The reason to be of our business Cartagena de Indias
April 5 2009. By living in Cartagena and being a stranger from Canada, difficult situations to understand have constantly appeared in relations with Colombians working in the touristic domain. The lack of will in wanting to understand other points of vu takes place in a large challenge with people in the touristic domain of Cartagena or more precisely, people searching to profit of tourists.
Therefore I’ve observed evident facts that even Colombians can’t
see because of their unconscious habits that they don’t have the
intention to see or modify for their greatest good:
The evident facts:
- There’s hundreds of thousands of visitors per year arriving in
Cartagena in the frame of their vacations, work, studies or
other interests. 80% from Colombia, 15% from other Latin
countries and 5% of strangers who don’t speak Spanish.
- In the years 90, a large number of north-America and European
strangers came to Cartagena for their vacations, but since that,
few came here because of interne problems that made them flee.
These problems were: harassing sellers, beggars searching to
extract money by making tourists feel guilty with pity, a poor
communication in other languages, fake prices to profit better
from them, numerous policemen in touristic zones who brought
doubt on their security, numerous beggars, news about Colombia
concerning violence, human rights, drug and corruption. To this
day, the same problems are still there, but strangers, didn’t
return!
- Visitors coming from Colombia have financial habits that don’t
allow them or don’t want to spend and therefore don’t circulate
more money, which is the base of all prospect economy. Therefore,
having 90% of tourists who don’t spend much and don’t tip, is
creating an illusion to service suppliers and touristic products.
- Today, Cartagena and Colombia try’s to bring more stranger
tourists, but it’s not by showing videos or images of natural
beauties that’s going to influence people, because they
perfectly know that publicity made in that way is not honest in
trying to cheat them… because what counts, is to show the truth
concerning their problem resolution and not to flee them with
illusions and lies. By consequence, Cartagena is stuck in
receiving tourists almost all coming from Colombia if concrete
actions aren’t started in creating a confidence and secure
climate. More, stats aren’t valuable information because they
can be manipulated by those who have the interest in hiding the
facts… but since I’ve lived in Cartagena for many years, then I
clearly see what’s happening.
- No publicity is offered to stranger countries to promote
Cartagena and Colombia while other countries such as Mexico,
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Brazil and USA invest in television
publicity messages in these countries to inform people to choose
their vacations with them. Therefore, their touristic offices
are in action instead of talking about making actions… which is
a habit of waiting and do nothing.
- The lack of will from people, which are responsible of tourism
and politics, to accept facts as they are, preventing them in
acting with enthusiasm and discernment creating then a lack of
initiative in all activity and relation domains. The actors in
tourism in Colombia have habits in not making action plans to
arrive at their measurable objectives and therefore make them
responsible.
Claude Lasanté,
Author and founder