For Medellín businesses
Who is coming to Medellín
International demand in Medellín set a record in 2025, many visitors stay for weeks, and almost half of what nonresident foreigners spend by card in the city is spent in El Poblado. These are the public figures we use when we talk with local businesses about who is arriving and what they spend.
Updated September 2026.
1.2 million
Nonresident foreign visitors who entered Medellín through José María Córdova airport in 2025, a record and 11.7% more than in 2024.
Source: El Colombiano, February 7, 2026
44.5%
Share of card spending by nonresident foreigners in Medellín that happened in El Poblado in the first half of 2026, about COP 776.6 billion.
US$187 million
Spent by foreign visitors with cards in Medellín from January to June 2026, second only to Bogotá.
Source: Anato, reported by El Colombiano, September 18, 2026
310,517
Travelers from the United States who came to Medellín in 2025, the largest group, followed by Panama with 152,373.
38.7%
Growth in foreign card spending in Envigado in the first half of 2026. Rionegro grew 19.3%.
24,384
International patients treated by Medellín clinics and hospitals in 2025, up from 23,323 in 2024.
Source: Cluster Medellín Health City, reported by El Tiempo, September 10, 2026
Where the demand is
El Poblado is where international visitors spend the most and where most people in our network stay. Laureles is the other area many longer stay visitors choose: its hotels were 61.4% full in the first half of 2026, slightly above El Poblado at 60.7%. Envigado, just south of El Poblado, had the fastest growth in foreign card spending.
Visitors are choosing more carefully
Hotel occupancy in Medellín averaged 59.0% in the first half of 2026, 6.6 points lower than a year earlier, and the Alcaldía linked part of the drop to the World Cup in North America drawing international travel away at the end of the semester. When visitors have more options, a direct introduction from someone they trust matters more.
What this means for your business
International visitors arrive in Medellín ready to spend and often without anyone to ask for a recommendation. Most of them stay in El Poblado, and many stay for weeks. When someone in our network asks for something you do well, we introduce them to you directly.
If your business serves international clients well, tell us about it.
Tell us who you want to meet
One message on WhatsApp. We reply within the hour.