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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBO #2091/01 1621853
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101853Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3112
INFO RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0519
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 6253
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ JUN QUITO 6925
RUEHZP/AMEMBASSY PANAMA 1831
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8230
RUEHMU/AMEMBASSY MANAGUA 2268

UNCLAS BOGOTA 002091 

SIPDIS 

E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SOCI EAIR EFIS EAGR PBTS SENV SNAR TINT
CO 
SUBJECT: SAN ANDRES: COLOMBIA'S CARIBBEAN PARADISE BANKS ON 
TOURISM 

REF: 07 BOGOTA 8592 

¶1.  SUMMARY:  San Andres, Colombia's Caribbean island 
paradise, makes a living on tourists who come for the sun, 
sand, surf and shopping.  The island hosts over a thousand 
visitors daily and looks to increase the number with 
increased domestic visibility, a new convention center, 
five-star hotel, and a renovated airport.  With the 
territorial dispute with Nicaragua all but resolved, the 
small Colombian outpost is now turning its attention to the 
complexities shared widely by its island neighbors, including 
tension between locals and mainlanders, unemployment and 
crime.  END SUMMARY 

Pirates of the Caribbean 
------------------------ 

¶2.  (SBU)  Located almost 500 miles from mainland Colombia, 
but only 150 miles off the Nicaraguan coast, the 15 square 
mile island of San Andres with 90,000 inhabitants serves as 
the capital for Colombia's San Andres and Providencia
Department.  Governor Pedro Gallardo Forbes told econoff that 
San Andres is now undeniably part of Colombia since the 2007 
decision by the International Court of Justice means the end 
of Nicaraguan claims to the islands of San Andres and 
Providencia, although the ownership of some smaller islands 
in the archipelago and the precise maritime border remain 
uncertain.  He also called the idea floated by some locals 
that the Department should try to become an independent 
country "a fantasy." 

¶3.  Native San Andrean "Raizales" call their island 
"blessed," pointing to its' pristine beaches, large coral 
reef and near-perfect weather.  Chamber of Commerce President 
Larry Zogby, however, called the island's duty free port 
status something of a mixed blessing.  While it permits 
inexpensive imports on twice-weekly boats from Miami and 
Panama, the island now has so many cars that many complain of 
traffic jams.  Governor Gallardo recently banned the import 
of new vehicles unless the owner can show they destroyed 
their old one. 

¶4.  No official definition of "Raizales" exists, but it 
commonly refers to those who have lived in the islands for 
multiple generations, come from a mixed 
Afro-Caribbean/European heritage, often have English 
surnames, and speak English as a first language (although the 
influx of mainlanders in recent years means that Spanish has 
become more prevalent).  Raizales proudly point to "Henry 
Morgan's Cave" as proof of their buccaneer background.
Locals note that smuggling duty-free U.S. electronics and 
appliances from San Andres to the mainland, which constituted 
one of the main sources of income until the early 1990s, 
simply represented a continuation of their pirate heritage. 

Tourism, Tourism, Tourism 
------------------------- 

¶5.  (SBU) Zogby described the island's future as "tourism, 
tourism, tourism."  He noted that the number of visitors 
increased by over 30 percent between 2001 to 2007, from 
315,000 to 420,000.Zogby said tourism now employs virtually 
the entire private sector workforce.  While some tourists 
still come for the shopping, as attested to by dozens of 
duty-free perfume and liquor stores along the new mile-long 
boardwalk, Zogby called sand, sun, and surf the main 
attractions.  He noted that the number of tourist related 
businesses increased over the past few years, and expects the 
trend to continue.  UNESCO's designation of San Andres as a 
Biosphere Reserve in 2000 boosted tourism by raising the 
island's international profile, and Zogby expects the 
island's domestic visibility to get a similar bump when it 
hosts the national baseball, soccer and basketball 
championships this November in a new, USD 3 million, sports 
center.  He added that the anticipated USD 12 million fiber 
optic sub-sea cable from Nicaragua, which should be 
functioning in 2009, will increase connectivity for the 
island's businesses and reduce internet costs by 70 percent. 

¶6.  (SBU)  Department Minister of Planning Claudia Cifuentes
acknowledged tourism's importance, but warned it had to be 
balanced against environmental protection.  Cifuentes said a 
15-year court-ordered building moratorium based on 
insufficient water, electricity and sewage infrastructure, 

could soon be lifted since public facilities are now in much 
better condition.  However, without the moratorium Cifuentes
said the government would probably maintain a ban on new 
construction within 100 feet of the shore.  She added that 
with 7,500 available hotel rooms, the government looks to 
improve the quality of new facilities rather than simply 
build more rooms.  She pointed to a plan to build a USD 6 
million convention center and adjoining five-star hotel 
within the next year as the type of development the 
government hopes to promote. 

¶7.  Airport General Manager Ramon Emiliani told econoff that 
25 percent of the tourists who visited San Andres in 2007 
were from outside Colombia.  Emiliani expects overall growth 
to continue at 5-10 percent annually, and at a greater clip 
for international visitors, many who travel to the less 
developed island of Providencia.  Twice weekly charter 
flights from Montreal and Toronto bring Canadian visitors 
during the winter season, and Emiliani expressed hope that 
U.S. carriers may take advantage of the opportunity for 
direct charter flights under the new U.S.-Colombia civil 
aviation agreement (reftel).  Emiliani said the airport will 
undergo a USD 45 million renovation over the next five years 
which will improve baggage handling and expand the runway and 
terminal building. 

Trouble in Paradise?
-------------------- 

¶8.  (SBU)  Governor Gallardo described San Andres' three 
biggest problems as: 1) tension with mainlanders who move to 
the island for work; 2) crime; and 3) unemployment.  Gallardo 
said the 90,000 islanders divide evenly among three groups: 
1) Raizales; 2) Residents born in San Andres but with 
mainland parents; and 3) mainlanders recently arrived seeking 
employment.  While Raizales and residents generally get along 
well, Gallardo said both groups sometimes resent newcomers 
who work for low salaries, care less about maintaining the 
environment, and are more likely to get into trouble. 
Newcomers cannot, at least in theory, obtain a residency 
permit to work unless their job has been certified as 
critical.  Gallardo admitted that the government has been lax 
in enforcing this law. The fact that outsiders own most large 
hotels exacerbates the tension. 

¶9.  (SBU)  Gallardo called unemployment, estimated at 30 
percent, a chronic problem.  He said Raizales constituted the 
bulk of the unemployed, particularly artisanal fishermen. 
Department Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Marcos 
Robinson noted that San Andres used to export fish, lobster, 
and conch, but that overfishing and rising fuel costs 
collapsed the industry.  Robinson blamed overfishing mainly 
on illegal poachers from other countries.  Governor Gallardo 
said he hopes to develop a "Marine Guardians" program to help 
protect the Department's territorial waters (the boundaries 
of which were not resolved by the International Court of 
Justice decision) and employ out-of-work fishermen.  Robinson 
also noted that while San Andres historically exported fruits 
and vegetables, they now import for local consumption and the 
tourist market with shipping costs typically doubling costs. 
Robinson hopes to expand agricultural production, 
particularly of tropical fruits such as pineapple, papaya, 
mangos and bananas, to help meet tourist demand and boost 
employment. 

¶10.  (SBU)  Gallardo said petty crime and delinquent gangs 
were on the rise, and blamed unemployment and drugs.  While 
petty crime has not yet affected tourism, Gallardo worried 
that it could.  Gallardo has partnered with the national 
government's social agency, Accion Social, to develop 
rehabilitation programs for delinquents.  Admiral Henry 
Blain, Commander of the Department's naval forces, described 
San Andres as a transit point for narcotics.  He said boats 
carrying drugs from Colombia sometimes rendezvous on the high 
seas with locals who supply them with fuel in exchange for 
cash or drugs.  Blain believes his forces detection and 
interception abilities have improved, but said patrolling the 
Department's 100,000 square miles of territorial waters 
remains a challenge. 
BROWNFIELD