Fri, 16 May 08
Punta del Este may be the best known destination in Uruguay, but it may soon have a rival when it comes to attracting international visitors...
45 minutes by ferry from
By rights, the tourism industry in Colonia should be booming. The ferry network links it directly to
It has nearly a thousand hotel rooms spread across all grades, including small guest houses in old colonial buildings and several larger, internationally branded hotels from the likes of Four Seasons, Sheraton, Days Inn and Kempinsky. Aside from the old town, Colonia has some stunning beaches, a high quality golf course and some tremendous national parks.
Improving tourism infrastructure
But the problem is that among those who know of it at all, the town is seen mainly as a day trip destination, with the majority of visitors looking to do nothing more than tour the old city, soak up the atmosphere and move on, satisfied.
While this has ensured that the old buildings have been immaculately preserved and not ruined by over exposure to tourism, the local authorities are now planning how they can reposition the destination and boost the economy by attracting tourists for longer periods.
Following the study of other UNESCO heritage destinations in Chile, Brazil and Colombia, a cohesive strategy is now being developed that should see the tourism market move up a gear or two.
The plan focuses on improving the tourism infrastructure, providing a strategic framework for development of the industry, embracing the internet and stimulating a more entrepreneurial approach from local business owners.
In combination with a more refined set of high quality tourist products, these strategies will allow Colonia to compete on a regional and international level for a greater share of tourist dollars.
Focusing on International markets
The first step is to ensure that the marketing activity generates a sufficient range of reasons to visit the town. As well as the attractions already mentioned, new marketing initiatives will focus on ensuring a bigger share of domestic and international tourism linked to gastronomy, scuba diving, yachting, hunting, fishing, equestrian sports, music festivals and other cultural events.
The goal of ensuring that visitors come more often or for longer stays is something that can be achieved through the effective marketing of the town as an attractive second home destination for foreign buyers.
This is something that will largely focus on the international markets. Although
The plan is to leverage strong economic ties in
Once the results of these strategies start to be felt, it should not be long before foreign investors are alerted to the tourist potential of this region and start to turn their attention here in droves.
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