Medellín welcomed 1.2mn foreign tourists in 2025, with international arrivals growing nearly 10% a year, the city’s Department of Tourism and Entertainment said on October 15.
The count of Medellín foreign tourists makes the city Colombia’s second-largest tourism hub after Bogotá, and officials say the real total is higher because many visitors arrive through Bogotá or Cartagena before travelling on, which arrival counts at José María Córdova International Airport miss. Tourism generated COP5 trillion ($1.55bn) for the city in 2025.
The US supplied 33% of foreign visitors, followed by Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Peru and Panama. Foreign tourists typically stay four to six nights and spend around COP210,000 ($66) a night, mostly on food, culture, shopping and wellness.
The city is promoting neighbourhoods beyond the Comuna 13 district, including Manrique and the Perpetuo Socorro creative district, and is using its natural areas, which cover nearly 70% of the city, to build eco-tourism, wellness and sports travel, a theme Colombia is also pursuing along its coasts. Concerts by Shakira, Maluma, J Balvin, Guns N’ Roses, Juanes and Juan Luis Guerra drew visitors in 2025.
Ana María López, Medellín’s secretary of tourism and entertainment, told Spanish news agency EFE that visitors were “amazed by the city we are today”, adding that the city increasingly attracts tourists seeking wellness and nature.