The pandemic has left several reflections on how people travel, how they visit destinations and the tourist activities they carry out. A study by Ostelea (Tourism Management School of Spain) and the Center for Tourism Research, Dissemination and Innovation (Iditur) indicates that the interest of travelers in the search for experiences and destinations related to health and well-being has grown, far from the crowds and looking for conscious trips enjoying the here and now.
Given this reality, Colombia becomes the ideal destination for the development of activities around wellness that can be very striking for people around the world who are looking for destinations that offer tourist experiences with a holistic approach, in a natural environment.
For her part, Alejandra Millán, CEO of Wellness Trip Colombia, a company dedicated to offering tourist experiences focused on wellness tourism, explains that travelers seek to know authentic, natural, peaceful places in addition to experiencing experiences with communities and are even interested in Do manual activities that relax them: “We offer activities such as making crafts, spinning or weaving, relaxing exercises such as painting mandalas, activities that also bring them closer to the ancestral and peasant cultures of our country,” says Millán.
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In the country it is also possible to find activities such as retreats, yoga, hydrotherapy, ancestral rituals, holistic techniques, hiking, breathing workshops, detoxification programs, even whale meditation like the Millán company does, among many others.
“Our country has great potential for travelers from all over the world to come and enjoy experiences and treatments that help provide them with mental, physical and spiritual balance to offset the effects that the pandemic has brought,” says Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.
The Colombian regions that stand out for this type of tourism are the Coffee Cultural Landscape, Cundinamarca, Boyacá and Chocó, which have numerous sources of thermal water and which enjoy great natural wealth.
The potential of wellness tourism in Colombia
ProColombia carried out a study that surveyed people from Germany, the United States, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and France, among others, in which it was found that the wellness activities that tourists do most in Colombia focused on this product are massages traditional with local products and holistic programs, plus hiking, spa, massages and hot springs.
In addition, more than half of the surveyed travelers who came to the country for wellness reasons spent around USD $ 700. On the other hand, the best-known cities in Colombia for wellness travelers are Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. In addition, 42.5% of the respondents stay more than 11 nights and 29.3% stay less than a week.
ProColombia has identified that wellness tourism will be much more in demand, as destinations will be sought with which tourists can connect with nature and we have that natural diversity as the main input ”Santoro explained.
For wellness tourists, landscapes, offers of new wellness experiences and quality of service are important when choosing a destination, in this sense, Colombia is a competitive country in this segment.
It was also found that the culture and friendliness of people are the differentiating aspects of Colombia compared to other countries with a wide offer in wellness tourism. And, on the other hand, for wellness tourists who are interested in traveling to Colombia, they explain that the country’s differential lies in culture, landscapes and nature.
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