Colombia, a South American country known for its food, diversity, and arts and culture, showcased the Department of Antioquia at the EXPO 2020 Dubai. The Department is one of the 32 diverse departments of Colombia.
Delegates from Antioquia visited the venue to promote their department as a tourist destination with immense potential for foreign direct investments and development of trade relations. They also introduced their regional brand ‘Antioquia is Magic’ at the pavilion and engaged in the exchange of experiences and vital knowledge that would help boost the industries in Antioquia.
Utilizing the EXPO 2020 as a platform to explore new ideas that would aid the development of the tourism sector, the delegates visited the pavilions of countries such as Croatia, Spain, Switzerland, Peru, Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Luxembourg. They expressed special interest in Croatia since the two regions shared similar characteristics in their local tourism development models. Currently, the Department of Antioquia has established 20 ‘magical’ municipalities in the region through their ‘Antioquia is Magic’ program to encourage collaboration through knowledge, talent, and experience to promote tourism in the region.
The Department also presented a special edition of its regional brand of coffee ‘Antioquia es Mágica’, which highlighted the quality, passion, and love that Antioquia’s coffee producing families pour into their produce. The special blend was made from the beans of three coffee growing families that hailed from the municipalities of Sonsón, Urrao and Abejorral and was presented amongst the six coffee tastings hosted at the pavilion.
This showcase was part of the Café Región programme, an initiative led by the Secretariat of Productivity and Competitiveness, in partnership with the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Antioquia, to empower families that are dedicated to coffee cultivation and production and ensure that they experience financial security.
Besides coffee, the region is known for livestock rearing. Further, its fertile landscape provides the ideal conditions for the production of a wide range of crops such as banana, rice, yucca, sorghum, beans, sugar cane and cocoa. The mineral rich area is also studded with various bauxite and gold deposits.
Delegates from Antioquia also announced the Government of Antioquia’s commitment to address the climate emergency by setting a goal to plant 400,000 trees by 2022. In commemoration of their visit to the EXPO 2020 Dubai, Antioquia will also introduce the ‘Dubai Forest’ in Antioquia on April 22, 2022 as it marks the World Earth Day. The region has always been enthusiastic about nature and contains several cultural green tourist destinations. Antioquia has three national heritage parks- Paramillo National Natural Park, shared with the department of Córdoba, Las Orquídeas National Natural Park, and a UNESCO world heritage location- Los Katios National Park (between Antioquia and Chocó departments). This mountainous 6,612 square kilometers department is also a part of the Andes Mountain range and shares a border with the Caribbean Sea, further underlining it as an ideal tourist destination for nature enthusiasts.
With a population of more than 5.5 million, Antioquia is Colombia’s most populated province and largest economy after the country’s capital, Bogota. Industry, commerce, and mining are the region’s main sources of income. The department also has a long history of international trade in coffee, textiles, gold, and flowers.
The EXPO 2020 has provided an ideal platform for Colombia to showcase its various diverse regions and their investment potential. Several businesses from Colombia have been visiting the EXPO to explore new partnership and investment opportunities between the two countries.
