Investing in Colombia I
- The Caribbean
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-
colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• When one considers investing in Latin America
and investing in Colombia in particular the
famous words of Baron Rothschild come to
mind.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• This 18th century investor and banker is credited
with saying that “The time to buy [stocks] is
when there is blood in the streets.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• .” He was talking about 18th century wars and
rebellions but his words are pertinent in the
New World today.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Specifically, Colombia is coming out of a half
century long rebellion and many investors have
not yet caught on.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• This is the third of a four part series about
Investing in Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• We will deal briefly with the history of the
Colombian Civil War and then look at
investment opportunities in the Colombian
Caribbean.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

The Colombian Civil War
• The current Colombian civil war has lasted from
the mid 1960’s to the present. Rebels say they
are fighting for the rights of the Colombian poor.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The primary rebel group is FARC (Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia).
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The rebels primarily have occupied remote areas
of the jungle, especially in the Amazon Basin
with occasional forrays into the cities.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• An increasingly aggressive campaign by the
Colombian government has driven FARC from the
cities and forced them to cross borders into
Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama in search of
sanctuary.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Despite the claim that FARC simply wants to
improve the lot of poor Colombians they have
been tied to drug trafficking.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Many Colombian families can name a member
of two who were assassinated by FARC for
opposing extortion efforts by the rebels.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• On the other hand government allied
paramilitary forces fighting FARC are also
accused of drug trafficking and terrorism.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The good news is that the conflict is settling
down and Colombian Peace Talks have begun.
The time has come for investing in Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

The Caribbean Coast of Colombia
• Colombia is a nation of roughly 46million
people. Its major exports are
coffee, flowers, emeralds, coal, and oil.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• As the risk, and especially the perceived risk, of
visiting Colombia diminishes expect to see
tourism, retirement to Colombia, and purchases
of vacation homes increase in Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The most like beneficiary of the will be the
Caribbean Coast.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The Colombian ministry of tourism has
developed a new slogan, “The only danger in
Colombia is that you will not want to leave.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Foreigners are visiting Colombia again and the
“blood in the streets” is going away.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Consider Cartagena, Santa Marta, and the Island
of San Andres for investment opportunities.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

Cartagena de Indias
• Cartagena is a Spanish Colonial city with an old
fortress and beautifully restored old city on the
Caribbean coast of Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Beaches are great and the people are friendly.
The urban area boasts 900,000 people.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Cartagena has a decided Caribbean influence
and is already a tourist magnet.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Cartagena is a great place for a first visit to
Colombia and offers real investment
opportunities in real estate and business when
investing in Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

Santa Marta
• Santa Marta is a city of 400,000 farther to the
East of Cartagena, also on the Caribbean. It is
also a colonial city, founded in 1525.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• . It is a tourist Mecca for Colombians and
other Latinos with its spectacular
beaches, nearby Santa Marta
mountains, nature preserves, and colonial
architecture.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• It offers the same mix of opportunity for
investing in Colombia for tourism and real estate
related businesses as Cartagena.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• However, Santa Marta has been more
strongly affected by the armed conflict.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• On one hand this may lead to a concern about
personal danger.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• On the other hand investment opportunities will
likely multiply more strongly here than in
Cartagena.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

San Andres Island
• Although the island of San Andres is Colombia it
is a coral island in the Caribbean Sea, closer to
Nicaragua than to Colombia.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Here the concern of armed conflict fades to
nothing in the Caribbean sun.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• Although investing in Colombia in San Andres is
certainly possible, don’t expect a jump in prices
and economic activity when peace breaks out.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• The island is already peaceful!
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

The Rising Colombian Peso
• The Colombian peso has outperformed all other
currencies versus the US dollar in 2012.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• For those interested in offshore investment and
offshore banking, Colombia may well be the
place to be as its economy takes off.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/

• For more about investing in Colombia, read
Investing in Colombia I – The
Caribbean, Investing in Colombia II - Bogota, and
Investing in Colombia IV - The Amazon.
http://robertgirga.com/RobertGirga/investing-in-colombia-i-the-caribbean/