in the know
Left: The Church of San Pedro Claver in Cartagena, Colombia image: AWL IMAGES. WORDS: GEORGIA LEWIS
fjkhfkr
VIVA COLOMBIA
The next spectacular river cruise destination could be in South America, thanks to an exciting new launch
Could Colombia rival Europe as a must-do destination for river cruise enthusiasts? AmaWaterways is opening a new market with the launch of two seven-night itineraries, sailing between Cartagena and Barranquilla on the Magdalena River.
The river cruise company is the first major player to launch on this route, and is already taking reservations for this year. Once on board, guests can expect cultural, historical and culinary experiences, and plenty of opportunities to see Colombia’ s unique wildlife.
With a capacity of 60 and 64 guests respectively, the luxury vessels, AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia, have been designed with an intimate, boutique hotel feel. After a postponement to allow for infrastructure improvements along the river, AmaMagdalena’ s maiden voyage is scheduled for March 2025, while AmaMelodia is expected to set sail in June. AmaWaterways is also offering land extension trips for travellers interested in exploring beyond the river, including tropical fauna-spotting in the city of Medellín.
Wildlife tourism remains a big priority for Colombia, which hosted the UN Biodiversity Summit in Cali in 2024. At COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024, Colombia’ s tourism ministry hosted a panel discussion on the positive impact of sustainable tourism on conservation. In addition, the country won Top Birdwatching Destination in the 2024 Global Big Day awards, an annual event that recognises bird conservation efforts around the world.
An OECD report on Colombia’ s growing tourism industry praised the country’ s Tourism Sustainability Policy 2022-26 for“ fostering sustainable management of natural capital, promoting sustainable travel culture, and positioning Colombia as a sustainable tourism destination.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Silversea hotel development Silversea is building a 150-room luxury hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile, the world’ s southernmost city. The hotel, slated to open in late 2025, will serve as a base for Antarctic expedition guests.
Shinjuku-inspired cocktail lounge Golden Gai is a Tokyo district composed of six narrow alleyways and 200 + bars. Its namesake cocktail lounge in Las Vegas’ The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort offers private-label sake, hand-shaken libations and Michelinstarred bites.
Visit Qatar launches pass Downloadable from the Visit Qatar mobile app, the pass grants visitors discounts on experiences across the food, wellness, leisure, hotel and retail sectors. It’ s available in eight languages and allows visitors to redeem offers either in advance or at the point of payment.
spring 2025 • 11