The island is going through its worst moment because there is no tourism; other places are the same, why is that?

The scenes left in San Andrés by the first festive long weekend in June, which is the gateway to the mid-year holidays, were regrettable, sad and worrying: the island, used to being packed with tourists on these dates, looked empty , almost desolate, since the numbers did not even reach 40 percent of the expected visitors.

Visitors, for their part, said that, added to the high cost of tickets, the extra payment for the entrance card and the high price of hotels, San Andrés becomes a luxury destination that many are not willing to accept. –or cannot– pay. All of this continues to bury its economy, which is 90 percent dependent on tourism.

For this reason, the island’s GDP presented a negative outlook of -2.2 percent in 2023, which meant the largest drop in its economic activity. Faced with this bleak panorama, the governor of San Andrés, Nicolás Gallardo, in a desperate act, announced the release of a package of very cheap tickets for tourists traveling from the interior of the country.

“Last month we did the official launch with JetSmart executives in the department. Precisely, we announced that on June 27 we will start with disruptive rates of 190,000 pesos one way, but it will stabilize around 220,000 or 250,000 per way.”

The president also pointed out that they are working on a fiscal mechanism to regulate the price of the entry card to the island or, at least, provide economic relief to those who frequently travel to it. This plan consists of making a single payment for a period of six months.

The crisis due to the absence of tourists is not something that only concerns San Andrés. In the interior of the country, several sites that historically housed thousands of travelers are currently in the red. Guatapé, one of the main tourist attractions in Antioquia, has to date a decrease in average visitors. The drought of the dam in previous months weighed heavily, traders said. Although they are also aware that the economic conditions the country is going through have an impact.

To deal with the drop in tourists, the mayor of Guatapé, David Franco Vallejo, sent a message of calm about the water level, ensuring that the reservoir is now navigable. “We are here at the Peñol-Guatapé reservoir, showing the country that there is navigation. “We are more alive than ever,” said the president.