COP16: Hotel occupancy rates in Cali soar for the summit, where are the available rooms?

At least 12,000 people will arrive in Cali for COP16 and there are high expectations in the tourism sector.

The city already has experience with this type of international event. In 2013, 2,174 tourists from around the world came to the capital of Valle del Cauca for the World Games, in addition to the 11,250 national tourists, according to an economic impact study by the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali. According to the study, an average visitor spent 1.8 million pesos on hotels, transportation and local commerce.

COP16 will have an economic impact of nearly 21 million dollars (87 billion pesos)," according to the city's Economic Development Secretariat. If other sectors were added, such as gastronomy, culture, trade and transportation, the total impact would be 19 million dollars and 3,770 additional people would have to be hired, according to the department. As a result, this region of the country is optimistic about the economic boost.

According to the Valle branch of the Colombian Hotel and Tourism Association (Cotelco), Cali has 15,000 rooms with more than 20,000 beds. And in neighboring cities that are part of the metropolitan area, such as Palmira, there are 141 establishments with 989 rooms and 1,970 beds. According to the unit, today there is a lodging muscle in more than 1,800 places, including hotels and hostels.

But with less than two months to go before the biodiversity summit, concerns have been raised about room availability and cost overruns.

Last month, Minister Susana Muhamad said: "The Superintendency is keeping a watchful eye. A relative control of prices has been achieved, but we will be vigilant in this pre-COP season and during the summit to ensure that there are no excessive prices.

Now the controversy has flared up because Cali's ombudsman, Gerardo Mendoza, has said that his team will begin working as mediators in different areas of the city to ensure that no one is affected.

“The ombudsman's office has received several complaints from people who want to participate in the COP16 season, but there are two factors that have visitors worried: the lack of hotel supply and the cost overruns. This has had a serious impact on people and tourism, which means we must carry out inspection, monitoring, control and measurement operations," said Castrillón.

According to the complaints, several hotel prices for the days of COP16 are said to be over 100 percent of the original average price. The ombudsman said his office had received at least three complaints about high prices and lack of availability.

"These actions are in addition to those carried out by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), where 32 hotels in Cali have been investigated for possible abuses in accommodation prices in the run-up to COP16," said the Ombudsman.

“If there is a citizen who feels that his or her economy has been affected by possible cost overruns in the construction or purchase of hotel services, he or she can go to the Personería de Cali, in front of the bay, where there is a delegate ombudsman at the service of citizens who will guide them through the complaint process," he added.

In response to this unease, the president of Cotelco Valle, Óscar Guzmán, issued a statement pointing out that three complaints out of a possible 12,000 visitors to the COP is a very small percentage (0.025% of the expected number of COP16 participants). The executive pointed out that "first you have to talk with data”.

He added that in of prices, the average hotel cost in Cali is between 100 and 147 dollars. “Two years ago, at COP15, in Quebec and Montreal, Canada, the average was 247 dollars".

In addition, he said, there are only 13 hotels with 100 rooms, which is different from Bogotá, where there are about 80 hotels with the same number of rooms.

He assured that these prices have increased normally because there are more people employed, including those who know English or another language to communicate with visitors.

EL TIEMPO interviewed hotels in the north and west of Cali. Among the best known is the Dann Carlton, whose rooms are fully booked for COP16. The cost per room is 380,000 pesos (US$90.93), a similar price to the Torre de Cali Plaza Hotel. For these dates, the cost per room is 360,000 pesos ($86.15), but there is no availability. They are already booked. Prices at other hotels in these areas are similar.

According to their websites, there is also no availability at the Movich Casa del Alférez or the Royal Elim International Hotel on the road to the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport.

According to the president of Cotelco Valle, COP16 has already had a positive impact, with rooms already booked in hotels in the north and west of Cali. However, he mentioned that there are options in hotels in the south.

He also explained that there are options in other neighboring communities, such as Palmira, with Rozo, "Buga, which has a good offer," as well as Yumbo, through Dapa and Jamundí. Together, these communities would have between 1,500 and 1,700 rooms.

“Why are they questioning Cali when they should be showing that the Valle has one of the best road networks? From Yumbo to the COP16 site it takes 10 minutes. From Buga to Palmira, 40 minutes. The road network works for us" said the president of Cotelco Valle.

Cotelco reports: “There is no doubt that events like COP16 bring economic and social benefits to host cities. According to the latest reports, it is expected to contribute 85 percentage points to the city's hotel occupancy. This figure reflects the high level of interest and demand generated by the conference in the city. In addition, other types of accommodation will also experience a significant increase, contributing 35 percentage points to the occupancy, which means that the city will reach 93 percent in the context of COP16". They added that "in of revenue generated, hotels are expected to generate $13.1 million and accommodation services $1.4 million". In other words, the city is expected to earn about $14.5 million.

In addition, the total expected revenue generated by tourism would amount to $29.7 million, underscoring the economic potential and importance of the Summit.

In general , the impact that the city could have can be divided into three moments: before, during and after the event. In the first, "Cali would experience an increase in investment in infrastructure and services, with significant improvements in accommodation, transportation and other public services to adequately prepare for the event. This period would also generate temporary jobs in various sectors, from construction to services, boosting the local economy," the organization says.

In addition, the city would gain international visibility, attracting the attention of the media and potential tourists, and boosting the pride of residents.

According to Cotelco, the influx of delegates, journalists and tourists during the event would increase demand for local services, benefiting hotels, restaurants and transportation.

Before the situation, the Personería of Cali reported that there are not only three complaints that have reached the entity, but there are 32 more at the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce.

“The inspections were prompted by numerous complaints about the high cost of services and are aimed at ing compliance with the legal regime of free competition and consumer rights, as well as ensuring compliance with the technical regulations established for the sector," Rusinque said mid-year.

CAROLINA BOHÓRQUEZ

EL TIEMPO correspondent

Cali