Colombia. The Hotel and Tourism Association of Colombia – Cotelco, confirmed José Andrés Duarte García as its new national executive president.

The president of Cotelco Nacional is a professional in Government and International Relations from the Externado de Colombia University and has a Specialization in Public Opinion and Political Marketing from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. In 2015 he graduated as a Master in Development Policy in Seoul, South Korea, from Korean Development Institute - Korean Development Institute, School of Public Policy and Management.

He comes to the Association after holding the position of Executive Director in the National Association of Industrialists (ANDI), Chamber of the Beverage Industry. Among its functions is to implement initiatives that promote growth, sustainability, innovation and competitiveness of the sector.

Among his important contributions to the economy and tourism in Colombia, he worked in 2020 as a Short Term Consultant of the World Bank, where he designed a roadmap for the economic development of Norte de Santander and Cúcuta, prioritizing regional and impact projects, hand in hand with local and national actors.

From 2018 to 2019 he was Secretary of Dispatch in the District Secretariat of Economic Development of Bogotá. There he was in charge of leading the policies of the economic, trade and tourism sector of Bogotá. Under his direction, the Implementation of the Innovation, Technology and Creative Industries Fund of Bogotá for culturally and technologically based enterprises and MSMEs was launched, along with the design and approval of the Public Policy of CTeI elevated to District Conpes. He designed and executed policies to promote competitiveness, science, technology and innovation of companies and enterprises, as well as the internationalization of the capital.

Between 2017 and 2019 he worked at the District Tourism Institute of Bogotá. During the three years as Director General he was in charge of designing and executing policies, plans and programs that sought to promote the tourism industry in the city. He also promoted tourism business development and the positioning of Bogotá as a destination nationally and internationally.

When José Andrés Duarte served as Deputy Director of Promotion and Marketing at the District Institute of Tourism of Bogotá, in 2016 to 2017, he managed to locate the city as an unmissable tourist destination, through different strategies of 'city marketing', city brand and the articulation of national public actors and private actors.

He has also served as a professor at the Externado de Colombia University, in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Finance, Government and International Relations and as a teaching assistant at the KDI – Korean Institute of Development, School of Public Policy and Management.

José Andrés Duarte worked as Regional Manager of Tourism Competitiveness in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, the Vice Ministry of Tourism and the Group of Planning and Sustainable Development of tourism; from 2010 to 2012 he was in charge of implementing the Strategic Plan of the Ministry, the components of the National Development Plan and the Regional Competitiveness Agreements, supporting the regions headed by their mayors, governors, local Chambers of Commerce and guilds for the better articulation and implementation of policies at the local level.

Between 2007 and 2010 José Andrés Duarte worked at the IRI - International Republican Institute as Official Program Manager for Colombia. He led the Good Governance Internship Program that promoted the fight against corruption, encouraging transparency, citizen participation, modernization and efficiency in public administration, in order to strengthen democracy at the institutional level.

Finally, he has stood out for his thirst for knowledge to nurture his personal and professional life. Over the years, learning has become important to him. José Andrés Duarte learned English in 2005 at the London Study Center; in 2006 he studied French at the Foreign Language Center of Buenos Aires in Argentina, and at Keimyung University Daegu, South Korea he delved into Korean.

Source: Cotelco.