Known as the queen of the Caribbean coast, Colombia’s historic city of Cartagena is 490 years old, having been established in 1533. The Old Town is surrounded by 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls and offers a maze of cobbled alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and large churches. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Every January, Cartagena pays homage to literature during the Hay Festival, where attendees enjoy novels and poems as well as plays, exhibitions, workshops, and conferences. While the city may have almost half a millennium of history, it is also embracing the new and is now ranked No.1 for hybrid meetings in Latin America, according to ICCA. Cartagena also made it to 17th in the Americas (estimated by total number of ICCA events held) in the association’s 2018 City Rankings, a result that contributed to the decision to make the city host for the 2021 ICCA World Congress, which welcomed over a thousand attendees. Cartagena is a 10-minute city, which means event attendees will find everything they need regarding tourism within an 11-km radius (airport, hotels, tourist attractions, convention centres, shopping malls, the historic district, restaurants, monuments and the bay). The city offers a selection of convention venues including:
- Las Américas Convention Centre, just five minutes from the airport, which can accommodate 5,000 people.
- The Centro de Convenciones Cartagena de Indias opened in 1978 and has recently enjoyed a major refurbishment. The Centre can host over 2,000 people and holds the Gold Certification of the International Association of Conference Centers (AIPC) and the quality certification granted by Bureau Veritas for excellence in its operating processes.
Diversity As well as supporting the MICE industry in Colombia national tourism board ProColombia offers the opportunity to be involved in diversity projects and invites MICE participants to make a positive impact during their visit to Colombia. One example: is the Danfroc Cultural Corporation, a dance company which encourages vulnerable young people in deprived areas of Cartagena to dance. Learn about the project by visiting the Danfroc headquarters and watching/participating in a workshop/dance class. Cartagena nature Enjoy a Mangroves Ecotour – Cartagena de Indias is surrounded by mangroves and there are tours led by local fishermen who share their knowledge and experience. The National Aviary of Colombia situated in Cartagena is the largest in Latin America. Home to over 1,800 birds and 138 different species it is the ideal place to learn about the diversity of birds in Colombia. Airline News Last year 33 new routes were added to Colombia and 29 airlines now operate directly to 11 destinations in the country. Colombia operates to 26 countries worldwide and 45 international cities
