del Darién. Throughout Colombia's history there were several rebel movements against Spanish rule, but most were unsuccessful. In 1810 the rebels, lead by Simón Bolívar were successful and achieved independence from Spain.

Colombia was the first constitutional government in South America, and the Liberal and Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas.Slavery was abolished in the country in 1851. The United States of America's intentions to influence the area (especially the Panama Canal construction and control) led to the separation of the Department of Panama in 1903 and the establishment of it as a nation.

In the early to mid-1980s, international tourism arrivals in Colombia reached nearly 1.4 million per year. Although they decreased by more than half thereafter, they have recovered at rates of more than 10 percent annually since 2002, reaching 1.9 million visitors in 2006. Tourism usually has been considered a low-growth service industry in Colombia because of internal violence, but in 2006 the country earned US$2 billion from international tourism. Tourists visiting Colombia from abroad came mainly from the United States (24.5 percent), followed by Venezuela(13.4 percent), Ecuador (9.1 percent), Spain (6.4 percent), and Mexico (4.9 percent). Approximately 90 percent of foreign tourists arrive by air, 10 percent by land transportation, and a tiny share by sea.

The Democratic Security and Defense Policy of Álvaro Uribe Vélez (president between 2002 and 2010) organized tourist caravans (caravanas turísticas) to protect tourists and boost tourism. The caravans transported tourists to holiday celebration sites and were protected by military forces. The Democratic Security Policy's goal is to "reestablishing control over all of the nation's territory, fighting illegal drugs and organized crime, and strengthening the justice system." Another project to boost tourism and tourist safety in Colombia is the Proexport Colombia.The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism is the Colombian ministry in charge of tourism affairs.

3.1 Population
In 2018 Colombia had a population of 49,325,129. The largest city in Colombia is Bogotá with a population of 7,674.366, Bogotá is the capital of Colombia. The next largest cities are Santiago de Cali, Medellín, and House's Joe Arroyo.

3.2 Government
"The Republic of Colombia has a presidential system of government." There is one central government in Colombia with 3 separate branches, the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary. The president in March 2018 is Juan Manuel Santos. The head of the Executive branch is president Juan Manuel Santos. The Legislative branch of government is lead by the Congress of Colombia. The judicial branch is headed by four high courts: the Supreme Court, the Council of State, the Constitutional Court, and the Superior Council of Judicature.

3.3 Economy
Colombia has a diversified economy with macroeconomic stability and favorable growth prospects in the long run. Historically an agrarian economy, Colombia urbanised rapidly in the 20th century, by the end of which just 15.8% of the workforce were employed in agriculture, generating just 6.6% of GDP; 19.6% of the workforce were employed in industry and 64.6% in services, responsible for 33.4% and 59.9% of GDP respectively. The country's economic production is dominated by its strong domestic demand. Consumption expenditure by households is the largest component of GDP. The contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was USD5,880.3bn (2.0% of total GDP) in 2016. Tourism generated 556,135 jobs (2.5% of total employment) in 2016. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 3.3 million in 2016.

3.4 Language
More than 99.2% of Colombians speak Spanish, also called Castilian; 65 Amerindian languages, two Creole languages, the Romani language and Colombian Sign Language are also spoken in the country. English has official status in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.

Including Spanish, a total of 101 languages are listed for Colombia in the Ethnologue database. The specific number of spoken languages varies slightly since some authors consider as different languages what others consider to be varieties or dialects of the same language. Best estimates recorded 71 languages that are spoken in-country today—most of which belong to the Chibchan, Tucanoan, Bora–Witoto, Guajiboan, Arawakan, Cariban, Barbacoan, and Saliban language families. There are currently about 850,000 speakers of native languages.

3.5 Religion
Over 75% of Colombians identify with the Roman Catholic Church and 15% identify with the Protestant Catholic Church. Most public schools teach some Catholic religious instruction.

The National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) does not collect religious statistics, and accurate reports are difficult to obtain. However, based on various studies and a survey, about 90% of the population adheres to Christianity, the majority of which (70.9%) are Roman Catholic, while a significant minority (16.7%) adhere to Protestantism (primarily Evangelicalism). Some 4.7% of the population is atheist or agnostic, while 3.5% claim to believe in God but do not follow a specific religion. 1.8% of Colombians adhere to Jehovah's Witnesses and Adventism and less than 1% adhere to other religions, such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Hare Krishna movement, Rastafari movement, Orthodox Catholic Church, and spiritual studies. The remaining people either did not respond or replied that they did not know. In addition to the above statistics, 35.9% of Colombians reported that they did not practice their faith actively.

While Colombia remains a mostly Roman Catholic country by baptism numbers, the 1991 Colombian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and all religious faiths and churches are equally free before the law.

3.6 Food/Diet
Lunch is the main meal of the day, between 12 and 2 PM. Common dishes in Colombia include: Arepa, Arroz con Coco, Buñuelos, Empanadas, and Tamales. Arepa is a type of bread made from corn flower. Arroz con Coco is a coconut and rice dish. Buñuelos are fried dough balls. It is common to have a "merienda" or snack after breakfast and before lunch.

3.7 Customs/Courtesies
Gift giving is an important tradition in Colombia, especially between a house guest and their host.

Colombian's appearance is always well kept. Men will often wear suits and women will often wear dresses. It is considered rude to remove shoes in public.

Colombians often joke with family and friends, but sarcasm is considered rude.

Some common phrases in Colombia are: The educated speech of Bogotá, a generally conservative variety of Spanish, holds high popular prestige among Spanish-speakers throughout the Americas. Slang speech is frequent in popular culture.
 * "Chevré" or "bacano" means "nice" or "cool"
 * "Qué más?" means "how are you?"
 * "Listo" means "I understand"

3.8 Holidays
Popular times to visit Colombia include the most famous festivals such as the Cali's Fair, the Barranquilla's Carnival, the Bogota Summer Festival, the Ibero-American Theater Festival and the Flower Festival is when the most foreign tourists go to Colombia. Many people visit Colombia during Christmas time and the celebrations surrounding the Independence of Colombia. The Ministry of Tourism considers high seasons the Holy Week, the northern hemisphere summer months (June, July, August, September) and Christmas season. During the Holy Week many travel to the Caribbean Region of Colombia or visit popular landmarks like Las Lajas Cathedral, Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, the towns of Santa Cruz de Mompox, Guamal or Popayán where Roman Catholic traditions and rituals are performed, among others.

4.0 Tourism
Most visitors arriving to Colombia on short term basis in 2016 were from the following countries of nationality:

4.1 Visa/Entry Requirements
U.S. citizens need a valid U.S. passport and a return flight ticket to enter and leave Colombia. If a U.S. Citizen plans to stay more than 90 days in Colombia they will need a Colombian visa. More details on obtaining a visa can be found on this website: https://co.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/how-to-apply/.

4.2 Currency
The peso is used as currency in Colombia. In March 2018 the exchange rate was 1000 pesos to .29 Euros, .46 Canadian Dollars, .36 US Dollars, .26 British Pounds, or 2.26 Chinese Yen. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards will most likely be accepted, but they are not as easy to use as peso's in Colombia.

4.3 Key Tourism Niche Markets
In Armenia, there is a National Coffee Park. The National Coffee park is a non-profit organization with the purpose to preserve the "cultural and historical heritage of coffee in Colombia." There is an amusement park that is coffee themed and gold workmanship done by indigenous Quimbaya goldsmiths.

4.4 Level of Tourism Development
Colombia has many options for lodging including hotels, hostels and Airbnb sites. For recommendations on where to stay during your trip you can visit the Colombia DMO website: http://www.colombia.travel/en/planea-tu-viaje?external=1890&destination_random=1&dates_random=1.

4.5 Transportation Options
Public transportation is common in urban areas. There are buses, mini-buses, and taxi's available. Bicycles and scooters are common forms a transportation as well. The most recent innovation for transportation in urban areas is the BRT or Bus Rapid Transit. There are also cars and scooters available to rent in Colombia.

World Heritage Sites
As of 2016, there are eight World Heritage Sites in Colombia, including six cultural sites and two natural sites.

Ecotourism
The great variety in geography, flora and fauna across Colombia has also resulted in the development of an ecotourist industry, concentrated in the country's national parks. Popular ecotourist destinations include: along the Caribbean coast, the Tayrona National Natural Park in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and Cabo de la Vela on the tip of the Guajira Peninsula; the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, the Cocora valley and the Tatacoa Desert in the central Andean region, the Farallones de Cali National Natural Park, in the departament of Valle del Cauca; Amacayacu National Park in the Amazon River basin; and the Pacific islands of Malpelo and Gorgona, there other unique landscapes like the river of the seven colors in Meta. As of 2016, there are eight World Heritage Sites in Colombia, including six cultural sites and two natural sites.

Wildlife Watching
There are many areas, zoos and aquariums to observe diverse wildlife in Colombia. Some examples are, Marine World Aquarium in Rodadero, Puerto Nariño and Buzintanca Botanical Gardens in Pailitas.

National parks
Colombia has two coastlines; Pacific and Caribbean, three main mountainous chains and the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and many different ecological regions, from páramo to tropical jungle vegetation to desert biomes. The country hosts numerous volcanoes and waterfalls.
 * Adventourscolombia-tayrona-national-park-playa-arrecifes.JPGyacu National Park
 * Cabo de la Vela
 * Cocora valley
 * Los Nevados
 * Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex
 * Gorgona and Malpelo islands
 * Los Katíos National Park
 * Munchique National Park
 * Serranía de la Macarena
 * Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park
 * PANACA Park
 * Tayrona Park (Santa Marta)
 * Tatacoa Desert
 * Chicamocha Canyon National Park
 * El Mariposario enthomologic display specialized in Lepidoptera
 * Peñas Blancas rock climbing site

4.7 Weather/Climate Concerns
There are active volcanoes in the central region. Minor earthquakes are common while major earthquakes only happen about once a year. Rising sea level will affect the coastal areas. In the Andes Mountains, water shortages have become apparent.

4.8 Safety/Security Concerns
For many years serious internal armed conflict deterred tourists from visiting Colombia, with official travel advisories warning against travel to the country. However, in recent years numbers have risen sharply, thanks to improvements in security resulting from former President Álvaro Uribe's "democratic security" strategy, which has included significant increases in military strength and police presence throughout the country and pushed rebel groups further away from the major cities, highways and tourist sites likely to attract international visitors. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 3.3 million in 2016.

Travel guide Lonely Planet ranked Colombia second in its list of best countries to visit in 2017.

4.9 Environmental Concerns
Colombia has many environmental protection initiatives in place in order to protect its biodiversity. The biggest threat to the Colombian ecosystem is the international drug trade. One of the many initiatives that has been implemented to combat this harmful practices if the Shared Responsibility Program.

Air quality is acceptable.

4.10 Socio-cultural Concerns
Colombians expect good manners, especially while eating, and clean dress. The family unit is important to Colombians. Dating begins around 14 years of age. Fútbol is the most popular sport in Colombia.

4.11 Emergency Contacts
The emergency phone number in Colombia is 123.

The U.S Embassy contact information is:

U.S. Embassy Bogotá

Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 Bogotá, D.C. Colombia

Phone: (+57) (1) 275-2000

Fax: (+57) (1) 275-4600