Tourism in Bolivia

Tourism in Bolivia is one of the key economic sectors of the country. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia (INE), there were over 1.24 million tourists that visited the country in 2020, making Bolivia the ninth most visited country in South America.
People have visited Bolivia for centuries in the form of movement of people during the pre-Inca and Inca period, in which wealthy groups within moved outside their habitual residence across the vast expanse of the Inca empire. that stretched 2,500 from Ecuador in the north to Chile in the south.
Bolivia is a country with great tourism potential, with many attractions, due to its diverse culture, geographic regions, rich history and food. In particular, the salt flats at Uyuni are a major attraction.
People have visited Bolivia for centuries. During the pre-Incan and Incan period, privileged social groups could move away from their place of residence and settle in new towns. The Inca road system, a vast network of carefully engineered roads that connected settlements in present-day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, facilitated the movement of people and goods across South America. During the colonial era, several expeditions were carried out in Bolivia as a way to seek resources and wealth and expand the Spanish domain.
Tourism in Bolivia was formalized as an official entity in 1930 during the presidency of David Toro. From that moment on, the Bolivian government began to regulate tourism within the country, to ensure the care of tourist attractions and to provide assistance to foreign tourists arriving in Bolivia.
Organized tourism in Bolivia began in the 1940s. One of the precursors of this activity was Darius Morgan, a Romanian entrepreneur who came to Bolivia working for the Swedish company Ericsson. When touring the Altiplano region around Lake Titicaca, Morgan had been fascinated by the scenic beauty of the area, which was not frequently visited at the time. Morgan eventually established the first travel agency in Bolivia and began offering organized tours to Lake Titicaca. Given the lack of accommodation establishments in the lake region, tourists stayed in camps with tents set up and food prepared in advance. However, Morgan managed to spread the word about the natural beauty of the region, impacting the arrival of more foreign tourists who wanted to visit the highest navigable lake in the world. In 1986, Darius Morgan was awarded the Order of the Condor of the Andes, the highest distinction in Bolivia, for his contribution to the development of tourism in the country.
Bolivia is located in the center of South America, in what could be considered its western strip and is one of the two landlocked countries in the continent. The western region of the country is dominated by the Andes mountains, more precisely in the Cordillera Real, bisecting the country roughly from north to south and the Altiplano, a high plateau where Lake Titicaca is located. This region includes steep slopes and many snow-capped peaks. To the east of the mountain range are lowland plains and tropical rainforests from the Amazon Basin. These geographical characteristics have influenced the culture of Bolivia and contribute with unique cultural and natural sites that are unique to the country.
Due to its diverse geography, Bolivia has several geographical areas and climates, and the three predominant ones are Andean (28% of the territory), sub-Andean (13%), and plains (59%). The climate of Bolivia varies drastically from one ecoregion to the other, from the tropics in the eastern llanos to polar climates in the western Andes. This has brought about ecotourism to Bolivia and has also made it a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing. The summers are warm, humid in the east and dry in the west, with rains that often modify temperatures, humidity, winds, atmospheric pressure and evaporation, giving place to very different climates. When the climatological phenomenon known as El Niño takes place, it provokes great alterations in the weather. Winters are very cold in the west, and it snows around the mountain ranges, while in the western regions, windy days are more usual. The autumn is dry in the non-tropical regions.
Bolivia has seven World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO. They constitute important tourist attractions due to their historical and cultural legacy. Bolivia was among the first countries that ratified folklore as a cultural heritage at the UNESCO Convention of 1972, giving rise to profound debates, resulting in the creation of the "Text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage" in 2003.
Cultural tourism forms an important sector of the tourism industry in Bolivia. Pre-Columbian civilizations, notably the Inca Empire, Tiwanaku Empire, Wankarani, and the Aymara kingdoms, left a large archeological and cultural heritage.
The landscape of Bolivia is beautiful and diverse lending itself to tourism, and also ecotourism. Although being a landlocked country, Bolivia is among the 15 most biodiverse countries in the world. This ecological diversity attracts tourists interested in nature and ecology. The increase in ecotourism in recent years has prompted the Bolivian Government to invest more on tourist infrastructure. Bolivia is a country with very different regions. Around 43% of the national territory is covered by the Amazon Basin, mainly in the eastern and northeastern regions of the country. This region includes vast tropical rainforests, some of which remain pristine and untouched. On the other hand, 28% of the territory consists of the Andean region and the Altiplano, featuring a cold, dry climate and high elevations. Places of interest in the Andean region include Lake Titicaca, the Salar de Uyuni, and the cities of La Paz and Potosí.
Bolivia's diverse geography offers a wide range of activities, including mountaineering, off-roading, rappelling, skiing, trekking, open water swimming, among others. High-altitude mountaineering is particularly popular in Bolivia. The Cordillera Real contains seven peaks above 6000 meters or 20,000 feet and over 600 mountains well over 5000 meters. The most popular peaks for mountain climbing are Huayna Potosí, Illimani, Kunturiri, and Illampu, all located near the city of La Paz, where tourists usually begin their expeditions from. Another popular peak for mountain climbing is Nevado Sajama, located in the Oruro Department. Of these, Illampu, Illimani and Sajama are reserved for highly experienced climbers due to their steep cliffs, while the rest can be accessed by intermediate level climbers. Trekking and hiking are also sought-after adventure activities in Bolivia; the famous Inca road system passes through the country, and there are various scenic trails found throughout, such as the ones in Isla del Sol and Cerro El Calvario in Lake Titicaca, the trails through the canyons and caves at the Torotoro National Park, the El Choro Trek, a popular three-day hiking route, and smaller trails around the towns of Challapampa, Chulumani, Coroico and Samaipata. Hiking trails are also found in the Amazon region of Bolivia, though these usually require guided tours due to the remoteness and foliage density in the region.
In 2014, Bolivia became the 28th country to host the Dakar Rally, the world's biggest annual rally raid event. Originally staged from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, the event has since taken place in South America, due to security concerns in Africa. The 8900 kilometers or 5500 miles route passes through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, beginning and ending in Buenos Aires. It host around 500 competitors participating with specialized cars, trucks, motorcycles and quadbikes. The event is known for its harsh conditions, including passing through highly rugged terrain and withstanding extreme temperatures such as the hot climate in the Atacama Desert and the freezing weather in the Altiplano and the Andes mountain range. Bolivia's landscape contributes to the event with unique routes such as the standing water terrain of the Uyuni Salt Flats. The annual event promotes the South American country among foreign visitors.
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia, the country received around two million tourists in 2023, approximately one million were foreign nationals, while the remaining were domestic ones: