Santa Marta tourism expansion

In early July 2026, Santa Marta inaugurated the week‑long Fiesta del Mar to celebrate the city’s 501st anniversary. The municipal government declared multiple civic holidays and implemented security, mobility and public‑space measures to accommodate the influx of visitors. The program featured national and regional musicians, gospel concerts, accordion and vallenato shows, nautical competitions, folk parades, gastronomy fairs and entrepreneurship exhibitions, aiming to raise the city’s profile as an international cultural destination.

Later that month, attention turned to a large‑scale tourism megaproject. Grupo AR’s Playa Santúa development, which combines premium residential towers, a convention centre with a 1,200‑person auditorium and Colombia’s first Marriott‑branded residences, was reported as progressing toward a September 2024 launch, with about 80 % of units already sold. The project reflects the broader surge in Colombian tourism – over six million visitors in 2025 and a record US$9.4 billion in spend – and a dramatic rise in short‑stay rental units, which have multiplied 635 % since the pandemic. Together, the festival and the megaproject illustrate Santa Marta’s strategy of pairing cultural events with major infrastructure to fuel tourism growth and economic development.