Colombia's Diversity Problem:
a speech on tourism
In September, 2009, The Colombian Ministry of
Culture and Tourism invited me to deliver a speech on the theme of
"diversity." The symposium took place at Club El Nogal in Bogota.
Around 400 people attended. The speech was also webcast, but no
recording was made. This is that speech.
Now available as an ebook on Amazon.
Includes an exclusive new essay, "The Elephant in the Room" — a candid
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traducción al español aquí.
When I was asked to come here today, I realized this was an
opportunity. An opportunity to explain to you what gringo travellers
really want from Colombia. To let their voices be heard.
I also realized I had an obligation. As a guidebook writer, it is my
obligation to tell my readers the truth. If a resort or a hotel or a
restaurant or a tour operator is fantastic, it is my job to say so. By
the same token, if it sucks, then it's my job to say, this sucks.
Something should be done.
Last week, I sent an email to my many professional contacts in
Colombia, all of whom work in the tourism field. All of whom are
gringos. I asked them, what do you think? What would you say if you
were me? What do the four hundred people in Club El Nogal need to
know about us?
The answers varied from person to person, from region to region, but
common themes emerged. What I have to say today is not just my opinion.
Today, I speak for the gringos in Colombia: the backpackers, the
independent travellers, and the expatriates.
By the way, when I use the word "gringo", I do not mean
norteamericano. I mean, all English-speaking non-Latinos. I mean North
America, I mean Europe, I mean Australia and New Zealand. People from
England, Germany, and Holland are all gringos.
To our subject, then: Colombia's Diversity Problem. You didn't think
it was a problem, did you? Let me explain.
Colombia, as we know, is the most diverse country in South America.
It has: the Andes, Caribbean Coast, the Amazon, Pacific Coast, Los
Llanos, even tiny Tatacoa. It has everything.
How could this possibly be a bad thing?
Let's pretend. Let's pretend you're a gringo tourist. You have to
pick between:
Ciudad Perdida or Macchu Picchu
Boca Grande or St Kitts
Leticia or Manaus
Cocuy or Torres del Paine
Colombian Llanos or Venezuelan Llanos
In every case, the choice is, NOT Colombia.
Why?
In English there's a saying. We say, "jack of all trades, master of
none." El obrero quien sabe de todo, pero no es maestro de nada.
When it comes to specific interests -- the best beach, the best
hike, the best jungle, the best wildlife safari, Colombia always loses.
Furthermore, Colombia lacks a symbol and a photo op. The anchor of
the country's tourism business.
If you had only one day in Paris, and you could only take one
picture, where would you go, and what would you take a picture of?
(The Eiffel Tower.)
What about Egypt? (The Pyramids.) Peru? (Macchu Picchu.) New York?
(The Statue of Liberty.)
What about Colombia?
A couple of years ago, the magazine Semana did a nationwide poll.
They asked Colombians, what was the symbol of Colombia. The answer was
the sombrero vueltiao.
What does a gringo think of?
1. Coffee
2. Cocaine
3. Pablo Escobar
4. the FARC
None of these is a satisfactory photo opportunity.
Colombia lacks a single defining image that sells the country, a
single defining experience to attract tourists.
Let's talk about Peru for a minute. Peru has Macchu Picchu. The
single most important tourist destination in South America. The anchor
for the entire continent. People fly from Australia and Europe on a
week's vacation just to walk the Inca Trail. Then they fly home. That's
all they see.
That's the power of a symbol.
So powerful is this symbol, that gringos are willing to overlook how
unpleasant it is to visit Peru. The water? Is poisonous. The food? Gives
you diarrhea. The country? Is ugly. The pollution in Lima makes you
choke. And everyone, and I mean everyone -- taxi drivers, hotel owners,
tour operators, souvenir vendors -- tries to rob you.
It makes you paranoid. I went to Peru, and I thought everyone was
out to get me. Then I realized -- they were out to get me!
That's why I left Peru and came back to Colombia.
Ask any gringo who has visited both countries, and he will say,
Colombia is nothing like Peru. It doesn't matter there's no anchor. In
Colombia, you can drink the water. In Colombia, you can eat the food.
The country is beautiful. There's some pollution, but not that bad. And,
in general, Colombians are honest with gringos.
Colombia is something special. Every gringo I have ever met says
they love Colombia. They rave about it. They want to come back. Some
want to live here. I know I do.
But wait. What's going on here? Didn't we just finish saying that
Colombia is second rate? Jack of all trades, master of none? Why do
people want to come here?
Colombia is Magic.
I'm a writer. A professional, a journalist. It's my job to describe
things. But I don't have the words. The je ne sais quoi, the
unexplainable thing, it. Colombia has IT. Whatever IT is. The thing that
makes gringos fall in love with Colombia.
Let's check this out.
Colombia is Too Diverse
The Diversity is Second Rate
BUT: Colombia is Magic
Now What?
How do we use this Magic to sell Colombia?
Because there's a problem with this Magic. Magic takes time. It
doesn't happen right away. It takes a week or two to get a feel for
things. To begin to understand the culture here. The cruise ship
passenger who spends 48 hours in Cartagena? All they're going to see are
the city walls and the beach. They didn't pay for a culture lesson. They
paid for a suntan and some snorkelling.
This, of course, is the difference between a tourist and a
traveller. A tourist sees what he came to see, what he wants to see.
It's like a shopping list. Eiffel Tower? Check. Louvre? Check. Cosy Left
Bank Cafe? Check. He takes his pictures and goes home.
A traveller, on the other hand, has an open mind. He wants to see
the way things really are. He doesn't just look at the scenery and the
people. He lets them affect him. He opens his mind and his heart and
tries to listen. Because he wants to learn. He wants to connect to
something new, something different, something foreign. He wants to
understand.
Colombia is not a country for tourists. It cannot be. It will never
be.
Why is that?
Because Magic Takes Time. Who Has The Time? Only travellers have the
time. Only travellers make the time.
Specifically, backpackers.
Who Are Backpackers?
Backpackers have more money than you might think. Do not
underestimate them.
Consider the following. Minimum wage in England is around
COP$3,200,000. Minimum wage. A waiter in London makes about the same as
a professional in Bogota. Computer consultants, law students, plumbers,
electricians, professionals of every stripe visit Colombia and stay in
backpacker hostels.
While backpackers can be of any age, most tend to be in their
twenties and thirties. Most are young professionals, college
graduates. Many are taking a six month to year long break.
These people have money and are willing to spend it, if: you can
figure out how to give them what they want.
What is Backpacking?
Backpacking is a way of travelling. A philosophy. A way of
experiencing the culture. It does not mean you're poor. I've met
backpackers fifty years old who have plenty of money. So why don't they
stay in a five star hotel?
Because that's boring.
In general, the more money you spend on vacation, the less
interesting your trip is going to be. Given the choice between sitting
in my clean hotel room watching TV, or hanging out with a bunch of loud,
gossipy backpackers drinking beer, it's no contest. Give me the
backpackers. If I want to be bored, I'll stay at home.
I want to make sure you follow this.
Colombia is Too Diverse
The Diversity is Second Rate
BUT: Colombia is Magic
Magic Takes Time
Who Has the Time?
Travellers, specifically, Backpackers
So. Backpackers. What do these people want?
Gringos are collectors. They collect experiences. What kind of
experiences? The new. The different. The exotic. The exciting.
Travellers want to be thrilled and awed in a world that is increasingly
flat and boring and the same.
The good news is: Colombia is exciting.
Some people criticize ProExport's slogan, "el riesgo es que te
quieras quedar". I disagree. I think this is an awesome slogan. It's
brilliant. It takes Colombia's past reputation and turns it from a
negative into a positive.
You cannot ignore Colombia's past. Because tourists won't. You have
to find a way to make this part of the appeal, part of the excitement.
Do you have any idea how many backpackers visit Pablo Escobar's grave?
Let's back up a minute. Let's talk about money. That's why you're
here, right? You want to learn how to make more money from the tourism
sector. I can hear you thinking, backpackers? There's no money in
backpackers. Some of you own five star hotels. Some of you own airlines.
How does this help me?
Let's look at some numbers. How much do backpackers actually spend?
Let's start with cruise ship passengers. A couple weeks ago, in El
Tiempo, there was an article about a huge jump in cruise ship passengers
in Cartagena. How much are these people spending in Colombia?
Most cruise ship passengers are married couples. They sleep aboard
ship, they eat breakfast aboard ship, then they go into town for the
day. They eat lunch and dinner in the city, maybe they go on a tour to
Playa Blanca or Islas del Rosario. Maybe they buy some souvenirs. How
much money are these people spending?
My guess is around a million pesos per couple for a two day visit.
That's COP$500,000 per person.
[This is an optimistic figure. Most cruise ships spend as little
as 6-9 hours in port, and the passengers who disembark spend
quite a bit less money. --JP]
Now let's look at the backpacker. How much does the average
backpacker, or independent traveller, spend in Colombia?
Accommodation: $30,000
Food: $30,000
Transport $20,000
Activities $20,000
Beer $20,000
-----------------------------
TOTAL $120,000 per day
For the sake of argument, let's say that it's COP$100,000 per
backpacker, per day. Some spend less, many spend more. I've seen
backpackers spend that much in one night at a disco. COP$100,000 is a
round number and will do for now.
Next. How much time do visitors spend in Colombia? Cruise ship
passengers: two days. Average spend? COP$500,000. Backpackers? At least
a month. Average? Two to three months. Many stay for six months. Average
spend? At COP$3,000,000 per month, that's six to nine million pesos per
backpacker.
Where Do Tourists Spend Their Money?
Cruise ship passengers: Cartagena and Santa Marta. Maybe San Andres
and Providencia.
Backpackers? They spend money all around the country. Places like
Manizales and Salento, Pasto and Nuqui, Tatacoa and San Cipriano, San
Gil and Barichara.
Backpackers contribute more to the Colombian economy than cruise
ship passengers. They spend their money all around the country. They
stay in budget hostels and eat comida corriente. They shop in the
supermarket and cook their own meals. They take taxis. They take buses.
They visit museums. Do not undervalue these people.
Now, again. The empresarios here may sit unimpressed. This does
not help me fill the empty rooms in my five star hotel. But wait.
There's more.
Backpackers are the best ambassadors Colombia can have. They are
walking tourist information bureaus. You could not ask for a better
marketing tool.
How can that be?
Backpackers gossip. Backpackers love to gossip. They go out in the
day to see the sights, or go hiking, or rafting, or surfing. In the
evening, they sit around with a beer and gossip. What did you do? Where
have you been? What's good? What sucks? What do you recommend?
And when they go home, to Germany, to Australia, to Canada, to
Sweden, to the United States, they say, "Wow! Colombia rocks! I can't
wait to go back!"
And their parents and friends say, "You're crazy! Colombia's
dangerous. What about the guerrillas? I'm amazed you didn't get killed!"
Then the backpacker says, "I've been everywhere. Even the little
tiny towns. Colombians are so friendly. They are amazing people. The
country is so beautiful. I want to go back right now."
What happens next?
Their parents have money. Maybe they decide to go on a cruise that
stops in Cartagena. Maybe they decide to visit Bogota. They decide to
dip their toe in the lake. And I'll bet they're going to like what
they find.
And backpackers, you know, backpackers grow up. They get good jobs.
They get married. They have kids. And they are going to remember
Colombia. It's impossible to forget this place. They will come back. For
a shorter vacation. But they'll fly, instead of taking the bus, and
they'll stay in nicer hotels. They'll have less time but more money, and
they will spend that money in your hotels, flying your airlines, eating
in your restaurants, and shopping in your boutiques.
Tourism in Colombia is a long term investment. It requires vision.
It requires patience. And above all, it requires the backpacker. Because
the backpacker is the backbone of tourism in this country, and will be
for a long time to come.
Let's talk about details. Most of the successful businesses that
attract gringos are owned by: surprise: other gringos.
Why? Because Colombians don't understand gringos and don't know how
to give them what they want.
Gringo Tastes are not the same as Colombian Tastes.
Take hostels. With one or two exceptions, all of the best hostels in
Colombia are owned by gringos. Most of these hostels are owned by
gringos who are married to Colombians and have lived here for five, ten,
even fifteen years. Sometimes, they have to go back to Europe, or
wherever they are from, leaving their spouse in charge of the hostel.
And the hostel goes from great to awful in two weeks. I have seen
this happen with my own eyes. Not because the Colombian spouse is a bad
person. They just don't understand. They think gringos are the same as
Colombians. They're not.
What are the main differences?
Cleanliness.
First of all, gringos are pigs. I'm sorry, but we are. We sleep six
men in dorm beds in a small room. It stinks of body odor and dirty socks
and you know what? We don't care. Maybe we even like it that way. This
drives Colombians up the wall.
Second, vegetables. Lots of gringos are vegetarians. In fact,
gringos that travel are more likely to be vegetarians than gringos who
don't. You need to cater for this. I cannot emphasize enough how
important this is. Gringos are super picky about their food. Even those
of us who eat meat -- myself, for instance -- are equally enthusiastic
about vegetables. The typical Colombian comida corriente has almost no
vegetables to speak of. Yucca, potato and maize are not vegetables.
Three. Value for Money. It is my impression that Colombians are very
much into what, in English, we call Conspicuous Consumption. I believe
the translation is consumismo conpicuo. The word comes from a book by
American economist Thorsten Veblen. I'll give you an example.
Suppose you decide to buy a Mercedes Benz. The obvious reason to buy
a Mercedes Benz is because it is a great car. One of the best. The less
obvious reason, but often more important, is to flaunt your wealth. Look
at me! Look how much money I have! People, both Colombians and gringos,
like to show off.
However, when a gringo goes on holiday, his friends back home don't
know Colombia. There is no status for him to stay in a particular hotel.
For the gringo, it's about the experience. When the gringo spends a lot
of money on a hotel room, he expects to get a lot of service in return.
He expects a perfect room. He expects perfect food. He expects service
in English.
There are several hotels in Cartagena that I won't name. They charge
COP$800,000 pesos for a room. Colombians pay this because they want to
show off. But when a gringo spends that much money and gets a mediocre
room and second-class service, he is going to get pissed off. He isn't
from here. He doesn't have friends in Bogota to boast to. He's more
interested in the enjoyment and collection of experience than in
conspicuous consumption.
Let me give you some other examples of gringo tastes versus
Colombian tastes. Let's take the Zona Cafetera.
Outside Armenia we have Panaca and the Parque del Cafe. Both are
very popular with Colombians.
Gringos?
Sorry. Not interested.
If a gringo wants to see farm animals, he will go to an actual farm,
not a farm-themed amusement park. For instance, Recinto del Pensamiento
and Reservo Ecologico Rio Blanco outside of Manizales are both popular
with gringos.
And the Parque del Cafe -- has nothing to do with coffee. Gringos
are more interested in visiting a working coffee finca, touching the
plants, seeing the factory, tasting the coffee afterwards. To a
gringo, this is authentic. Parque Nacional del Cafe is phony. To us,
it feels fake.
One more example. Some of you may know the thermal springs at
Coconuco, outside Popayan. There are two thermals springs, Agua
Hirviendo and Aguas Tibias.
Agua Hirviendo has a small pool, surrounded by lots of concrete,
with several bars, restaurants, and motels that rent rooms by the hour.
Aguas Tibias, on the other hand, is set on a grassy hill, surrounded by
nature, with four large thermal pools down below. They even rent horses
so you can go for a ride in the countryside.
Guess which one the gringo prefers?
Aguas Tibias. Gringos don't like concrete. If they wanted concrete,
they'd stay at home. In New York. Or London. Or wherever. When they come
to Colombia, they want to see grass.
Alright. Our next topic is, how can Colombia take advantage of its
natural and cultural diversity to increase tourism.
First, let me just say, in regards to cultural diversity, this is
not a selling point. To the gringo, all Colombians are pretty much the
same. The gringo can tell the difference between a Venezuelan and a
Colombian, or an Ecuadorean and a Colombian. He may even tell the
difference between a bogotano and a consteno, because of the accent. But
if you ask him, what's the difference between a bogotano and a paisa,
he'd just look at you and shrug. He has no idea.
Colombia's cultural diversity is more a matter for domestic, internal
tourism, and maybe for tourists from elsewhere in Latin America. The
gringo is, by and large, not interested.
What really appeals to gringos about Colombia, however, is its
astonishing natural diversity. This is a HUGE Selling Point for Gringos!
What can Colombia do to take advantage of its natural diversity to
attract more gringos?
Number One. Preserve Nature.
The more we preserve nature, the more tourists Colombia is going to
have. Colombia's natural beauty is what draws us here. If you destroy
this, even little by little, you kill the goose that laid the golden
egg. Matan la gallina de los huevos de oro.
For instance. I understand that a huge resort is being built on
Playa Blanca, outside of Cartagena. This is short-sighted. The appeal of
Playa Blanca, and the way it competes with more beautiful beaches in the
Caribbean, is that it is not just beautiful: it is empty! That is its
competitive advantage. You build that resort, and you destroy what makes
that place special.
The same thing's happening on Gorgona. In May, Aviatur was given
permission to build seven new cabins on the island. That was a mistake.
[Correction: I pulled this Gorgona factoid from ProExport's colombia.travel
website. Turns out this isn't true. I regret the error.]
Third example. I read in the news that the government is letting
people build cabins in Tayrona. Tayrona is one of the most beautiful
places I know in Colombia. And you're honestly going to let people build
cabins there?
I am reminded of the song "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell. Some
of you may know it.
Here are the opening lyrics:
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
She wrote the song in 1970 after visiting Hawaii. In an interview,
she explained the song, thus:
"I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi
to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the
curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then,
I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see,
and it broke my heart ... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat
down and wrote the song."
As someone who loves Colombia, and on behalf of every gringo in
Colombia, please: don't do this.
Alright. How can Colombia take advantage of its natural diversity?
By attracting backpackers. What can Colombia do to attract more
backpackers?
Visas.
Make it easier to visit and stay here. Most countries in South
America grant tourist visas for 90 days, extendable for 90 days more.
Some, like Argentina and Uruguay, let you extend this almost
indefinitely, as long as you have sufficient funds. Even Venezuela,
possibly the most unfriendly country on the continent when it comes to
tourism, allows stays of up to twelve consecutive months.
What does Colombia offer?
That depends on what mood the DAS officer is in. Standard is 60
days, but I have known gringos who have gotten thirty or even fifteen
day visas. After sixty days, you can extend thirty days more. You can
extend every month up to six months.
I am intimately familiar with this process because I have had to do
this more than a dozen times. It is a lengthy, confusing process. The
first time, I wasted an entire day, making photocopies, getting the right-
sized photos, waiting in the line at the bank, waiting in line at the
extranjeria at the DAS office. Worse, the instructions are in Spanish
only. The first time I had to do this, my Spanish was not very good,
and I had to find someone to help me translate the list of requirements
DAS gave me.
Now, the trend at DAS is to fingerprint gringos who ask to extend
their visas.
What is going on here?
You know, I have a great deal of sympathy for Colombians when they
go abroad. Travelling on a Colombian passport is extremely difficult.
You always need to apply for an expensive visa, and then, when you go to
the United States, the first time you visit they take your fingerprints.
It is humiliating, and it is degrading. They treat you like
criminals. Is it any surprise that the United States has a reputation
for being one of the most unwelcoming countries in the world for
tourists? Colombia should not use the US as a role model for immigration
and visa issues, and it should certainly not follow any tourism advice
they give you.
Now, we are tourists in your country. We do not come here to break
any laws. We come here to travel. To enjoy the warmth of the Colombian
people. To marvel at the spectacular natural beauty Colombia offers.
Why are you treating us like criminals?
It is impossible to see everything in Colombia in two months. Even
with six months you can't see everything. I have met travellers with
only so-so Spanish who would love to spend more than two months here.
They take one look at that sheet of paper DAS gives you, and they
shake their head. It is a major pain in the ass. So what do these
people do? They go to Ecuador. Or head down the Amazon to Brazil. Or
fly to Costa Rica.
DAS needs to completely re-think how they approach tourist visas. I
am sure there was a time, ten years ago, when every gringo in Colombia
was suspicious. That is no longer the case. Every gringo should get an
automatic 90-day visa when they arrive by land, by sea, or by air, and
that should be extendible up to 180 days per calendar year, minimum.
Additionally, the sheet of paper DAS hands out with the requirements on
it should be translated into English, and there should be at least one
person in every DAS office with an extranjeria that speaks English.
Tourist Offices
I understand ProExport has offices in Ecuador, Peru and Argentina.
These offices are principally involved in trade, not tourism. For a
small investment, they could dramatically increase tourism by putting a
small tourist info office in the heart of La Mariscal in Quito, in
Miraflores in Lima, in Cuzco, and in Buenos Aires.
This way you are marketing to people who have already decided to
take a trip to Latin America. Maybe on their next trip they'll
consider Colombia.
Gringo Price
One of the most frustrating things for gringos travelling in Latin
America is the constant worry that everyone is trying to cheat you.
Gringos hate this. We don't want to pay more than is fair. If the locals
pay COP$5000 for lunch, we don't want to have to pay COP$10,000. That's
just not fair.
One of the things that gringos love about Colombia is that most of the
time this doesn't happen. Take taxis, for example. Gringos love
Colombian taxis. We think they are fabulous. Why? Because they have
meters. We don't have to haggle with the taxi driver, never knowing if
we're being robbed. With meters, the price is the price. Instead of
being tense and angry all the time, we can relax, enjoy the ride, and
pay the fair price when we get out.
There is one important exception to this rule. The Caribbean Coast.
Taxis in Cartagena and Santa Marta do not have meters. This is bad.
Very, very bad. For travellers, like cruise ship passengers, who will
only visit Cartagena and Santa Marta, this gives a bad first impression
of Colombia.
When a Cartagena taxi driver charges a gringo COP$40,000 for a ride
that should cost COP$10,000, that tourist is going to leave Colombia
with a bad first impression. "All Colombians Want To Cheat Me." And they
aren't going to want to come back.
As we've already covered, Colombia cannot compete on the basis of
beaches alone. There has to be something else. There has to be that
magic. Honesty is an important part of that magic.
Put meters in all taxis on the Caribbean Coast.
Now let's talk about the Avianca web site. For those of you with
laptops open, go to www.avianca.com and choose the US site. Now look for
a return flight, ida y vuelta, Cartagena - Bogota. Price in US dollars?
$399.78. Four hundred dollars.
Now go to www.avianca.com.co, the Colombian site. Same flight, same
day, same time: COP$182,220. Less than a hundred US dollars.
It used to be, a gringo could go to the Colombian site to get the
better price. A couple of months ago, Avianca changed their policy. It
is now impossible to purchase the flight in pesos unless you use a
Colombian credit card.
This pisses me off.
And not just me. It pisses off a lot of gringos. You need to
remember: gringos who travel to Colombia, travel a LOT. This is not
their first time overseas. They are experienced travellers who know when
they're being cheated, and they don't like it.
Avianca is a private company, but it is also the Colombian national
airline, and I suggest the government have a private word with Avianca
to stop this offensive practice.
National park entrance fees. One price for Colombians, one price for
gringos. For example, last year, when I visited Gorgona as part of my
research for the guidebook, Colombians paid COP$9,000 entrance fee, and
foreigners paid COP$25,000.
This is discrimination. When Colombians go to New York or London or
Spain, they sometimes experience discrimination, too. And I apologize to
you for that; there are ignorant people everywhere in the world.
But that does not mean that you have to be like those people. Is
this how you want to welcome people to Colombia? "You're a foreigner, so
screw you"?
Remember your market. Your market is the independent traveller. The
backpacker. The backpacker is always looking for good value. If he
thinks he is being cheated, he will go somewhere else.
Colombia is Magic. Her national parks are part of that magic.
National park entry fees should be the same for everyone, gringo or
Colombian.
Exit Tax
The exit tax leaving El Dorado is how much? Visitors who spend more
than sixty days in Colombia pay US$65 to leave the country. This is the
most expensive exit tax in South America. Even Peru is half that. How
does this promote tourism in Colombia? If you want to attract gringos,
then I suggest you lower this exit tax.
Tourist Police
Colombia needs better tourist police. A friend of mine owns a hotel
in La Candelaria. He tells me that, on average, on any given day, there
are roughly 1500 registered foreigners in hotels in La Candelaria. Guess
how many tourist police are assigned to protect them.
Two.
And that's during the day. At night? They go home. There's no one
there at night.
I have travelled all over Colombia, even parts people say are
dangerous, like the Pacific Coast of the Choco, San Agustin,
Tierradentro, and so forth. And I have never felt personally so scared,
anywhere in Colombia, as I have in La Candelaria. La Candelaria is the
most dangerous place any gringo can visit in Colombia. I have seen big
men, gringos, mugged at knifepoint in the middle of the day.
First impressions and last impressions are important. Many
travellers fly into or out of Bogota. And the first thing they see, and
the last thing they remember, is scary, dangerous Bogota, where
criminals rob you in the middle of the day, and police do nothing.
Something needs to be done about this.
Furthermore, after all these gringos get robbed, they need to go
file a denuncia. But where do they go? There is no dedicated tourist
police office in La Candelaria. They have to go to a regular police
station, full of prostitutes, and rapists, and criminals.
Is that a side of Colombia you want foreign visitors to see?
I will say, as an aside, that one of the very best tourist police
offices in the country is the one in Popayan. The lieutenant speaks some
English, he runs a useful tourist information office, and the entire
force is attentive and helpful, even to the point of escorting gringos
to the ATM to make sure they don't get robbed. If you want to know how
to run a tourist police office, send some men down to Popayan.
Now let's talk about some international examples of countries
similar to Colombia, and how they deal with the diversity problem.
The most important example I have for you today is New Zealand.
In the year 2000, I spent eight months in New Zealand. I bought a
cheap van, put a mattress in the back, and travelled around the country.
I have not written about New Zealand as a journalist, but I have visited
every city, and almost every small town, in the country. I have walked
half the hiking trails, I have ice climbed the glaciers, and I have seen
almost everything there is to see in New Zealand. I know the country well.
Colombia and New Zealand are similar countries from a tourist
perspective. Both are incredibly diverse. Both are incredibly beautiful.
New Zealand, like Colombia, is a mountainous country. It has beaches. It
has hiking. It has white-wafter rafting, and paragliding, and bungee
jumping. You can go ice-climbing on glaciers and ride trains through the
mountains. In the southern winter, from July to September, it has the
world's best skiing, at Queenstown, high up in the mountains. Like
Colombians, New Zealanders are famous for being friendly and honest.
But New Zealand has three huge problems. First, like Colombia, New
Zealand is too diverse. It has no symbol, no anchor. They have no Eiffel
Tower. Australia has the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House and
Ayer's Rock. Australia has better beaches. Australia has better surfing.
In fact, except for the skiing, New Zealand has no one thing that is
world number one.
New Zealand has a third problem, even more severe: it is on the
other side of the planet. Flights Los Angeles - Auckland take 15 hours.
From Santiago, Chile? 11 hours. From Bogota, you would have to fly via
Santiago or Los Angeles. Either way, we're talking almost 24 hours of
flying time. From New York, maybe 20 hours.
Worse, there is a huge time zone difference between New Zealand
and both the Americas and Europe. It takes a week just for the jet lag
to wear off.
Bottom line? You can't just pop down to New Zealand for a long
weekend. By the time you got there, you'd have to turn around and come
home again!
Personally, I tell people, if you can't go for at least a month,
don't even bother. Better yet, two or three months. If you can't go for
that long, it just isn't worth the trouble.
So let's break this down:
New Zealand is Too Diverse (plus too far away)
The Diversity is Second Rate
BUT: New Zealand is Magic
This look familiar?
Because New Zealand is Magic. It has IT, too. Whatever IT is. It's
been almost ten years since I left, and I still want to go back. One day
maybe I'll move there permanently. That's the affect New Zealand has on
you. That's the effect Colombia has, too.
So New Zealand targets the market for which it is best suited: the
long-term traveller. The backpacker. People in their 20s and 30s. People
who have more time than money, and who want to spend that time
travelling.
So:
Magic Takes Time
Who Has the Time?
Travellers, specifically, Backpackers
Lonely Planet does not share sales figures with its authors.
However, it is common knowledge that the company's best-selling title is
the New Zealand guidebook. By attracting long-term, independent
travellers, especially backpackers, New Zealand has become a huge
tourist success story. And Lonely Planet has sold a lot of guidebooks.
What does New Zealand do to attract these tourists?
First of all, they protect their national parks. New Zealanders
understand that the natural diversity and beauty of their country is the
biggest draw card for tourists. Gringos don't like concrete. They want
grass. New Zealanders understand that.
New Zealand has a well-developed system of national parks. The
government has built a network of hiking trails across the country. Most
are 3-4 day hikes. There are huts along the way so that you don't have
to carry a tent, just a sleeping bag. The entry fee to use these
national parks is the same for both New Zealanders and foreigners, and
is quite cheap. Park rangers maintain the trails and patrol the parks to
assist hikers in case of emergency.
As a result, hiking in New Zealand has become famous around the
world. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and its network of hiking
trails make it easy for visitors to experience that natural diversity at
first hand.
Second, they make it easy to work. New Zealand offers working
holiday visas to young people from Europe and the US. If you are under
30, you can go to New Zealand for twelve months and work. Not
permanently. Enough to support your travels. Some backpackers don't have
enough money to travel for a whole year. This way they can work for a
few months in Auckland, travel around, maybe work on a farm, pick some
fruit, or whatever. Normally, all the money working holiday visa holders
make, they spend in New Zealand.
What can Colombia do along these lines?
The principal employment for gringos in Colombia is as English
teachers. Colombia needs English teachers. It is easy for gringos to
find work, but very difficult to get the work visa.
Why is this?
Colombian law, I am told, says that a maximum of 20% of all
employees of a company may be foreigners. This is reasonable. However,
at English language schools, all the teachers need to be native English
speakers. You see the problem. Schools have to employ gringos illegally,
paying them in cash to get around this law. Some create shell companies
and employ their teachers through these nonexistent entities.
Colombia needs more English teachers. A lot of gringos want to stay
here and teach English. Make it easy for them to do so. This is good for
Colombia, and it is good for gringos.
Third, and most importantly, New Zealanders understand gringo
tastes. After all, they are gringos too. They speak English. They like
the same foods, watch the same TV shows, wear the same clothes. New
Zealanders know what travellers want because many are travellers
themselves. New Zealanders are famous for being world travellers. They
know what it's like to be a foreigner in someone else's country. They
know what the traveller wants. They know how to treat them.
For those of you who want to work in tourism in Colombia, working
with gringo tourists, the single most important thing you can do is go
and be a tourist yourself. This is expensive and difficult for a
Colombian. I realize that. But if you want your hotel or restaurant or
tour company to be successful, then you need to 1) recognize the fact
that gringos and Colombians are not the same, and 2) try to understand
what gringos want, and why they want it.
Let's talk about Latin America in the time we have left.
I will briefly discuss:
Guatemala
Ecuador
the Dominican Republic
Venezuela
First, Guatemala.
I have never been to Guatemala. But I would like to go. Because
everyone I have ever met who has been there raves about the country in
the same way people rave about Colombia.
Those interested may like to investigate this further.
Ecuador
I have been to Ecuador, but only for a few weeks. I took some
Spanish classes in Quito. Then I came to Colombia and I didn't want to
go back to Ecuador.
Ecuador, for me, is like Colombia only minus the Magic. The country
is almost as diverse as Colombia. Ecuador has the Andes, it has the
Pacific Coast, and it has some Amazon. Less diverse, but still diverse.
Ecuador's Eiffel Tower, of course, is the Galapagos. People will fly
all the way from Europe or Australia just to spend a week on a boat in
the Galapagos. These are the big spenders, and Colombia cannot compete
with that.
However, the rest of Ecuador mostly fits the backpacker model I've
described here today. Rich people don't go to Quito for a luxury
holiday. Backpackers go to Quito to learn Spanish. There must be a dozen
Spanish-language schools in Quito. Up and down the country it's budget
travellers who make up the majority of gringos in Ecuador. Places like
Otavalo and Banos for instance. If you want to see successful backpacker
tourism in action, check out those two towns.
And again, like I said, Ecuador has no magic. The gringo in Ecuador
is constantly paranoid that he is going to be robbed. In Quito, for
instance, most hostels congregate in La Mariscal. There are so many
gringos in La Mariscal that the locals call it "Gringolandia".
Unfortunately, this attracts muggers and rapists. It is all very
depressing. If you go out to a disco in La Mariscal, as a gringo, and
you leave late at night, it isn't safe to walk 100 meters home to your
hostel. You. Will. Be. Mugged. Gringo women must be very careful in
Ecuador, as rape of foreign tourists is common. This sort of thing
leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
The lesson here is, don't let La Candelaria here in Bogota become
like La Mariscal in Quito. That would be extremely damaging to
Colombia's image.
The Dominican Republic
I visited the Dominican Republic in 2007 to research the Lonely
Planet guidebook to that country. The DR is not a great example of
diversity, so I will keep my remarks brief.
The Dominican Republic does one thing really well. World class.
Competes at a world level. And that's the beach. Colombia has one or
two nice beaches. The DR has fifty. Clean white sand, as far as the
eye can see.
Most travellers in the DR are NOT independent travellers. They are
NOT backpackers. They are guests at all-inclusive resorts. For US$1000,
you get a return flight from the US or Canada, a room for a week,
transport to and from the resort, and all the food you can eat and all
the domestic liquor your liver can handle.
These people, by and large, are not travellers. They are tourists.
They want the beach experience they saw in the brochure, on the website,
and that's all they care about.
Except for San Andres and Providencia, Colombia cannot compete in
this market. Travellers who want the all-inclusive beach experience will
not be happy in Colombia, because the beaches just aren't as nice.
However, when it comes to adventure travel, Colombia wins. The
Dominican Republic cannot compete. It's just not an exciting place to
go. It's full of tourists. Old, fat, white tourists. In some places you
hear English more than you hear Spanish. It's full of retired people.
Who wants to hang out with their grandparents, anyway?
Venezuela
I visited Venezuela three years ago, in 2006.
Venezuela is very much like Colombia, in that it is an incredibly
diverse country. It has the Andes, the Caribbean Coast, the Llanos, and
the Amazon. As a symbol, it has Angel Falls. It has enormous potential.
But: there are no tourists in Venezuela. There are no domestic
tourists, and hardly any gringo tourists.
Why not?
What Venezuela Does Wrong.
Venezuela does a lot of things wrong when it comes to tourism. I
mention this because, in comparison, you will see that Colombia is doing
a lot of things right.
Domestic tourism in Venezuela has collapsed. I saw this with my own
eyes. I spoke to hotel owners and tour operators and SCUBA dive shops.
There were almost no Venezuelan tourists, anywhere. When I asked why,
the answer was always the same: Chavez killed the middle class.
Venezuela has a small number of very rich people, and a lot of very
poor people, and almost no one in the middle. This is because of Chavez
and his version of socialism. The members of the middle class who did
not become poor, left. They went to Panama or Miami. The oil workers
went to Canada.
There are no gringo tourists, either.
The single biggest reason is the Fixed Exchanged Rate. Gringos hate
this. If you go to the ATM to get cash, you get ripped off by the
government, because of the fixed exchange rate. And if you try to enter
the country with several thousand dollars in cash, planning, of course,
to buy bolivars on the black market, there is the risk that the border
police will force you to change your money at the official exchange
rate, or worse, actually rob you at gunpoint.
Crime. Colombia has the reputation that Venezuela deserves.
Venezuela is a dangerous place for the gringo. Caracas is notorious for
its violence. I tell people to avoid Caracas. There is nothing there
worth seeing that is worth the risk of being mugged, raped, or murdered.
Even outside of the main cities, along the Caribbean Coast, it is not
uncommon for armed gangs to assault gringo hostels in the middle of the
night and rob everyone in the hostel. Venezuela, for the gringo, is a
scary, scary place.
Destroying Nature.
As part of my research for the Venezuela guidebook, I visited
several of the hatos in Los Llanos. The main tourist attraction in Los
Llanos is the wildlife, especially the birds. Tourism is an important
part of the economy in Los Llanos, because the land is under water for
much of the year, and as a consequence, the soil is very poor. The land
is unable to sustain more than one cow per hectare. Cultivation of fruit
or vegetables or grains or even sugar cane is impossible.
As part of his socialist agenda, Chavez has been breaking up these
hatos and turning them over to communal farmers. Large landowners had an
economic incentive to take care of their land. They make more money from
tourism than they do from raising cattle. Now, these great hatos are
being subdivided into one hectare and half-hectare farms. If a cow needs
a whole hectare, how is a Venezuelan family of five going to survive on
half a hectare?
This is a case of politics being damaging to both the environment
and to tourism.
The Anti-Magic.
I once met a traveller who crossed the border at Maicao. He took the
bus from Maracaibo. A gringo traveller. Everyone on the bus was rude to
him, except for one little old lady.
When they crossed the border, he realized that the little old lady
was only Colombian on the bus.
The overall attitude to the tourist in Venezuela, at least to the
gringo tourist, seems to be: We have the oil, and we don't need you. We
don't want you here. Why don't you go home?
Venezuelans, as a people, are the exact opposite of Colombians.
Colombians are, as a people, polite and friendly. Venezuelans are not.
Is it any surprise, then, that Colombia is now booming with tourists,
and Venezuela is not?
Moving Forward
Colombia has been isolated for a long time. There's a reason, I
think, Gabriel Garcia Marquez called his novel, Cien Anos de Soledad.
It's a metaphor for Colombia. People leave, they go to New York or
Miami, but almost never come back. Foreigners didn't come here. Until
recently, anyway. It was too dangerous. An entire generation of
Colombians has grown up with no contact with the outside world.
Now, as gringos rediscover Colombia, many Colombians don't know what
to think. Who are these strange, hairy white people who dress badly? And
what are they doing in our country?
We come here to see the sights. But that's just the beginning. We
also come here to learn. To understand. And when we understand, when we
begin to understand Colombia, that is when we fall in love. With a
country so beautiful, no words can do it justice. With a people so warm
and welcoming that we don't want to leave.
I am grateful for the time I've been allowed to spend in Colombia.
And I am grateful, also, to you, for taking the time to listen to me
this morning.
-- 2009-09-29, Club El Nogal, Bogota
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