page_title: Tourism in Colombia
section_title: National parks
hierarchical_section_title: Tourism in Colombia / National parks
caption_attribution_description: Description: Tourist Police, Villa de Leyva, Colombia Source: Louise Wolff (darina), June 2005
context_page_description: 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.
  Colombia has major attractions for a tourist destination, such as Cartagena and its historic surroundings, which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the insular department of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina; and Santa Marta and the surrounding area. The coffee region is also a very popular destination, especially the traditional town of Salento, _Quindío and its surroundings. Fairly recently, Bogotá, the nation's capital, has become Colombia's major tourist destination because of its improved museums and entertainment facilities and its major urban renovations, including the rehabilitation of public areas, the development of parks, and the creation of an extensive network of cycling routes.
context_section_description: Colombia has two coastlines; Pacific and Caribbean, three main mountainous chains and the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and many different ecological regions, from páramo to tropical jungle vegetation to desert biomes. The country hosts numerous volcanoes and waterfalls.
  Amacayacu National Park
  Cabo de la Vela
  Chiribiquete National Park
  Cocora valley
  Los Nevados
  Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex
  Gorgona and Malpelo islands
  Los Katíos National Park
  Munchique National Park
  Serranía de la Macarena
  Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park
  PANACA Park
  Tayrona Park (Santa Marta)
  Tatacoa Desert
  Chicamocha Canyon National Park
  El Mariposario enthomologic display specialized in Lepidoptera
  Peñas Blancas rock climbing site
caption: Tourism Police, a unit of the Colombian National Police deployed to tourist areas to improve security. Here in the town of Villa de Leyva.
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