Santa Marta Balances Tourism & diplomacyโฃ as it Hosts EU-CELAC Summit
Santa Marta, Colombia is experiencing a surge in visitors as it hosts the European Union – Community of Latin American andโค Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) summit. While accustomed to welcoming โtourists, the โcity is navigating the logistical demands of hosting a large influx of heads of state, governmentโ officials, and business leaders alongside its regular stream of vacationers.
Colombian President Gustavo Petroโฃ deliberately chose Santa Marta, theโฃ oldest โฃcity founded by Europeanโ colonizers in Colombia and the site โคof Simรณn Bolรญvar’s death, for the summit.โ He emphasized the city’s symbolic importance,repeatedly referring to it as “the heart of the world” in connection with the worldview of the local Kogi indigenous people,before whom heโ took his oath of office. Petro celebrated bringing โค60 delegations to โthe city, highlighting its anthropological, geographical, energetic, and scientific beauty, and reiterating his slogan of “Colombia, the country of beauty.”
The โคColombian government has โpaired theโ official summit agendaโ with a public-facing cultural program titledโ “Reunion inโ the heart of the world,” featuring concerts, conversations, and film screenings. This initiative, a collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, โthe city’s Mayor’s Office, and โขthe Department’s Government, presents a critical perspective on โthe colonial past, contrasting with aโ more commemorative approach favored by the Mayor’s Office. Events included academic discussions like “The colonial turn,” moderated โby National Archiveโ director Francisco Flรณrez, alongside performances by โartists such as Puerto Rican Andy Montaรฑez, Dominican Vicente Martรญnez, and Colombian Nidia Gรณngora.
Alongside the main summit, Santa Marta is also hosting a business forum convened byโ theโ EU, the Colombian Government, CAF, and the IDB group.โ A civil society forum of Latin America,the Caribbean and the European Unionโ also took place,welcoming European Commissioner for Equity Hadja Lahbib,Oxfam’s director for America and theโข Caribbeanโข Gloria Garcรญa โParra,and Colombian Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo. These events, combined with the summit, have pushed the city’s hotel capacityโ to its limit, with officials mingling with tourists and retirees along the beach stretching from the airport to the city center.