Airon Whitt, IEP/MBA ’19

The E2E Foundation

My decision to go to Colombia was based in my interest of sustainable tourism. I have noticed the rise in tourism to Colombia over the past 10 years and I was curious as to how Colombians feel about this.

I took the opportunity to speak with travelers and locals about the rise of tourism in Colombia. I spoke with many taxi drivers, small business owners, locals and foreigners about perception of Colombian travel. Even as I told friends and coworkers here in the US that I was going to Colombia, I saw many had the same reaction- drugs and violence.

Colombia has a reputation that many locals are trying to change and many foreigners are feeding. It is difficult to watch as my tour guide on our “Real City Walking Tour” gets choked up about how he is working so hard to steer travelers away from the drug and sex tourism that fills the streets of Medellin and show them that there is a world outside of the recent violent history of Colombia. Travelers are curious. Many of us travel to countries like Colombia to learn about the history and the recent struggles of drug wars and the fight for change, however locals want to show us the many other facets of this fascinating country.

I attended a workshop with E2E, a local development organization that aims to tackle some of Colombia’s most pressing issues. My group was presented with the challenge of working through the “chaotic growth of tourism in Colombia”, and how to create a sustainable future of tourism in Colombia. We discussed issues such as “quick cash vs. long term sustainability”, and how to create programs to educate locals and foreigners on the importance of thinking collectively for the future of tourism, and not solely in quick cash and damaging yet thrilling experiences.

Overall, I learned a lot about the struggles of tourism in Colombia, yet I also learned that a month is simply not enough to explore such a large and diverse country. This trip has sparked my interest in the tourism growth in Colombia and I look forward to continuing to dive deeper into this fascinating topic and country.