MADRID, June 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time in Sweden, ProColombia organised a series of international destination promotion events focused on the continent’s emerging markets. Over the course of two days, 16 Colombian companies and 16 European tourism professionals held a total of 255 business meetings to showcase Colombia’s tourism offering and strengthen the destination’s positioning. Between August 2022 and February 2026, the country welcomed 113% more non-resident visitors compared with the period from August 2018 to February 2022.
Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia, highlighted: “These events are a key tool for the international promotion of the destination in a market as important as Europe. Through the Stockholm workshop, we have successfully connected supply and demand following extensive preparatory work, support and curation on both sides of the Atlantic. We are confident that this initiative will contribute to an increase in travellers from these markets visiting our country.”
The official opening of the event was led by Colombia’s Ambassador to Sweden, Guillermo Reyes, before an audience of nearly 80 attendees, including key stakeholders from the local, European and Colombian tourism sectors. Following the opening remarks, an academic programme provided in-depth insights into trends and traveller profiles within the Swedish tourism market. Cultural performances then preceded the pre-arranged one-to-one business meetings between participants.
A total of 16 European buyers (53% from the Nordic countries and 47% from the rest of Europe), representing nine strategic markets — Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Poland and Germany — had the opportunity to discover first-hand the tourism offering of The Country of Beauty through the delegation led by ProColombia, comprising 16 Colombian tourism businesses. On average, each inbound operator participated in 15 business meetings.
The Rise of Tourism in Colombia
Tourism has established itself as one of Colombia’s main drivers of economic growth and as a strategic source of foreign exchange earnings, employment and regional development. Between August 2022 and February 2026, the country welcomed more than 22.5 million non-resident visitors, representing growth of 113.2% compared with the period between August 2018 and February 2022.
This momentum is also reflected in tourism-generated foreign exchange revenues, which reached USD 11.166 billion in 2025, marking a 9.4% increase compared with the previous year. Furthermore, spending by international travellers directly benefits the local tourism value chain, particularly in sectors such as hotels, restaurants and travel agencies, strengthening regional economies and creating opportunities across the country.
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