Editing Economy of Colombia (section)

===Travel and tourism===
[[Tourism in Colombia]] is an important sector in the country's economy.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} Colombia has major attractions as a tourist destination, such as Cartagena and its historic surroundings, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the insular department of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina; Santa Marta, Cartagena and the surrounding area. Fairly recently, Bogotá, the nation's capital, has become Colombia's major tourist destination because of its improved museums and entertainment facilities and its major urban renovations, including the rehabilitation of public areas, the development of parks, and the creation of an extensive network of cycling routes. With its very rich and varied geography, which includes the Amazon and Andean regions, the llanos, the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and the deserts of La Guajira, and its unique biodiversity, Colombia also has major potential for ecotourism.<ref>Roberto Steiner and Hernán Vallejo. "Tourism". In ''Colombia: A Country Study'' (Rex A. Hudson, ed.). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (2010)</ref>

The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in 2013 was COP11,974.3mn (1.7% of GDP). This is forecast to rise by 7.4% to COP12,863.4mn in 2014. This primarily reflects the economic activity generated by industries such as hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services (excluding commuter services). But it also includes, for example, the activities of the restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists.<ref>[http://www.wttc.org/ World Travel and Tourism Council]. Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2014: Colombia</ref> The direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP is expected to grow by 4.1% pa to COP19,208.4mn (1.8% of GDP) by 2024.

The number of tourists in Colombia grows by over 12% every year. Colombia is projected to have over 15 million tourists by 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 February 2015 |title=Colombia received 12% more foreign visitors in 2014: Govt |url=http://colombiareports.co/colombia-received-12-foreign-visitors-2014-govt/ |work=Colombia Reports}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=17 February 2015 |title=Colombia superó la meta de 4 millones de turistas extranjeros en 2014 |url=http://www.mincit.gov.co/publicaciones.php?id=32586 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828153131/http://www.mincit.gov.co/publicaciones.php?id=32586 |archive-date=28 August 2016 |access-date=3 April 2015 |work=Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism}}</ref>

====Eco-tourism====
Eco-tourism is very promising in Colombia. Colombia has vast coastlines, mountainous areas, and tropical jungles. There are volcanoes and waterfalls as well. This makes Colombia a biodiverse country with many attractions for foreign visitors.

The Colombian coffee growing axis (Spanish: Eje Cafetero), also known as the Coffee Triangle (Spanish: Triángulo del Café), is a part of the Colombian Paisa region in the rural area of Colombia, which is famous for growing and production of a majority of Colombian coffee, considered by some as the best coffee in the world. There are three departments in the area: Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda. These departments are among the smallest departments in Colombia with a total combined area of {{convert|13873|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, about 1.2% of the Colombian territory. The combined population is 2,291,195 (2005 census).<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.colombia.travel/en/mice/congresses-and-conventions/coffee-cultural-landscape/tours/national-coffee-park-in-montenegro| title = Colombia Official Travel Guide}}</ref>