Colombia : violence wanes, foreign tourism surges

[Prosal]

 

Tired of Thailand, of its scene worner and worner, of its 1am closing time, of its millions whoremongers, of its hardcore Issan hoes and of its twenty millions annual unadventurous tourists ?

 

Go to Colombia, the new TOP destination for aware travellers. ::

 

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Colombia cleaning up drugs-and-violence image.

 

As violence wanes, foreign tourism surges

 

Friday, March 17, 2006; Posted: 3:08 p.m. EST (20:08 GMT)

 

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- When it comes to tough sells for a vacation, it doesn't get much tougher than Colombia. The South American country has a well-earned reputation for gun-toting guerrillas, cocaine kingpins and the world's highest kidnapping rate.

 

But after decades of being shunned as too dangerous for travelers, the country is riding an unprecedented tourist boom.

 

Spurred by news of the country's dramatically improved security situation and healthy economy, nearly a million foreigners visited last year, a 21 percent jump over 2004 and the largest influx since 1982, according to Colombia's Commerce, Industry and Tourism Ministry. Their goal for 2006 is to double that again, to 2 million foreign visitors.

 

"The buzz about Colombia is spreading faster than we ever hoped for or can maybe even handle," said the country's tourism director, Carlos Vives.

 

Credit goes to the country's popular right-wing president, Alvaro Uribe, whose firm-handed pursuit of the rebels has restored relative safety to once perilous roadways. Kidnappings have dropped 78 percent during Uribe's four years in office, to 371 last year according to the government. That may even be below Haiti and the tourist haven of Mexico, where kidnappings-for-cash have boomed.

 

For years, only Colombian vacationers seemed willing to test the waters, at times driving to tourist hotspots in military-escorted caravans. Now that the highways are more secure, they travel in bumper-to-bumper droves every weekend, and the foreigners are following.

 

For the first time, the government is spending heavily to promote the country abroad. To clean up its drugs-and-violence image, it launched last year a long-term, multimillion dollar "Colombia is Passion" campaign. Promoters hope the icon, a heart with the flowing lines of a flower, will become as easily recognizable as the Canadian maple leaf or Japanese rising sun.

 

Bolstered by the PR blitz, the Caribbean port city of Cartagena was selected in December to host the World Tourism Organization's 2007 convention, the travel industry's most important gathering. And the staff of the Lonely Planet backpacker guides picked Colombia as one of this year's 10 hot spots, alongside Antarctica, China and soccer World Cup host Germany.

 

"It's the world's best-kept tourist secret," said David Lightle, a U.S. consultant who advised Colombia on its marketing campaign. "Whenever I meet foreigners in Bogota they always beg me not to tell anyone."

 

Even the U.S. State Department, which for years advised against traveling to Colombia, has softened its travel warning, acknowledging that while dangers persist, the violence in most urban areas has decreased markedly.

 

'Still well off the gringo trail'

 

In the 1970s, before the emergence of cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and drug-fueled violence shut much of the country off from the world and even most Colombians, it was an obligatory stop for globe-trotting hippies.

 

Twice the size of France, Colombia boasts myriad natural attractions, from Amazon jungles to some of the last high-altitude glaciers left in the tropics and pristine beaches along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Visitors can see colonial towns, pre-Columbian archaeological ruins and still-vibrant indigenous cultures as well as great museums in Medellin and Bogota.

 

Best of all, for now there are precious few camera-clickers to share them all with, because the boom still has a ways to go before catching up with more traveled South American destinations. Colombia is the continent's second most populous country, after Brazil, but ranked seventh in the region's tourist arrivals in 2004, according to the World Tourism Organization.

 

"It's still well off the gringo trail," said Michael Kohn, author of a new Colombia guidebook for Lonely Planet due out in June. "The only people you have to share the swaying wax palms and sweaty salsa clubs with are a handful of hardy travelers and crowds of friendly Colombians."

 

The biggest tourist magnet is the 16th-century walled city of Cartagena, whose reputation for beach-combing, stunning colonial architecture and all-night partying has long made it one of the Caribbean's top destinations.

 

A cruise ship approaches the Caribbean port city of Cartagena.The city is luring back the attention of the international cruise lines, whose deep-pocketed passengers are the most coveted in the tourist trade. Since 2003, the number of cruise ship arrivals has jumped by 45 percent, to 45,000 last year, the city's tourist board said.

 

To make room for all the tourists, a record 45 new hotels were built in Colombia last year, many in Cartagena and nearby beach resorts, according to the country's hotel trade association. Generous tax breaks to promote the tourist trade were in part responsible for the building spree.

 

Colombians are rejoicing over the belated discovery of their country. When The New York Times in February ran an article singing the praises of Bogota, it was announced with fanfare on the front page of the city's main daily El Tiempo.

 

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Some Colombian girls :

 

http://www.caliescali.com/modelos_anteriores.php?page=5

http://www.enfarrados.com/nenas.php?pageNum_Rs_imagenes=4&totalRows_Rs_imagenes=143&ID_sitio=38

 

 

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[Guest lazyphil]

Ten years ago flying with avianca to lima via paris ( ) bogota and cali i can testify the hostesses on the planes were stunners, i would like to explore colombia more, my mate went to cartagena (sp) and never stopped raving about it....one day......

[chilli13]

mama mia cali es cali's Vanessa and perhaps also Catalina could keep my cock busy exploring their 3 holes for a few hours easily

 

But Prosal aren't you afraid of losing your turn if you manage to persuade even just say 5% of the LOS punters to goto Columbia instead?

[Prosal]

ib13 said:But Prosal aren't you afraid of losing your turn if you manage to persuade even just say 5% of the LOS punters to goto Columbia instead?

 

 

Will never happen. The LOS punter's main objective is to stick to go-go bar stools and watch unispired and butt-ugly Issan hoes "dancing". Not to travel the world in seach of undiscovered pussy paradises.

 

Anyhow even if Colombia becomes one day too visited, we both know that there's still others El Dorados, some Lost Cities of Golden Pussy, where as soon as you show up, naughty beauties throw themselves at your feet moaning ?Pleez let me suck your cock" .....

 

[drogon]

I am totally with prosal on this one.

 

Though, as I am an asian lover I will still travel to Asia.

(even plan to work there so....)

 

But

 

You have to try and taste everything (or almost) in life so

=> Go to south america.

[PhilAnders]

 

 

Viva las mujeres de Colombia!

[chilli13]

of yourse prosal is right - again - I was just drawing a blank scare

cheers

[Prosal]

drogon said:

You have to try and taste everything (or almost) in life so

=> Go to south america.

 

South America has always been my fav hunting ground during years and years. But if I had to go somewhere to choose the world's finest women for my personal harem and could only go one area, I woudn't go to South America but to Moldova, Roumania and Ukraine. I found in Moldova those tall, thin, curvey, long-legged, white-skinned, sexy and WILD jet-black brunettes I've always dreamed about, the PERFECT blend between latin and slavic flavor.

 

In Chisinau, Bucarest or Kiev it's sometimes difficult to understand how so many girls can be so beautiful. I reported that the statistically absurd density of stunning top-beauties who populate those countries was totally shocking, and I guess that it's the same thing in all East Europe. The ratio is far to be that high in South America, even in Brasil.

 

Yet Colombia remains one of the best well-hidden and unspoiled pussy paradise. An absolute top-priority for any wise traveller/skirt chaser, before it's too late.

 

You gonna be in Medellin in May. Don't forget to report !!

 

 

[Lusty]

Its no coincidence that PRIVATE,the well known company that produces bongo DVD's that ALWAYS have nothing but stunners in their films recruits most of their girls from Eastern Europe.

[Prosal]

Lusty said:

Its no coincidence that PRIVATE,the well known company that produces bongo DVD's that ALWAYS have nothing but stunners in their films recruits most of their girls from Eastern Europe.

 

Right.

 

And in East Europe, Romania and Moldova have the widest collection of beautiful women. I wanted to hit Belarus and Ukraine this summer, but finally will go to Mamaia, on the Black Sea's Romanian coast. It has been reported as a great vacation town, with some nice beaches, very good discos, a wild party atmosphere and tons of HOT HOT HOT Romanian and Moldovian beauties eager to have fun. Gonna blend it with Bucarest, one or two mid-sized Romanian cities like Bacau or Iasi, and then Chisinau. I'm very impatient as I'm sure that it will be a great trip.

 

 

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