Hot destination: Colombia

Steve Hodel of Tico Travel agency, which is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says that after visiting several Colombian cities and meeting with local tourism entrepreneurs, he would begin to recommend to his clients some parts of Colombia. But others would stay off limits. "I think I can sell Cartagena and Leticia," Mr. Hodel says, referring to the colonial walled city on Colombia's northern coast and the gateway city to the Amazon basin. But, he says, "People would think I was crazy if I offered them Medellín" - the city once home to a notorious drug cartel of the same name.

Meanwhile, the government is preparing for an uptick in tourists. Hoteliers have been offered tax breaks for building new hotels or renovating old ones, and projects are under way to accommodate cruise passengers as Uribe lobbies for more cruise lines to include the Caribbean cities of Cartagena and Santa Marta on their ports of call.

The effort is paying off. Last week, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines announced plans to begin to include Cartagena on its itineraries for 2007.

Santa Marta is more problematic. Many of its attractions, including the Lost City, are reachable only after long, bumpy bus rides and strenuous hikes, which city officials say is not the kind of day trip most cruise ship passengers are willing to undertake.

The city is now working on blueprints for cable-car systems that could get day-trippers off the boat and to the beautiful beaches and Indian villages of Tayrona Park in 30 minutes, or up on one of the peaks of the Sierra Nevada in 40 minutes. Plans for a cable car up to the Lost City have been scrapped, for now, following protests from the Kogi Indians, who care for the ruins.

The protests serve as a reminder that Colombia is not quite ready for the mainstream sun-and-fun tourist.

"But it's a destination that, five years from now, could be firmly in the mainstream," says Brice Gosnell, Lonely Planet's regional publishing manager for the Americas. Still, Lonely Planet's website displays this warning: "While risks to foreigners are minimal, kidnapping and homicide rates in Colombia still remain high.... Areas to avoid include Chocó, Putumayo and anywhere east of the Andes." Those areas still see a great deal of rebel activity, and occasional combat between the guerrillas and government forces. However, Colombia's homicide rates have fallen considerably in the past five years, from 61 to 38 per 100,000.

Venezuela's rates, meanwhile, nearly doubled between 1995 and 2003, the last year for which official figures are available. In 2003, its homicide rate was 45 per 100,000, up from 20 per 100,000 in 1995.

The US State Department - which recognizes better security in cities - warns against rural travel. The British Foreign Office still tells citizens to stay away from the Lost City, where, three years ago, eight foreign tourists were kidnapped and held for three months by rebels of the National Liberation Army, the country's second-largest guerrilla group.

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