2024-09-02 21:41:37
Despite the partial recovery of tourism in Colombia during the months of June and July 2024, the department of Huila faced a notable slowdown in its hotel occupancy during the San Juan and San Pedro festivities. With a general drop in national occupancy, Huila has been particularly affected, with a significant decrease compared to last year.
HUILA DAILY, ECONOMY
During this period, national hotel occupancy stood at 56.31 percent, registering a decrease of 3.46 percentage points (pp) compared to the same period in 2023.
The only regions that had positive hotel occupancy rates in both months, compared to 2023, were Magdalena and Cesar.
During the months of June and July 2024, hotel occupancy nationwide stood at 56.31%, representing a drop of 3.46 percentage points compared to the same period of the previous year. Despite this general decline, the Magdalena and Cesar regions stood out for presenting positive behaviors in hotel occupancy in both months, showing an increase compared to 2023.
In contrast, regions such as Quindío, Cauca, Huila, Risaralda, Boyacá, Santander, Antioquia, Cartagena and Casanare experienced a significant drop in hotel occupancy. The situation in San Andrés and Providencia is particularly noteworthy, with a drastic decline in June (-17.4 pp) and July (-21.2 pp) compared to 2022, reflecting a worrying situation for tourism on these islands.
“Cotelco believes that better occupancy implies better demand for the tourism product in the destination,” the union said in a statement.
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Cotelco, the main organization of the hotel sector, stresses that lower hotel occupancy not only reflects a decrease in demand for the tourist product, but also a negative impact on the local economy and employment in the sector. During this period, each hotel establishment had an average of 67 rooms available, of which only 38 were occupied, leaving an average of 29 rooms unoccupied during the holiday season. This highlights an evident gap between supply and demand that requires urgent attention.
José Andrés Duarte, CEO of Cotelco, emphasizes the need to implement policies that encourage formal tourism. “To face this challenge, it is essential to promote a tourism promotion law that not only encourages formal tourist accommodation, but also includes tax relief for Colombian households, guarantees safety in the regions and on the roads, and addresses the high levels of informality in the sector,” said Duarte. These measures would not only help boost the economy, but would also contribute to job creation in the tourism sector.
The most crowded
As for the most frequented destinations, Aerocivil data shows that Bogotá remained the preferred destination for Colombians, with 36.28% of the total passengers mobilized. Other notable destinations include Antioquia (15.13%), Bolívar (8.55%), Valle del Cauca (7.38%) and Magdalena (5.58%). Land data provided by the Ministry of Transport indicate that the most visited destinations in June 2024 were Bogotá (11.8%), Antioquia (11.7%), Valle del Cauca (11.3%), Cundinamarca (8.0%), Boyacá (8.0%) and Tolima (4.7%).
The outlook suggests an urgent need to adapt strategies that respond to changes in travel trends and tourism demand. The recovery of the sector will depend largely on the implementation of effective policies and adaptation to the new realities of the tourism market.
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