Latest News

Qatar Airways opens a new aviation corridor between Bogotá, Caracas and Doha

By Richard Emblin - November 7, 2026

The launch of the airline’s twice-weekly South American service offers more than a new connection for Colombians. Its strategic importance may lie in linking Venezuela’s vast energy resources with Gulf investment capital and opening a new gateway between Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. BOGOTÁ – After months of changes to its launch schedule, […]

ACOTUR: Tourism as an Instrument of Regional Recovery

By Richard Emblin - November 6, 2026

As Popayán prepares to host the VIII ACOTUR Sustainable Tourism Summit, Cauca is seeking to turn its extraordinary agricultural biodiversity, cultural heritage and nature-based tourism potential into an engine for rural development, international investment and economic opportunity. POPAYÁN — For a department that has endured decades of armed conflict, displacement and economic marginalization, the prospect […]

British-Born Cancer Specialist Dies After Medellín’s EDC Music Festival

By The City Paper Staff - October 13, 2026

The death of a British-born cancer specialist after an electronic music festival in Medellín this weekend has cast a shadow over the Colombian debut of one of the world’s best-known dance music brands. A second foreign attendee from Costa Rica also died during the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), held October 10 and 11 at Medellín’s […]

Raging wildfire threatens Villa de Leyva, authorities investigate suspected arson

By Richard Emblin - September 21, 2026

A massive wildfire continued to burn on Monday above the historic Colombian town of Villa de Leyva, with strong winds hampering efforts to contain the flames as authorities investigated mounting indications that the fire may have been deliberately started. The blaze, which began on Saturday afternoon near the cusp of the San Marcos mountain, has […]

Where Silence Still Speaks: Discovering the Monastery of Ecce Homo in Boyacá

By Richard Emblin - July 31, 2026

Eight kilometres beyond the whitewashed streets and polished boutiques of Villa de Leyva, the traffic fades into birdsong and the landscape begins to exhale. The road winds through vineyards, olive groves, patchwork fields and ochre hills before arriving at one of Colombia’s most quietly extraordinary places: the Monastery of Santo Ecce Homo in Sutamarchán. It […]

Colombia Denies Entry to Nearly 19,000 Foreigners Since 2022

By The City Paper Staff - July 27, 2026

Colombia’s immigration authority has denied entry to nearly 19,000 foreign nationals since President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022, citing national security concerns, immigration violations, fraudulent documentation and other legal grounds, according to figures released Monday by Migración Colombia. The government said 18,994 foreigners were refused entry between August 2022 and June 2026 under […]

Colombia Marks First Holiday Dedicated to Nation’s Patroness, the Virgin of Chiquinquirá

By Richard Emblin - July 11, 2026

On Monday, Colombians will celebrate a new national holiday for the first time in the country’s history, honoring Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, the patroness of Colombia, in a commemoration that blends centuries of religious tradition with a renewed political symbolism under President-elect Abelardo De la Espriella. Established under Law 2578 of 2026, […]

In Bogotá, a Storied Market District Invites Travelers to Look Beyond Its Reputation

By Richard Emblin - June 11, 2026

By 7 a.m., San Victorino is already in motion. Delivery carts rattle across uneven sidewalks. Shopkeepers roll up metal shutters to reveal stacks of denim, sequined dresses and school uniforms. Buyers from Colombia’s Caribbean coast negotiate prices over coffee, while students weave through the crowd on their way to class. The district hums with the […]

Apulo After Steam: Life Along Colombia’s Abandoned Railway

By The City Paper Staff - May 22, 2026

For decades, Apulo has offered a sun-soaked, hot-country getaway for residents of Colombia’s capital tired of the cold and rain.

From Bogotá to Barcelona: Why Summer Travel to Europe May Get Complicated

By Timothy Langham - May 7, 2026

For thousands of Colombians planning their long-awaited European summer escape, the season of sun-drenched piazzas, Mediterranean beaches and packed airport terminals may come with unexpected advice: think local. From Madrid and Paris to Rome and Athens, the 2026 summer travel season is approaching under the shadow of a mounting aviation crisis linked to the ongoing […]

Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport is Latin America's busiest transportation hub. Photo: Richard Emblin

Drone sighting forces second suspension of flights at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport in one week

By The City Paper Staff - April 30, 2026

Colombia’s busiest airport, Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport, was forced to suspend operations early on Thursday after authorities detected a drone near the runway approach path, marking the second disruption in the same week and raising renewed concerns over aviation security at one of Latin America’s busiest air hubs. The latest incident occurred at 5:20 […]

Passengers are rescued from a municipal bus in Cauca, Colombia, during Saturday's terrorist attack on the Pan-American highway. Photo: X

U.S. Issues Strong “Do Not Travel” Advisory for Southwestern Colombia

By Richard Emblin - April 29, 2026

The United States has updated a “do not travel” warning for large parts of southwestern Colombia after a wave of terrorist attacks have left over 20 people dead, underscoring growing international concern over the country’s deteriorating security situation and prompting regional authorities to demand stronger support from the leftist government of President Gustavo Petro. The […]

Influencer “Stink Bomb” on Avianca Flight Triggers Safety Alert Over Atlantic

By Richard Emblin - March 30, 2026

The stunt began, as so many do in the age of viral fame, driven by the need to provoke a reaction. At 35,000 feet above the Atlantic, inside the sealed cabin of an Avianca B-787 ‘Dreamliner’ en route from Bogotá to Madrid, passengers aboard flight AV46 were unwitting participants in a reckless influencer incident involving […]

American Airlines flight attendant missing in Medellín prompts cross-border search

By The City Paper Staff - March 26, 2026

The disappearance of a U.S. flight attendant during a brief layover in Medellín has sparked an urgent search involving Colombian authorities, airline officials and U.S. representatives, as questions mount over his final hours in the city. Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, an American Airlines crew member based in Dallas-Fort Worth, arrived in Colombia’s second-largest city […]

Medellín's Rionegro airport is a gateway for alleged sex tourists. Photo: Migración Colombia

Colombia bars 10 foreigners in single-day crackdown on suspected sex tourism

By The City Paper Staff - March 16, 2026

Colombia’s migration authority Migración Colombia denied entry last week to 10 foreign nationals suspected of seeking sex tourism, marking the largest single-day refusal of its kind at Medellín’s main international gateway, officials said. The individuals — nine from the United States and one from Anguilla — were stopped at José María Córdova International Airport on […]

The launch of “Paso a Paso, Caminando hacia la Pascua con María,” aims at strengthening religious and cultural tourism across Bogotá and Cundinamarca ahead of Semana Santa 2026.

Bogotá to welcome 500,000 Easter visitors with expanded Semana Santa programme

By The City Paper Staff - February 25, 2026

Bogotá and the department of Cundinamarca are preparing to receive up to half a million visitors during Semana Santa 2026, as the Mayoralty unveiled an ambitious tourism campaign aimed at positioning the Colombian capital as a leading Easter destination in Latin America. Branded “Paso a Paso, Caminando hacia la Pascua con María” (Step by Step, […]