Cartagena has opportunities

Amid the continuing bad news that are heard in the city, it is difficult to think of the great opportunities of Cartagena to be the most important urban center in the Colombian Caribbean. This is not to ignore our great problems, but to recognize opportunities. With good public and private management, may be the turning point of the city to overcome backwardness and social inequality.

Cartagena has had periods of boom that was not enough for sustained growth. In most cases, the prosperity came from external factors and not a self-management in the public and private sectors. These foreign elements come to exploit the competitive advantages of the city. The Spaniards founded to take advantage of its strategic location. From there, much of their fate has been linked to this asset: the Bay of Cartagena.

And here it is the greatest opportunity. The port service established himself as one of the best in the Caribbean. This has allowed him to develop an industry of logistics and port services, which, undoubtedly, would allow consolidated as the Colombian Caribbean port city.

A little over half a century these same advantages attracted the oil refinery, which marked a new milestone in the city’s economy that helped to consolidate the petrochemical industry as the main line and convert to Cartagena on the Caribbean city with more industrial production. By the end of this year it will start the refinery expansion, which will double the Cartagena industrial production in 2016 is another opportunity to Cartagena should take long-term growth.

A third opportunity also linked to its bay and its historical heritage is tourism. Its economic boom in recent years is reflected in the growth of domestic and foreign visitors, the increase in hotel supply and increased domestic and international air connectivity. The city is today a place of conventions and weddings, around which a specialized sector that competes with destinations all over the world was developed.

Cartagena is full of opportunities. Many may result from exogenous factors, but the important thing is that we and our encausarlas responsibility towards economic and social development held in order to overcome historical backwardness.

Source: El Universal
Jaime Bonet
Date: August 23, 2015
http://www.eluniversal.com.co/opinion/columna/cartagena-tiene-oportunidades-9145