by Ana María Restrepo
In this diverse city in the social, the cultural, the geographical, of curvilinear roads, slopes, and of high roads, it became necessary to find a common place, an objective that would unite its nearly three million inhabitants by a single road and towards the same goal.
Looking back more than a decade, that task seemed impossible to achieve, the city was locked in its high mountains, and its inhabitants fought for their particular dreams, still wanting to see Medellín great.
Growth of the land that has given us refuge
Like any mortal, the leaders of the capital of Antioquia questioned the future of the city and the rest of history for years, these questions focused on the vocation that the city should develop, a vocation that projected a strategic, clear and well-directed growth. Based on the settlement of the main industries of the country in the Antioquia territory, the geographical diversity, the social variety, the capacity of conditioning and growth in infrastructure, its climate and the fundamentally friendly character of its people, the response with more favorability on the part of experts, was the one that pointed out that Medellín should be oriented corporate tourism, of conventions, events and business.
The process to arrive at such an accurate answer was complex, analytical and critical.
This is described by Adriana González Zapata, director of the Medellín Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation, dedicated to positioning the city and the region as a top-class destination for fairs, congresses and conventions.
"About 13 years ago, the city received the results of a monitor study. In this it was suggested to Medellín to clearly define its vocation towards corporate tourism, to be a competitive destination, not only nationally, but internationally. Thus, strategies were generated to respond to this direction, among them, the construction of Plaza Mayor, conventions and exhibitions, a large and adequate space in which a large number of people from all over the world can be housed around the same objective and with excellent conditions installed. "
With clear goals everyone marches
The goal was in the crosshairs and the paths to achieve it were already beginning to be drawn and are still in development today.
Jens Bonkowski, from Ernst & Young, a company dedicated to investment consulting, expresses himself quite surprised and positively, because according to him, "in recent years, this city has achieved a very important development, which makes it an excellent place for foreign investment. It is clear that there are issues that are fundamental when it comes to getting investors for Medellín, for example the issue of infrastructure."
He also stressed that the two airports that the city has mean a fortress, but also must take into account access to river transport, and the fact of achieving differentiating aspects that make it an attractive place for investment of foreign capital, as well as the issue of security, a vital issue for the objective that Medellín now poses as the second most important city in Colombia.
Medellín is conditioned
According to Adriana González Zapata, "for corporate tourism, understood as the realization of congresses, fairs, conventions and business appointments; the city offers, in addition to being the seat of important companies, an infrastructure conducive to the realization of these activities: the Plaza Mayor Convention Center, the hotel capacity, air connectivity, gastronomy, the proximity between the different important points of the City. All this infrastructure is complemented by a series of attractive sites for tourists and nearby subregions, which make the stay of these travelers, visitors and their own pleasant." Medellín today can be prepared to receive a holiday tourism thanks to the transformation it has lived and new spaces created thinking about the vocation that we found more than a decade ago. It is for this reason that it is being analyzed to start with the promotion of the city as a tourist destination, at least at the national level, as the first step, "added González.
The city of eternal spring, as it is recognized in the international context, has been developing a series of strategies that complement the objective of becoming a seat of tourism and business. The conditioning of infrastructure is accompanied by training activities for people who develop their work in the area of service provision, be they hoteliers, transport, commercial, gastronomic and all those who surround the tourist activity.
From the level of service, oral and body language, to the basic introduction of a second language, in this particular case English, are part of strategies that have been advanced by the municipal administrations for the benefit of this city project.
Some of the actions that have been implemented in this regard are the construction of Plaza Mayor, conventions and exhibitions, as well as the adaptation and modernization of the Exhibition Palace. "These two venues allow the city to have an adequate space and at the height of other cities in Latin America," said Adriana González.
Luz Mónica Pérez Ayala, executive director of Cotelco Antioquia, said that "a large hotel investment is coming for the city, around 20 new hotel projects will be built, this, largely due to the influence of Law 788 of 2002 that brings with it tax incentives for the construction and remodeling of hotels. In total Medellín will have 2000 new rooms" He also added that these "will be hotels built in large percentage with national investment, about 85%".
Currently, and according to the National Tourism Registry, the second most important city in Colombia has 196 hotels, of which about 70 are 3, 4 and 5 stars. "They are hotels that offer comfort, technology, accessory leisure services such as swimming pool or spa," said Pérez.
Likewise, new spaces have been developed for the inhabitant and the tourist in the city: the five Library parks, the Carabobo pedestrian promenade, the Explora Park, the Orquideorama, the two lines of the Metro Cable, the routes integrated into the Metro system, which boost the mobility of users; the two airports of easy access to the city, the integration of bilingual road signs (Spanish – English). Likewise, renovations and restructuring of existing spaces have been carried out, such as: Pueblito Paisa, El Parque Norte, Avenida del Poblado, the Botanical Garden, Avenida 33, the house of Vásquez and Carré, the Museum of Antioquia, the Parque Explora; as well as the use of public spaces such as linear parks, and squares of rest, culture and recreation, including the square of Botero's sculptures, that of The Bare Feet, of the Senses and of the Desires.
To this great deployment of strategies, the expansion of air connectivity is added, since it went from having four international flights to eight direct routes.
Adriana explains what is coming for the development of this great city project, "after the infrastructure, the second thing is to do a coordinated work between the public and the private to join efforts in a coordinated way. A destination promotion strategy must also be structured that includes the capture of important events, attendance at national and international fairs specialized in this segment, the development of promotional material, the creation of virtual media to be in permanent contact with those who make the decision to choose the venues or exert influence on the making of these decisions. "
Work is not finished
Important events such as Colombiamoda, Colombiatex, Expocamacol, and the Flower Fair, as well as scientific, medical, academic and cultural events and congresses that are held in Medellín, "are proof that we are on the right track, an example of this is the OAS Assembly that was successfully held and soon the IDB Assembly. All this makes us recognized as the city of events," Adriana added.
Taking into account that within the city the tourist wealth is immense, we must not miss the opportunity to explore the nearby municipalities of Medellín as a complement to the offer.
"I think that the differentiator that Medellín has is in its vicinity and the municipalities, such as the east with all its climate and charm, the southwest with its typical villages and its history. The West with all the architectural richness. The middle Magdalena with its adventure sports. The northern zone with its mountains and its geography," explained Luz Mónica Pérez.
According to a survey implemented by Cotelco, in which it evaluates the hotel growth of the last two years in the country, it was recorded that Medellín increased its market by 932 rooms, while in Bogotá, Cali and Barranquilla, the opening of rooms was 400 new spaces.
"However, this growth must be complemented by strengthening the gastronomic offer, because our local products are many and not only the bandeja paisa. We must have more tour guides, receptive tour operators, develop tourist routes within the city, and packages of itineraries and activities, because the current traveler not only likes to visit infrastructure but also do activities, "said Mónica Pérez.
Medellín, between business, growth and magic
Medellin is also a city to understand the magic of transformation. Where before there was violence, today opportunities for learning, culture and entrepreneurship are erected, it is projected in the world as a competitive and prosperous city, which went from fear to hope.
The city is a space for the enjoyment of the senses with its food, its smells and the color of its streets inviting locals and viistantes to walk it inch by inch. The senses are alerted in Medellín of the shapes, the colors, the smells, the flavors that wait for you to wake them up in their step.
Medellin is on the right track. There is still much to be done, but work is being done judiciously and articulately among the actors. In this strategy of promotion of the City, the public and private sectors participate with a common goal in mind. "We understood that the best way to achieve results is to work hand in hand." Adriana González concluded.
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