The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. [1] Colombia accepted the convention on 24 May 1983, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2018, there are nine World Heritage Sites in Colombia, including six cultural sites, two natural sites and one mixed site. [2]
The first site in Colombia, Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena, was inscribed on the list at the 8th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1984. [3] Los Katíos National Park was inscribed as the first natural site in 1994. [4] Chiribiquete National Park – "The Maloca of the Jaguar" was added to the list in 2018 as Colombia's latest inscription. [5]
In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage list, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage list are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list. [17] As of 2023, Colombia lists eleven properties on its tentative list: [18]
The contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was US$5,880.3bn in 2016. Tourism generated 556,135 jobs in 2016. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 4 million in 2017. Responsible tourism became a peremptory need for Colombia because it minimizes negative social, economic and environmental impacts and makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.
The National monuments of Colombia are the set of properties, nature reserves, archaeological sites, historic districts, urban areas and property that, for values of authenticity, originality, aesthetics, and artistic techniques, are representative of Colombia and constitute core elements of its history and culture. The cultural heritage of Colombia includes material and immaterial assets "which are an expression of the Colombian nationality", in accordance with Law No. 1185 (2008). As of December 2011, 1079 National Monuments have been declared. A further sixteen candidate sites have been identified for future declaration.