Cartagena, Colombia’s Garciamarquian and colonial ethereal city of tourism on the Caribbean, is set to receive yet more tourists now that Air Europa will be sending direct flights here from Madrid.
Starting in December 2011, the Spanish firm Air Europa will be sending three flights a week from the Spanish capital to Cartagena on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This will allow for future holidaymakers to enjoy such highlights as the Ciudad Vieja, the Castillo San Felipe and the Islas del Rosario.
Given that Air Europa will be operating Airbus 330 aircraft with a capacity of just under 300 passengers, there’s a real weight of expectation and belief in Cartagena that this new route will serve to provide employment and income for a large sector of society in the Colombian city.
In theory, flights of this nature should enable some of the income generated from the arrival of tourists to Cartagena to be enjoyed by all strata of society, from hotels to restaurants, taxi drivers, guides to ambulatory drinks vendors. Indeed, news of Air Europa’s deal shows far more promise in the potential growth of the Colombian Caribbean region than that of Cartagena as a destination for cruise ships.
Given Cartagena’s proximity to other attractions such as the beaches of Parque Tayrona (6 hours), the tourist mecca of Taganga (5 hours), the city of Santa Marta (5 hours) and of course the important industrial hub of Barranquilla (1,5 hours), this new Air Europa flight will allow for tourists to arrive directly to the Caribbean coast rather than having to make a connection in the capital of Bogota.
As it stands, most international flight arrivals into Colombia are made through Bogota’s El Dorado airport and the very existence of another city receiving international flights will help take some of the pressure off El Dorado’s already creaking infrastructure.
And of course, Air Europa not only represents a boon for tourists wishing to start their Colombian vacation on the Caribbean coast, but for those Colombians residents abroad originally from the region.
While politicians and those involved in the tourism industry in Cartagena see this move by Air Europa as a vindication that Colombia and indeed Cartagena are now firmly on an international tourist circuit, there remain serious doubts surrounding Air Europa’s ability to manage this route.
With very mixed reviews and a sketchy record for punctuality, it is believed in some quarters that travelers would be better off flying into Colombia with reputable carriers and making the switch in Bogota.
Richard McColl - I am a freelance writer from deepest darkest London but for the past 10 years or so I have been maintaining my extended "writing break" in ...
