Vitrina de ANATO 2023 Gets Going at Corferias Bogota 

Under the slogan it has been using for several years, "Colombia open to the world", the 42nd edition of the Vitrina de Anato  opened this Wednesday, February 22, with an audience of professionals, businesspeople, specialized press and representatives of the tourism industry that filled Corferias Bogotá, in the Colombian capital. 

Among the authorities who attended the inauguration were the President of Colombia, Dr. Gustavo Petro Urrego; the Executive President of ANATO, Dr. Paula Cortés Calle; the Minister of National Tourism. Dr. Germán Umaña Mendoza; the Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, David Collado; the Governor of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Everth Julio Hawkins, among others.

On this occasion, the Dominican Republic is the guest country and San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina are the featured national destinations.

Paula Cortés Calle, president of ANATO (Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies), stated at the opening of the fair that the main objective of this showcase is to promote Colombia and all its destinations. He emphasized that in this edition the event will be attended by 30 countries, 32 Colombian departments, as well as agencies and companies that have arranged more than 13,400 business appointments.

For his part, President Petro Urrego assured that "as we said in the campaign, I consider that the development of tourism is very important, and I have raised, not without contradictions, the possibility of replacing very important currencies that come from oil and coal with tourism. He also mentioned that few countries compete in beauty with the Colombian territory and that it is the second most biodiverse country. 

The Colombian president made reference in his speech to the creation of tourist districts that could unite several destinations in order to distribute airport services. 

For Arturo Bravo, Colombia's Vice Minister of Tourism, "ANATO's showcase is the most important tourism event in the country, mostly financed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism with an investment of 3.2 billion pesos," he said.