The Colombian Association of Travel Agencies and Tourism (Anato) anticipates a 2026 marked by political uncertainties and moderate economic growth of 2.8%. Key challenges include boosting sector formalization and ensuring traveler safety. Paula Cortés Calle, Anato's executive president, stresses the need for stable public policies and public-private cooperation.
Looking toward 2026, Anato, led by Paula Cortés Calle, identifies several key challenges for Colombia's tourism sector. The year will be shaped by expectations from political changes defining the national course, alongside sustained economic growth near 2.8%. Amid this uncertainty, the guild will focus on formalization and long-term public policy consolidation to bolster tourism and protect travelers.
Cortés Calle highlights that while employment in travel agencies has improved and informality in this subsector is around 33%, tourism overall faces high informality rates. This allows unregulated actors to operate freely. Thus, public-private collaboration is essential to tighten requirements for the National Tourism Registry (RNT), which is currently easy to obtain.
Additionally, Anato suggests strengthening the Vice Ministry of Tourism by updating information systems, such as the International Visitors Survey and the Tourism Satellite Account. Training in languages and labor skills should be promoted to enhance service quality. "Tourism is today one of Colombia's main economic engines, the second generator of foreign exchange in the country, with over US$11,000 million a year, but to continue as a pillar of development, we need public policies that are of the state and not of the government," states Cortés.
Other priorities involve accelerating infrastructure modernization, boosting air connectivity, and recovering national passenger traffic, which dropped 2% last year. Emphasis is also placed on efficient operations, migration controls, and digital transformation of destinations and businesses. Finally, reviewing tax burdens like VAT on tourist services and air tickets will be crucial to energize domestic tourism and prepare the sector for a new growth cycle. Anato projects US$11.344 million in tourism foreign exchange inflows.
