Bucaramanga, Colombia — At a time when the economic landscape for the South American tourism sector has grown increasingly volatile, stakeholders, industry leaders, and policymakers have gathered for a critical dialogue. The 32nd National Hotel Congress, hosted by the Colombian Hotel and Tourism Association (Cotelco), kicked off at the Neomundo Convention Center in Bucaramanga, Santander.
Running on October 29 and 30, the milestone event has taken on an urgency that defies its celebratory number. Under the guiding motto “Building innovative experiences from hospitality,” the congress has convened over 1,200 business leaders, trade union representatives, and suppliers to confront a sobering reality: a sharp downturn in key performance indicators that threatens the nation’s hospitality ecosystem, jobs, and overall economic competitiveness.
The event features a robust academic agenda, the ExpoCotelco commercial exhibition, and specialized networking spaces designed to address contemporary industry challenges. Among the technological frontiers discussed is the integration of artificial intelligence and digital tools to optimize hotel operations. However, beneath the panels on innovation lies an unavoidable shadow—the numbers reflecting the current health of the industry.
Main Facts
The 32nd National Hotel Congress arrives at a pivotal juncture for Colombia’s hospitality sector. Official metrics paint a picture of an industry under siege from declining revenues, compressed operating margins, and shifting travel dynamics.
According to the Monthly Accommodation Survey (EMA) published by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), the national hotel occupancy rate between January and August 2026 dropped to 48.0%, down from 49.7% during the same period in 2025. More alarming than the occupancy dip is the financial contraction: real revenues plummeted by 7.5%, while total personnel employed by the sector decreased by 4.7%.
These figures underscore a severe strain on business sustainability. During an exclusive interview with EL TIEMPO, José Andrés Duarte, executive president of Cotelco, laid bare the depth of the crisis, pointing to soaring operational costs, regulatory burdens, and a shifting macroeconomic landscape as the primary catalysts behind the industry’s ongoing friction.
The high-profile event has drawn key government figures to Bucaramanga, including Mauricio Gómez Amín, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MinCIT); Jaime Andrés Beltrán, Minister of Housing, City and Territory; and Honorio Henríquez, President of Congress. Their presence highlights the high stakes of the dialogue between the private sector and the national government as both sides search for viable pathways to economic recovery.
Chronology and Event Timeline
To understand how Colombia’s hospitality sector arrived at this crossroad, industry analysts look back at a trajectory marked by post-pandemic recovery followed by sudden macroeconomic headwinds.
- Late 2024 to Early 2025: The Colombian tourism sector experienced a stabilization period, maintaining a steady, albeit cautious, upward trajectory in international visitor arrivals and localized domestic travel.
- March 2026: A critical turning point occurred. For reasons tied to shifting traveler confidence, regional security concerns, and currency revaluation, the influx of international visitors began to decelerate compared to the robust metrics recorded in 2025.
- January – August 2026: DANE’s EMA survey data accumulated, confirming a multi-faceted contraction across the board: a 1.7 percentage point drop in occupancy, a 7.5% reduction in real revenues, and a nearly 5% contraction in the hotel workforce.
- Mid-2026: Regions affected by seismic activity—particularly departments in the coffee cultural landscape such as Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindío, and Caldas—faced operational paralysis, requiring intensive structural evaluations and emergency responses to safeguard guests and employees.
- October 28, 2026: Cotelco finalized its executive assessments and preliminary findings ahead of the national convention, setting a tone of urgent pragmatism.
- October 29–30, 2026: The 32nd National Hotel Congress officially commences in Bucaramanga at the Neomundo Convention Center, serving as the central forum for hammering out public-private partnerships, economic relief strategies, and modernization frameworks.
Supporting Data and Economic Indicators
The challenges facing the Colombian hotel industry are not merely anecdotal; they are backed by a rigorous dataset that highlights systemic vulnerabilities.
1. Occupancy and Revenue Contraction
The decline from 49.7% to 48.0% in average occupancy during the first eight months of 2026 might appear modest on paper, but in a capital-intensive industry with high fixed operational costs, it represents a devastating blow to cash flow. When combined with the 7.5% contraction in real revenues, hotels are finding it increasingly difficult to break even, let alone invest in capital improvements or technological upgrades.
2. Employment Impact
Perhaps the most worrying metric cited by Cotelco is the 4.7% drop in personnel employed by the sector. Hotels are 24/7 operations requiring round-the-clock staffing. Decreased revenues inevitably force management to cut back on labor, threatening formal employment rates in regions where hospitality is often the primary economic engine.
3. International Tourism Dynamics
International arrivals, which served as a bright spot in previous years, have slowed down since March 2026. Duarte noted that this slowdown cannot be pinned on a single factor. Instead, it is a complex web involving:
- Perceptions of national security.
- Traveler confidence.
- Regional connectivity issues.
- The revaluation of the Colombian peso, which has increased the relative cost of travel for international visitors.
4. Domestic Tourism Bottlenecks
While international travel faces headwinds, domestic tourism remains the lifeblood of regional municipalities. However, high household inflation and the cost-of-living crisis have limited families’ discretionary spending. Travel frequency has dropped, forcing Cotelco to push for aggressive financial measures, such as zero-interest installment plans for domestic tourism packages facilitated by second-tier banking institutions.
Official Responses and Perspectives
During the congress, the discourse shifted from identifying problems to proposing concrete, actionable solutions. José Andrés Duarte did not mince words when outlining Cotelco’s expectations from the national government and local authorities.
Cotelco’s Blueprint for Recovery
Duarte stressed that stimulating demand requires a two-pronged approach: boosting domestic tourism while aggressively targeting international markets that are less sensitive to currency fluctuations. To achieve this, Cotelco has presented a comprehensive agenda to the government:
- Security and Infrastructure: Guaranteeing safety across tourist corridors and improving destination infrastructure, including reliable access roads, stable water and energy supplies, and digital connectivity.
- Tax and Operational Relief: Reviewing the heavy tax burdens and soaring energy tariffs that plague the hotel industry. Because hotels operate continuously, shifts in labor laws and mandatory surcharges hit the sector disproportionately.
- Leveling the Playing Field: Addressing the uneven competition between formal hotels and unregulated short-term rentals (tourist housing). Cotelco is calling for stricter enforcement of the National Tourism Registry (RNT), mandatory compliance with tax, safety, and consumer protection laws, and closer collaboration with digital booking platforms.
- Affordable Financing: Providing accessible credit lines for working capital, energy efficiency upgrades, facility renovations, and the recovery of establishments impacted by natural disasters.
Government and Legislative Alignment
Cabinet ministers present at the event acknowledged the sector’s distress. Mauricio Gómez Amín (MinCIT) and Jaime Andrés Beltrán (MinVivienda) engaged with hospitality leaders to discuss cross-sectoral interventions. The commitment to streamline state support, improve municipal services, and coordinate school break calendars to encourage family travel throughout the year formed a central part of the legislative dialogues.
Implications for the Future of Colombian Tourism
The outcomes of the 32nd National Hotel Congress carry profound implications for the future trajectory of Colombia’s visitor economy.
Economic Sustainability at Risk
If the current trajectory of declining revenues and shrinking workforces persists, smaller and medium-sized hotels face a genuine risk of insolvency. This would lead to a concentration of market power and a loss of regional diversity in accommodation options, ultimately harming the country’s destination brand.
The Imperative of Formalization
A recurring theme of the congress was the necessity of fair competition. The unchecked proliferation of informal tourist housing without equivalent tax or regulatory compliance threatens to erode consumer trust and siphon vital revenue away from formal establishments that invest heavily in safety, labor rights, and community development. If regulatory bodies fail to establish strict oversight, the formal hotel sector will continue to shoulder an unfair burden.
Regional Resilience and Natural Disasters
The ongoing recovery efforts in regions affected by seismic events—such as Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindío, and Caldas—demonstrate the vulnerability of tourism infrastructure to natural phenomena. Duarte emphasized that recovery requires a delicate balance: accurately communicating which establishments are safe and operational without unfairly stigmatizing entire departments that remain open for business.
A Call for Collaborative Governance
Ultimately, the message emerging from Bucaramanga is clear: tourism cannot thrive in isolation. The revitalization of Colombia’s hotel sector demands a synchronized effort between the central government, regional authorities, and private enterprise. By addressing structural bottlenecks—ranging from energy costs and highway security to targeted promotional campaigns and financial relief—Colombia can protect its tourism assets, secure formal employment, and reclaim its status as one of Latin America’s premier travel destinations.
As the congress concludes its sessions, the focus shifts immediately from dialogue to execution. For Colombia’s hoteliers, the upcoming high season will serve as the ultimate test of whether the strategies forged in Neomundo can successfully turn the tide.
