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The cultural vocation of Barranquilla continues to consolidate nationally and internationally. This Wednesday, the capital of the Atlantic was awarded as Destination of Leading Cultural City in the World Travel Awards 2020, South America version.
It is the first time that the city is distinguished with this award, which corresponds to a global initiative to recognize excellence in travel and tourism.
María Teresa Fernández, Secretary of Culture, Heritage and Tourism of Barranquilla, highlighted that the recognition is received “with great joy and pride” because the city stands out as a leading tourist destination in the region.
“Barranquilla has charm, indisputably has many activities of interest for different sectors and that is what we have been trying to strengthen, project and make visible ”, he explained.
For Flavia Santoro, president of Procolombia, this recognition is a reflection of the “immense richness” of Barranquilla and the department.
“The distinction shows that our destinations are still in force and international interest is maintained “Santoro said.
Likewise, the president of Procolombia explained that this award “is the result of the joint work we do with the city to highlight and preserve its cultural assets, and of the promotion of Colombia as a tourist destination that is committed to sustainability.”
Carnival was a key element in obtaining this recognition and this was highlighted by Carla Celia, director of the organization of the carnival festivities.
“Carnival was fundamental for the recognition of Barranquilla as the leading cultural city in South America. Its diversity, folklore, traditions and its people enrich this heritage and make it one of the favorite destinations, ”he said.
Celia was emphatic in stating that “this recognition leads us to continue building party experiences 365 days a year, to continue consolidating the tourism potential ”.
In turn, Efraín Cepeda, president of the Atlantic Inter-union Committee, stated that this award “confirms that we have to take advantage of this attraction and strengthen it as a great differential of our city for unique pleasure travel experiences.”
In addition, he stated that “we must prepare to reinforce the sale of the city as a tourist destination because when the pandemic passes the demand of tourists for new places will skyrocket ”.
In the South American version of the ‘Tourism Oscars’, Barranquilla was also nominated in the categories of: Leading Emerging Tourist Destination, Leading Event and Festival Destination, and Leading Meeting and Conference Destination.
World candidate
After receiving this award, Barranquilla entered the list of nominees as Destination of Leading Cultural City worldwide.
In this bid, ‘The Golden Gate of Colombia’ competes with cities such as Beijing (China), Hoy An (Vietnam), Kyoto (Japan), London (England), Moscow (Russia), New York (United States), Paris (France), Quito (Ecuador), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rome (Italy), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Cali (Colombia), Sydney (Australia) and Venice (Italy).
It should be noted that in the years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, this distinction has remained in the hands of the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, which is also nominated this time. These awards will be delivered on November 27.
Others awards
Colombia remains in force as an international tourist destination and stands out for its regional leadership in various segments. The country won the Leading Culinary Destination and Leading LGBT Destination in South America.
Several cities were recognized for their offer: San Andrés, Destination of Playa Líder; Bogotá, Leading Business Travel Destination; Medellín, Leading Urban Getaway Destination; Cali, Leader Emerging Tourist Destination, and Cartagena, Leader Honeymoon Destination.
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