According to the mayor of Cali, all expectations were exceeded.
Tourist Kensaku Nishihara, who wore a T-shirt that reads «Save the Planet» in English, is fascinated and respectful of the environment. He lives in the middle of nature by the Naka and Edo rivers. His city, Misato, is part of Saitama prefecture on the island of Honshu, the largest and most populated in the Asian country.
From there, he traveled for more than 24 hours to cover the 14,000 kilometers to reach Cali, the city of COP16, which ends on November 1 and hosts delegations from 196 countries.
He explains that the Conference of the Parties or COP, in its 16th edition, was the reason why he decided to get on that plane to travel for more than a day and a half, with the intention of reaching the so-called Branch of Heaven. “I had never been here. The city looks nice. I like the food and, above all, the people. The people of Cali are very friendly,” he says with a big smile.
This environmentalist loves to walk and knows that even though he doesn’t know the city, he doesn’t get lost on his way to the Green Zone at the summit. He says that the people of Cali know how to guide him. The foreigner is amazed by the proximity of the Cali River that runs along the Green Zone to the Bulevar del Río, the connector between the north and the center of the capital of Valle del Cauca.
Europeans love to dance salsa and it has arrived in the capital of this genre
He arrived two weeks ago from London, where he works as a journalist, researcher and consultant on natural resources issues. He is the Englishman Richard Kent, who was in Cali 14 years ago. He says that at that time he was 22 years old when the Englishman with light eyes and hair was in the capital of Valle del Cauca. “Cali changed my life, I had the best times,” says Richard. He does so with a tone of nostalgia when he says: “I started dancing salsa and now that I’m back I’ve gone back to the same schools,” he says.
On this return came memories of the neighborhood that welcomed him a decade ago in the traditional San Antonio neighborhood, one of the oldest and, currently, most cultural in Cali. Richard does not forget walking the streets up that hill, where the historic chapel is located.
Cali has grown. This has improved a lot because of the Boulevard. This growth is interesting. Before, it was not possible to walk here. But he stresses that there is a lack of bicycle lanes, so, in terms of mobility, this capital is still not as the citizens would like.
He also points out that before, «it was not easy to find food from the Valley and the Pacific. Now, there are more gastronomic places; the fashion of viche has returned and there are typical restaurants.»
The London-based journalist also highlights another change during his visit to Cali. He refers to the cat-shaped sculptures on the Bulevar del Río. “These cats (the cat brides of Gato de Tejada, by the master Hernando Tejada, in the west. The cats were on the other side of the Cali River. They migrated here (on the Bulevar). This area is more developed.
Meanwhile, indigenous woman Valeria Pakarati walks through the Green Zone (Bulevar del Río) and the Blue Zone (Valle del Pacífico Events Center) at COP16, wearing a wreath of flowers on her head.
Valeria arrived in Cali a week ago, coming from one of the most remote islands on the planet: Pascua or Rapanui, under the laws of Chile, «Four thousand kilometers is the most
“We have it close by. We don’t produce waste, but it reaches us from all over the world through ocean currents,” adds the Rapanui indigenous woman.
The goal was exceeded
The expectations in the tourism sector were met. Cali exceeded the 12,000 visitors expected for COP16. The figures range from 39,000 visitors, including those staying in hotels, hostels and even properties on the Airbnb platform. There are also suitable motels, including Deseos.
The mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, is pleased with this situation, considering that only in the Green Zone, where the Bolívar promenade, the Bulevar del Rio, the Ortiz bridge and the Las Piedras park are located, next to the Municipal Administrative Center (CAM), more than 227,000 people have circulated.
According to Situr Valle del Cauca, COP16 attracted 15,237 tourists and another 23,600 are visitors who have not stayed in the city. The Mayor’s Office also reported that between October 21 and 24, daily participation was notable, reaching its highest peak on October 24, when 80,541 visitors arrived in the Green Zone.
The diversity of attendees «highlights the inclusive nature of the Green Zone, with 110,811 men, 106,707 women, 1,060 intergender people and a significant participation of boys and girls, with 4,525 and 3,984, respectively,» the Administration indicated.
Hourly attendance also shows key moments in the event with peaks of up to 11,712 people per hour on October 24.
Attendance was overwhelming in this area of citizen participation alone, with an academic agenda or daily conferences, as well as with activities of the ‘Franja Multicolor’, promoting social inclusion or cultural activities. «Cali is representing all of Colombia. We are proud,» said Eder.
