Colombia’s country image from the foreign perspective

© 2015 CSIC.Colombia is a country with a negative historical positioning in international markets. Despite efforts by governments and influencers to improve its image, the perception of foreigners remains polarized, being associated with coffee and drug trafficking. This article is the result of a qualitative research conducted on foreign visitors from eight countries in the Americas with the largest number of visitors to Colombia in 2013: The United States, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Chile. The study found that the image of Colombia is not one-dimensional, but multidimensional. It identifies five dimensions that influence country image: knowledge of the country, the industrial orientation, visitor attitudes, perceptions of prospects and preferences and finally interests associated with its image.