Cartagena Reports

[GrownMan1]

Look what happened to DR when they completely closed the borders during covid. The country felt the pinch of no tourism money and decided to roll the dice with covid and opened the borders back up. I'm curious to see where their focus will be after Christmas.

Colombia is not dependent on sex tourism money like the DR. Unlike the DR; the P4 P scene hasn't boomed the economy with sex tourist money within the last 12 years.

The Colombians have been patronizing themselves for years. Foreigners are Johnny come latelys . It seems no area wants to be labeled a sex tourist destination. Acceptable P4 P is organized and done with discretion. I've noticed the majority of chicas in the casas are Colombians. Most of Venezuelans work in the street.

I remember my friend and I walking the streets of Cali Colombia with a local Colombian. The Columbian couldn't understand why my friend was trying to conduct business with the SW. He said they were mostly Venezuelans and not considered safe. The Casas and bars were more discrete, safe, and socially acceptable.

I can see the Colombians targeting SW. At the clock tower I notice a mixture of families with and without children and SWs. The SWs seemed to be excepted but discretion had seemed to been taking a backseat.

[JohnnyWishBone]

There is an understandable sense of doom and gloom with the crackdown of street hookers, especially because the Clock tower square during the weekend is such a feast on the eyes. No one really knows how it is going to play out, so best just wait and see rather than try to be right and say, "I told you so".

I have my fingers crossed that it will blow over and things will get back to normal, especially in time for my return in April!

[UnknownGuy]

The one thing that I wonder about is what happens after the law goes into effect when someone calls the police for a situation. I know a lot of cops would give the gringo the shakedown, but now they can really shake someone down by saying we'll haul you away, stamp you a "unpleasant" and deport you. I see the shakedown amounts going up. The rule doesn't say what's the punishment for the colombian or vennie, if there is any.

[Brother P]

At first reading and my first research on the subject I did not think that they were going after people seeking adult prostitutes but now I am pretty sure that this is the case.

One fact that demonstrates that most Cartagena does not want sex tourism is that over 99% of apartments and hotels do not allow visitors. If they thought for one second that their business was affected by turning away sex tourist they would all allow guests to have visitors but instead this is one of the only places in the world where they overwhelmingly disallow visitiors.

The other thing that indicates that this is more serious than even I thought was a speech made by Duque where he has vowed to make tourism "el proximo petroleo para Colombia" - the next oil for Colombia. Meaning that he wants to signifiicantly increase the percentage of the economy that is made up by normal tourism and if "sex tourism" is seen as a negative toward this goal then I am afraid that era has come to an end.

While I can see where you might think that this is true that mongers should be appreciated as part of the economy and as mongers obviously have a whole different attitude toward sex trade than does the majority of people. I read an article that insinuated that research had been conducted that leads the Colombian government to believe that the reputation of the city and the country as a tourist destination for families has suffered because of its reputaion as a sex tourist site. Thus they believe that overall tourism suffers beccause of this. Over the years and even recently there have been a few high profile incidences that have made international news. The most known being the incident with the Secrect Service agent who refused to pay a hooker.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17747793

Then a couple years after that there was a huge sting with busts of foreigners coming into Cartagena to have sex with non adults. It was and continues to be seared into the brains of Colombians that most men who come to Colombia to buy sex do not do so with adults. That is the impression that was made in so many minds by this incident.

https://www.infobae.com/america/colo...-250-victimas/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/692159...s-police-raid/

- then more recently some ******* had someone filming while he had sex on a hotel balcony where everyone below could see. The video went viral. The amount of nagative attention that has been brought by idiots. Before the incident involving the Secret Service agent Colombias Tourist slogan was "Colombia is Passion". When the story hit the international news they almost immediately pulled all the ads with that slogan. Revamping a campaign that probably cost millions of dollars.

If you search Cartagena on Youtube a good portion of the videos are calling attention to the sex trade. Not Good! At all! The conservative Colombia media has taken notice of this and other things.

https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombi...fica-AA6525376

Well said! I agree 100%! This isn't going to blow over anytime soon. Maybe once the run off the YouTube dudes and groups, which I call Wolfpacks, the discreet dudes who know how to move can come back.

[Mr Enternational]

Look what happened to DR when they completely closed the borders during covid. The country felt the pinch of no tourism money and decided to roll the dice with covid and opened the borders back up.

This was not because of the few mongers that go to Sosua. This was because of the countless foreign tourists that go to the resorts in Punta Cana! Also a big difference in the economy of an island and the economy of a mainland country.

[Mojo Bandit]

Not staying that anything I said could be the sole reason, but any of them can be contributing factors. Anything can be thought of as a contributing factor.

No way can we think also that the money we spend in that city is just flushed down the toilet with the colombian country saying we don't need your stinking money. It all goes past just putting 100 K pesos into hookers pockets. It's the hotels and bars that get monger money that will be affected. It's the restaurants and shops that may see a decrease in their revenue.. https://goodwordnews.com/foreigners-...elcome-people/.

At first reading and my first research on the subject I did not think that they were going after people seeking adult prostitutes but now I am pretty sure that this is the case.

One fact that demonstrates that most Cartagena does not want sex tourism is that over 99% of apartments and hotels do not allow visitors. If they thought for one second that their business was affected by turning away sex tourist they would all allow guests to have visitors but instead this is one of the only places in the world where they overwhelmingly disallow visitiors.

The other thing that indicates that this is more serious than even I thought was a speech made by Duque where he has vowed to make tourism "el proximo petroleo para Colombia" - the next oil for Colombia. Meaning that he wants to signifiicantly increase the percentage of the economy that is made up by normal tourism and if "sex tourism" is seen as a negative toward this goal then I am afraid that era has come to an end.

While I can see where you might think that this is true that mongers should be appreciated as part of the economy and as mongers obviously have a whole different attitude toward sex trade than does the majority of people. I read an article that insinuated that research had been conducted that leads the Colombian government to believe that the reputation of the city and the country as a tourist destination for families has suffered because of its reputaion as a sex tourist site. Thus they believe that overall tourism suffers beccause of this. Over the years and even recently there have been a few high profile incidences that have made international news. The most known being the incident with the Secrect Service agent who refused to pay a hooker.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17747793

Then a couple years after that there was a huge sting with busts of foreigners coming into Cartagena to have sex with non adults. It was and continues to be seared into the brains of Colombians that most men who come to Colombia to buy sex do not do so with adults. That is the impression that was made in so many minds by this incident.

https://www.infobae.com/america/colo...-250-victimas/

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/692159...s-police-raid/

- then more recently some ******* had someone filming while he had sex on a hotel balcony where everyone below could see. The video went viral. The amount of nagative attention that has been brought by idiots. Before the incident involving the Secret Service agent Colombias Tourist slogan was "Colombia is Passion". When the story hit the international news they almost immediately pulled all the ads with that slogan. Revamping a campaign that probably cost millions of dollars.

If you search Cartagena on Youtube a good portion of the videos are calling attention to the sex trade. Not Good! At all! The conservative Colombia media has taken notice of this and other things.

https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombi...fica-AA6525376

[Nypher]

You might be good. Just keep all the numbers you had since your last trip. I wouldn't be surprised if everything moves to another area outside the walled city like Getsemani or maybe even El Laguito area.

El Laguito already have it's street walkers. Not the best looking though as many are sloppy looking. They are always outside hotel Dan and Hotel Eldorado. I'm here now and every night I have to dodge them and make my way to Centro.

Speaking of back and forth from el Laguito to Centro, cab drivers here are trying to charge 20 mil for that trip when it's usually 8 mil.

[Nypher]

It's a real shame it has come down to this smh there's this girl I was talking to whose from Cartagena and she did confirm that this is in fact true, girls have to do their business in clubs and in the side streets, not in the zone by the Clock Tower (the whole soliciting / negotiation thing that is).

Was looking forward to seeing all the girls in that area damn, big bummer for me. I would've loved to experience that oh well.

Same. One of my chicas came over today, known her since my first mongering trip here. When I showed her the article she laughed and said similar to what you say. She said "they did it because allot of chicas are being aggressive trying to solicit men even when they are with their families". So I laughed and said "at night there are no families at the clock tower" and she said "yes there are many and they don't like to see it." We had a little laugh about me becoming an unwanted visitor and getting banded but she said after Christmas in January everything will return to normal. Also they do not care about what happens in the clubs, they just don't want to see it out in the open in the plaza. So nothing to worry about if a monger knows how to do things discreetly and not always trying to make a scene with (all eyes on me) approach, those mongers can stay their asses in Sosua with that bullshit.

[UnknownGuy]

It's a real shame it has come down to this smh there's this girl I was talking to whose from Cartagena and she did confirm that this is in fact true, girls have to do their business in clubs and in the side streets, not in the zone by the Clock Tower (the whole soliciting / negotiation thing that is).

Was looking forward to seeing all the girls in that area damn, big bummer for me. I would've loved to experience that oh well.

You might be good. Just keep all the numbers you had since your last trip. I wouldn't be surprised if everything moves to another area outside the walled city like Getsemani or maybe even El Laguito area.

[UnknownGuy]

You seriously think the president of an entire country made a whole declaration because a few uneducated, unvoting, untaxpaying, broke ass street hookers complained about other street hookers or because of some holiday decorations?

There are actual law abiding citizens that do not give a fuck about your money that do not want to see this shit in their city. Do you want a bunch of hookers and tricks hanging on the corner down from your house or your city's primary landmark, or the place you and your family go get coffee or breakfast every morning?

You guys are really pompous to think you are doing the city a favor because you rent a hotel room and put a 100,000 pesos into a hooker's pocket.

Not staying that anything I said could be the sole reason, but any of them can be contributing factors. Anything can be thought of as a contributing factor.

No way can we think also that the money we spend in that city is just flushed down the toilet with the colombian country saying we don't need your stinking money. It all goes past just putting 100 K pesos into hookers pockets. It's the hotels and bars that get monger money that will be affected. It's the restaurants and shops that may see a decrease in their revenue. Even the street vendors that mongers and chicas buy cheap beer and trinkets from will feel it. Mongers taking tours and taking chicas on tours or renting boats may feel the pinch. I find it impossible to think that completely getting rid of a source of income to a country, no matter how small it may be, would not have any impact to the country. Colombian aint swimming in gold, maybe drugs, coffee and sugar but not gold. Look what happened to DR when they completely closed the borders during covid. The country felt the pinch of no tourism money and decided to roll the dice with covid and opened the borders back up. I'm curious to see where their focus will be after Christmas.

Here's another article that mention sex exploitation of minors and sex trafficking as well. https://goodwordnews.com/foreigners-...elcome-people/.

[Blingz]

You seriously think the president of an entire country made a whole declaration because a few uneducated, unvoting, untaxpaying, broke ass street hookers complained about other street hookers or because of some holiday decorations?

There are actual law abiding citizens that do not give a fuck about your money that do not want to see this shit in their city. Do you want a bunch of hookers and tricks hanging on the corner down from your house or your city's primary landmark, or the place you and your family go get coffee or breakfast every morning?

You guys are really pompous to think you are doing the city a favor because you rent a hotel room and put a 100,000 pesos into a hooker's pocket.

It's a real shame it has come down to this smh there's this girl I was talking to whose from Cartagena and she did confirm that this is in fact true, girls have to do their business in clubs and in the side streets, not in the zone by the Clock Tower (the whole soliciting / negotiation thing that is).

Was looking forward to seeing all the girls in that area damn, big bummer for me. I would've loved to experience that oh well.

[Mr Enternational]

Regarding the new law / situation, I don't see this law staying for too long. Maybe it's just there for the holiday season cause they will put up decorations in the Plaza. They prob just want give the streets a clean look. Scaring tourist, even sex tourists, will have an economic affect on the city. Now also doing this to keep money out of the street vennies hands, I understand. Colombian chicas prob complaining they loosing work to undocumented vennies, or vennies in general.

You seriously think the president of an entire country made a whole declaration because a few uneducated, unvoting, untaxpaying, broke ass street hookers complained about other street hookers or because of some holiday decorations?

There are actual law abiding citizens that do not give a fuck about your money that do not want to see this shit in their city. Do you want a bunch of hookers and tricks hanging on the corner down from your house or your city's primary landmark, or the place you and your family go get coffee or breakfast every morning?

You guys are really pompous to think you are doing the city a favor because you rent a hotel room and put a 100,000 pesos into a hooker's pocket.

[Ozu2019]

Watching YouTube and reading message boards lately on DR and Colombia, it is interesting that this hobby which was generally older or middle aged men, alone or with a few close buddies, and discreet, has now been adopted by young guys who act hard and presumably have access to girls back home. Also boggles my mind why people would want to publicize their mongering and encourage others to come ruin it.

I knew Sosua has been overrun for a while with this demographic, but when did Colombia fall victim? In 2015 it was awesome no American tourists. Is it as bad as I as reading / seeing on other boards with respect to the invasion or moronic young Americans in Colombia?

Would hate to go there and feel like I'm on Atlanta or NY or something.

Internet has been a blessing and a curse.

SMH.

[Kafka]

I don't think the large posse's from the US are the entire cause of the crackdown but that phenomenon of large groups of mongers all hanging out together taking pictures posting all the rest of the bullshit that we've all observed did not help. To my brothers who like to travel in packs this just not the right way to do it. If you want to travel in a pack go to Disneyland. If you want to man up be cool come hang out or more power to you.

[UnknownGuy]

For the vaccine card or anything you need to bring up quick, just take a screenshot and use that. No need to mess with any apps.

Regarding the new law / situation, I don't see this law staying for too long. Maybe it's just there for the holiday season cause they will put up decorations in the Plaza. I remember they had the decorations last year with fewer people in the Plaza cause of covid and curfews. I don't think they will bother the clubs with the new law. They prob just want give the streets a clean look. Scaring tourist, even sex tourists, will have an economic affect on the city. Now also doing this to keep money out of the street vennies hands, I understand. Colombian chicas prob complaining they loosing work to undocumented vennies, or vennies in general.

And what does the new designation do in the long run? Are you no longer allowed back in the country forever? Suspended for a brief period? Won't know till someone gets it and I know just the group that will and where it'll be posted when they get it.