Increasing trade and tourism through sustainable exchange schemes is the objective of the meetings between representatives of the chambers of Costa Rica, San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, an archipelago with a large influx of visitors located in Colombia.
The event marks the advancement of a process that began in May of the previous year, with the signing of a cooperation agreement that the Federation of Chambers from the Caribbean of Costa Rica (Fedecaribe) and the Chamber that represents the islands of this Colombian archipelago signed, with the objective of promoting an effective commercial exchange between both regions.
Precisely, in the country there is a delegation from this Colombian region, led by Julio Hawkins, governor of the Department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Congressman Jorge Méndez and Jennifer Yepes, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the archipelago.
Direct flights
One of the most significant issues addressed during the activity is the establishment of direct flights between the island of San Andrés and Limón, given the proximity between both destinations.
These localities are separated by only 172 nautical miles or 320 kilometers, that is, the same distance that today divides the Limonense province to San José, in a round trip.
Proximity
“Taking advantage of this proximity, a great opportunity is visualized to resume tourism by leaving directly from Limón, also, the exchange of a great variety of products, goods and agricultural products,” said Randy Gordon, president of Fedecaribe.In turn, Rubén Acón, president of the National Chamber of Tourism, indicated that, to facilitate travel, it is essential to work on connectivity, but also on immigration.
The visa that the country requires from Colombians to enter the national territory has been one of the greatest barriers for tourism between the two countries to grow.”The challenge is to create the conditions that allow us to take the step to expand the possibilities in the tourism field,” he said. Along these lines, the possibility of implementing a pilot plan similar to the one that Costa Rica designed to encourage the attraction of tourists from China was suggested, which has to do with the temporary exemption of visas for Colombians, under certain conditions.
