I read this article (Spanish) in El Espectador recently. While you can’t argue with the findings, it does seem strangely out of place. Colombia is a country that is making leaps and bounds into a brighter future. No-one here would go as far to claim that Colombia has put all its troubles in the past, but the fact is that today Colombia isn’t like it was even a decade ago. Colombia, it’s widely recognized by travelers, is at least as safe as other Latin American countries (and much safer than many).
So for Colombia to be considered the 5th most dangerous country in the list begs the question: when will Colombia’s reputation change?
Of course, much of the problem lies out of Colombia’s hands. No media outlet is going to make a big deal of the improvements here in any other place than travel sections. Hollywood will keep churning out disposable, ill-informed films such as Colombiana that perpetuate an image of the country that borders on offensive. It’s things like this that really affect the reputation of Colombia; for people that lived through the troubles the country saw during the 80s and 90s, they see little perceptible change. There’s nothing coming out in countries such as the US or UK that really warrants a major transformation in perceptions of Colombia.
If only, though, these people could come and see how different it is from what they think. Sprawling, stunning landscapes; incredibly generous, welcoming people; stunning architecture; fascinating historical and cultural points of interest and much, much more. That’s not even to mention the opportunities in the country for investment and business.
In fact, that’s what makes the whole thing so odd: at the same time as Colombia is touted as the 5th most dangerous country in the world, billionaire investors are queuing up to recommend it as the place to invest in for the future.
It just goes to show, no matter how rapidly the country changes, or how much improvements are being made, perceptions are the hardest things to change.
Paul
