Brinley Hineman
With AmaWaterways making its Colombia debut this month on the Magdalena River with the first of two ships, travel advisors have shared with me their excitement at having a new way to sell luxury experiences in South America.
The AmaMagdalena is the first ship to sail in Colombia and will be followed by the AmaMelodia, slated to start in September. AmaWaterways is the first to sail a luxury river cruise line in the country, marking a milestone not only for AmaWaterways but for Colombia tourism as it works to strengthen its perception among U.S. travelers, an effort it began about 20 years ago as it worked to shake off a negative reputation caused by drug cartel violence.
The country's efforts to bolster tourism have worked: Colombia broke its tourism record last year with 6.7 million visitors, with Americans leading the way. Tourism is one of the major drivers of the country's economy, outperforming sectors like coffee, flowers and bananas, according to UN Travel.
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One advisor capitalizing on the momentum is Sandy Lipkowitz with Sterling Journeys, who has created three-day pre- and post-departure itineraries for her clients sailing with AmaWaterways. She partnered with Galavanta, Virtuoso's Colombia DMC, to create a pre-cruise trip to Cartagena and a post-cruise itinerary in Medellin.
"It really gives a nice experience in Colombia, because we have two cities which are very important, and then we have these little towns along the river," Lipkowitz told me. "So, you're going from the metropolitan areas to the countryside, and you're getting a really good feel for Colombia."
Margoth Rico, a native Colombian who co-founded the travel agency Aracanto with her brother, said the river cruise addition marks an important shift for the country's tourism industry and expects other luxury brands and investors to follow suit with investing in Colombia, which will boost the economy.
Rico explained that Colombia initially proved to be a popular backpacking destination, which helped introduce it to a wider variety of tourists. Some of these towns may have never seen tourists at all, aside from a backpacker here or there, Boris Seckovic, co-founder of Amakuna Travel, a luxury tour operator, told me.
"Luxury travel is kind of the last category you get when a destination gets attention," Rico said, adding that she thinks AmaWaterways will drive more investors and capital into the country.
For these small river villages, Rico expects the benefits of tourism to be transformational and lead to the development of shops and restaurants to accommodate travelers.
Although Colombia has worked to enhance its tourism, luxury options have been lacking in certain parts of the country due to its infrastructure, travel professionals said, especially in the small riverside communities like the ones AmaWaterways will visit. Some of these towns might otherwise be difficult or impossible for tourists to access independently, and they lack higher-end lodging.
"There are wonderful places in Colombia we wish we could offer, but there is no high-end accommodation or anything near it," Rico said.
Travel advisor Jessica Riediger of Vincent Vacations said the same. She said she gets occasional requests from clients who want to travel to Colombia, but it can be difficult to create a luxury itinerary for them. She already frequently sells AmaWaterways cruises and knows the brand's quality, as do her clients.
"I feel like we have that now," she said.