Due to the large number of complaints received by representatives of the Inter-Union Tourism Council in Táchira, about the alleged inappropriate treatment of Colombian visitors by officials in the several “alcabalas” (checkpoints) who came to San Cristóbal last January for the San Sebastián Fairs and Festivals (FISS), locals are asking that the military and police receive training in attention to tourists in order to avoid scaring them away.
By La Patilla
Feb 14, 2023
Humberto Valero, President of the Táchira State Hotelier Chamber, considers that after the reopening of the border, they see “more feasible for Venezuelans to visit Colombia, than for Colombians to come to Venezuela,” because of how difficult it has been for us to compete in prices with the sister country.
Valero also emphasized that in the last “San Sebastián International Fair and Festivals” (FISS), the alleged irregularities committed by officials against Colombian tourists with those with dual nationality (Colombian and Venezuelan) were evident, “(those) who came in their vehicles with Colombian license plates, because they wanted to experience the reopening, were stopped always everywhere and in every checkpoint they asked for their full documentation.”
Most of them, felt intimidated, preferred to present their Venezuelan ID and so police would let them circulate without problems.
“I think that we have failed in facilitating this tourist resource that is arriving, we lack tourism culture. We intend to approach the security forces, in order to give them some training in terms of treatment and how to receive Colombian tourists.”
He pointed out that although the tourist police have been renewed, we have not seen any results.
The President of the Táchira Hotelier Chamber noted that during the FISS, the sector received support from the regional and municipal government, but “we held a fair without planning, a fair that took place in the last 15 days. The hotel sector had an occupancy of more or less 50% in the upper area of the city, near the fair complex.”
“There were problems last week: there was no accommodation for the musicians and there was no accommodation for the artists. We were quite complicated in that sense, because there was no foresight, there was no planning, it was something that was done in a rush, and that had its positive and negative effects,” he said.
Increased Government Support
He assures that businessmen in the sector are willing to work hand in hand with the authorities, in order to achieve attractive rates to attract Colombian tourism.
In the sister country they offer lower prices, because their cost structure is not as high as on this side of the border.
Likewise, it is expected that Inatur (National Tourism Institute) will include Táchira State as a tourist destination so that it is promoted in the campaigns that are made inside and outside the country, and that is why they already be coordinating with authorities from three mayors’ offices, in order for them to decree their municipalities of tourist interest and thus extend this option nationwide.
Recover Lost Time
Fernando Duque, President of the Posadas del Táchira Civil Association, indicated that with the opening of the border, it is necessary to regularize all service providers in the state, for which they continue to work, as they began in 2018, in order to attract new visitors.
He explained that they have had 14 regional meetings for the activation and organization of tourism, so they hope to have another meeting at the border in the coming days.
Likewise, he highlighted that Táchira has 130 operational inns.
“They are opening some inns that were closed for between 4 and 5 years, and they are making an investment effort to open their doors with the hope of recovering the time they were paralyzed.”
High Costs In Services
Pietro Ceniccola, President of the San Cristóbal Chamber of Commerce, said that “price” continues to be the main concern for merchants and tourism providers.
“We have to be clear that in order to compete, we have to have reasonable prices, and that depends on the cost structure.”
“Flat rates affect not only tourists, but all citizens,” he mentioned in reference to the high rates for public services and taxes imposed by the Chavista regime on service providers, mainly in border municipalities.
“The cost structure in Venezuela is much higher than in Colombia. It is unbelievable that in Venezuela there are products that have higher prices than even many developed countries,” he concluded.
A work table is planned between representatives of the hotel and commercial sector of the border municipalities and representatives of the Ombudsman, Hidrosuroeste and Corpoelec, to reach a consensus on the rates of water and electricity services, which directly affects the prices offered to customers, because they have a strong impact on the operating costs of businessmen in the sector.
Indover Sayago, representative of the Hotel Chamber on the Táchira border, stated that it is difficult for many service providers to pay fixed rates that exceed $300 U.S. for water service, despite receiving drinking water only once a week or every fifteen days. One must add to this are the constant blackouts.
He indicated that the 40 hotels that provide services in the Bolívar and Pedro María Ureña municipalities could collapse if they were to have full occupancy and the industrial sector were to reactivate in the first stage.
However, with the binational meeting scheduled for the next few days, they hope to establish strategies to attract Colombian tourists.
Sayago asserted that, although from the hotel sector they have the greatest hospitality with visitors, it is up to the authorities to generate trust and better security conditions for Colombian tourists.
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