00:00Santa Marta is militarized after a day of violence that left one question unanswered.
00:04It goes beyond security. How much does it cost the city when businesses close?
00:09What if transportation slows down and tourists stop arriving in a city?
00:12On September 21, José Luis Pérez Villanueva, alias Cholo, identified as the
00:17second in command of the self-defense forces that conquered the Sierra Nevada, during an operation in
00:21Huachaca. Then came the reprisals and threats of an armed strike. In Santa Marta
00:26600 police officers and 500 soldiers were deployed. There were blockades of public transportation and vehicles.
00:32Burned-down businesses and closures. And that has a very concrete economic impact.
00:37especially due to the high dependence of the capital of Magdalena on tourism.
00:41The Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce estimates losses of 39.59 billion pesos alone
00:48in the city during the day. In Santa Marta, 22,435 businesses and establishments were unable to operate.
00:54to operate normally. The blow affects those who work there. According to the Chamber,
00:59Approximately 48,000 people are linked to commerce, 26,000 to transport, and more than 25,000 to restaurants.
01:07Hotels and other services. In addition, approximately 60% of economic activity would be informal.
01:13So a day with no sales can literally mean a day with no income. But there is a
01:18Tourism is a particularly vulnerable sector. According to figures from ProColombia, Santa Marta received
01:2369,222 international visitors in 2025, an increase of 18.8% compared to the previous year.
01:32According to the Chamber of Commerce, tourism represents approximately 51% of the city's GDP.
01:38Behind that percentage are hotels, restaurants, taxis, tour operators,
01:43Vendors and workers depend on the flow of visitors. One of the big
01:48The driving force behind tourism in Santa Marta and Magdalena is the Tairona National Natural Park.
01:52In 2025, it received more than 818,000 visitors. The impact is already being felt by hotels. According to Cotelco Magdalena,
02:00Occupancy in the rural area of the city towards Tairona and Palomino fell to 15% after
02:05Armed strike due to cancellations, less than 15 days before the school break.
02:10Connectivity also reflects the scale of that activity. During the first half of
02:14In 2026, Santa Marta Airport handled more than 1.8 million passengers between January and July.
02:20In addition, 22 international cruise ships arrived with 18,162 passengers. That is to say, Santa Marta has
02:27an economy that depends on the flow of people. Now that flow faces a different problem than before.
02:32During a low season, the perception of insecurity increases. The Chamber of Commerce estimates that, when adding Santa
02:38In Marta, Ciénaga, and Zona Bananera, losses exceed 42 billion pesos.
02:44According to the association, these municipalities represent 60.31% of the Magdalena economy.
02:50Security, then, not only determines how many police officers are on the streets, it also determines
02:56how many businesses can open, how many workers can reach them, and how many
03:00Tourists are willing to go to Santa Marta. For now, the militarization and the arrival of the
03:05President Abelardo de la Espriella seeks to regain control of the territory, while
03:09The economy is looking for ways to survive amidst the uncertainty on the cusp of a new era
03:14of a recess that is about to arrive and that could very well vanish.
