By Elizabeth Samson and Anthony Stovall
History BA Students at Cal State East Bay
With warm tropical weather all year round, coffee brewed from the highest quality beans, and a rich and diverse ecosystem, there are plenty of reasons to visit Colombia. Despite the natural beauty and vibrant culture found in Colombia, not everyone who visits is there to take in the typical tourist sites. Rather than the magical scenery in Disney’s Encanto, it is the legacy of the Cocaine King himself, Pablo Escobar (and, of course, cocaine) that attracts visitors. These people are drug tourists– “narco tourists.” They are drawn by the allure of restricted substances, a new environment, and the party scene.
The city of Escobar’s death in 1993, Medellín, is especially popular among narco tourists. Of course, during Escobar’s reign over the Medellín Cartel, the city was far from safe for tourists. In 1991, for instance, over 1,200 murders had taken place in the first two months of the year due to drug gang rivalries, cartel wars, vigilantes, and personal vendettas. Violence in the city only started to trickle down after Escobar was shot and killed while trying to escape police in a rooftop chase on December 2, 1993. Since his death, Medellín has made wonderful strides towards peace and industry in its streets. Rather than the “city of eternal violence,” the city now embodies its colloquial name of the “city of eternal spring.” Compared to Colombia as a whole, with 26 homicides for every 100,000 citizens, Medellín's homicide rate is less than half, with 12.7 per 100,000 citizens.
But when and how did Colombia and Medellín become such a hotspot for tourism? In 2013, Medellín was voted “the most innovative city in the world” by the Wall Street Journal, but that declaration only increased tourist numbers from approximately 1,850,000 in 2012 to about 2,030,000 in 2013. The greatest surge in tourism numbers happened during the course of 2014 to 2015. 2014 saw a slight increase in tourist numbers from 2013, but 2015 saw a massive jump to nearly 3,400,000 tourists. Sources like the Los Angeles Times credit this massive increase to the 2015-2016 Netflix series Narcos which sensationalizes Escobar’s narcoterrorism. Because of the show’s success, much like how someone would go to New Zealand to experience a Lord of the Rings tour, fans of the show flocked to Medellín to experience the setting of Narcos.
Narco tourists’ obsession with the notorious drug lord leads them to seek out places where Escobar’s presence lingers most. While they may partake in a classic Medellín breakfast and cup of joe, they also visit some of the most influential places of his drug empire. Popular destinations include Barrio Pablo Escobar, a sector of the city where Escobar built homes for hundreds of poor residents; safe houses turned museums; La Catedral, his personal prison; his luxury mansion; and his grave at Montesacro cemetery. In fact, some tourist vehicles show off various Escobar documentaries while scooting the customers along for an audio-visual type of tour.
But how does one find these narco tours anyway, and why has narco tourism become a part of the accepted tourism scene? Do the people of Medellín like these kinds of visitors? Answering the first question was quite easy: if you just look up “narco tour Columbia,” you will see sites like Viator, Get Your Guide, Trip Advisor, and Medellín City Tours advertising Escobar’s legacy. The lowest price listed was only $30 per person. Second, much like how Escobar raked in big money in Medellín during his life, Escobar’s name continues to be a source of revenue for the Colombian economy (Bates 2019).
The people of Medellín are split about these narco tours. The people who favor these tours, often tour guides themselves, support this trend. Or at least they support the money that these narco tours bring in. Some even have fond memories of Escobar or the contributions he made to Medellín. For example, one tour guide, John Echeverry, featured in a 2013 Slate article, often tells about the time he was invited to Escobar's private retreat and how the entire experience was like going to Disneyland.
That Slate article notes that those from the poor barrios, notably from Barrio Pablo Escobar, love him; whereas the victims and their loved ones, hate him. To the victims, these tours reopen wounds. Escobar’s reign of terror is as much a part of Colombia’s history as anything else. Yet, understandably, Colombians would rather have their country known for its beauty than its cocaine.
Even some tour guides who benefit from this sordid economy have qualms about their line of work. One anonymous guide mentioned how cheap cocaine is in Colombia and how one time, an irresponsible tourist left behind a bag that the guide’s five-year-old daughter found in his back seat. Yes, it brings money, but at the cost of Colombia being best known for its darker, crime-ridden past.
Realistically though, it would be nigh impossible to completely remove narco tourists from Medellín. In recent years, moves have been made to fold the voices of those affected by Escobar into the robust tourism economy. The city opened the Museo Casa de la Memoria (House of Memory Museum) in 2015 to the public as a museum dedicated to telling the stories of the victims so that tourists can understand the whole picture of Escobar’s career built on drugs and violence. Directed by Jairo Herrán Vargas, this space is
“a house for dialogue and discovery to understand what happened and is happening in our society, to rediscover hope and think about future possibilities.”
Medellín should be known for more than Escobar and narco tourism; it is the “city of Innovation” and the “city of eternal spring.”
Looking back at Colombia's past shows how narco tourism has blossomed into this large economic enterprise. We feel that because many face financial struggles in the Medellín area, they have no choice but to participate and reap the financial benefits of narco tourism, even if it means doing something that is unpopular or socially wrong. Voyeur tourists are inevitable in any location, but those visiting Medellín for Escobar and the cartel should learn about the victims and bodies that paved the way to their favorite drug lord’s success. The tours should not be done away with entirely, but to understand Colombia and Escobar, tourists need to learn about the history of violence and blood in Medellín’s now peaceful streets.
Bibliography
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“Medllin: The Real Pablo Escobar Tour. ” Get Your Guide. Accessed April 4, 2023. https://www.getyourguide.com/medellin-l1215/medellin-the-real-pablo-escobar-tour-t295225/
McDonnell, Patrick J. “Pablo Escobar’s legacy is an ‘open wound’ in Medellin. But tourists can’t get enough of it.” Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2022. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-10/medellin-colombia-from-murder-capital-to-growing-tourist-draw.
Seminara, Dave. “Adventures in Narco-Tourism.” CrimeReads, December 9, 2019. https://crimereads.com/adventures-in-narco-tourism/.
“Visitantes no residentes.” Ministerio de Comercio Industria y Turismo. Last modified March 27, 2023. https://portucolombia.mincit.gov.co/tematicas/visitantes-no-residentes.
“What is Drug Tourism?” Gateway Foundation. Accessed April 4, 2023. gatewayfoundation.org/addiction-blog/drug-tourism/#drug.
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