Cartagena Reports

[QUOTE=Blingz;2630650]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.[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=UnknownGuy;2630669]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.[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=UnknownGuy;2630667]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.. [URL]https://goodwordnews.com/foreigners-discovered-seeking-sex-tourism-will-be-deported-and-declared-unwelcome-people/[/URL].[/QUOTE]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.

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

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.

[URL]https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2018/07/31/asi-eran-las-fiestas-sexuales-de-madame-la-proxeneta-de-cartagena-que-dejo-mas-de-250-victimas/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6921599/colombia-prostitution-ring-cartagena-slaves-police-raid/[/URL]

- 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.

[URL]https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombia/escandalo-en-cartagena-por-congreso-de-la-industria-pornografica-AA6525376[/URL]

[QUOTE=UnknownGuy;2630667]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.[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=MojoBandit;2630683]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.

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

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.

[URL]https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2018/07/31/asi-eran-las-fiestas-sexuales-de-madame-la-proxeneta-de-cartagena-que-dejo-mas-de-250-victimas/[/URL]

[URL]https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6921599/colombia-prostitution-ring-cartagena-slaves-police-raid/[/URL]

- 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.

[URL]https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombia/escandalo-en-cartagena-por-congreso-de-la-industria-pornografica-AA6525376[/URL][/QUOTE]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.

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.

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!

[QUOTE=UnknownGuy;2630667] 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.[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=Nypher;2630678]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.[/QUOTE]It's still 8 k-9 k for a taxi from El Laguito to Centro and 20 k from El Laguito to the airport. Their taking advantage of you for sure. You better shop around.

[QUOTE=Nypher;2630678]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.[/QUOTE]It's still 8 k-9 k for a taxi from El Laguito to Centro and 20 k from El Laguito to the airport. Their taking advantage of you for sure. You better shop around.

[QUOTE=JohnnyWishBone;2630704]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![/QUOTE]If the president wants to clean things up, the easiest area to do so will be the clock tower. If you are trying to bring in tourists with families, it is a no-brainer to clean that area up but then it gets a lot harder.

Cancun generates $20 billion a year and oil generates $10 to $15 billion for Colombia. Does Cartagena have the infrastructure Cancun does? Nah. The beaches? Nah. The fun things to do like the Xcaret parks? Nah. Las Vegas style shows? Nah. Easy 2 or 3 hours flights from Mexico and the USA? Nah. A sane Covid policy for tourists like Mexico? Nah.

Mexico cracked down on prostitution. They did not want the image of being ho to the USA sex tourist and outside of Tijuana, a big city in and of itself, the Boystown areas in the border towns like Laredo, Reynosa, and Juarez became virtual hoing ghost towns. However if you traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico City, or Monterrey inside of Mexico, you could find Western style strip clubs, escorts, and sugar babies galore and for not very much. So if you were to follow the Mexico model, that is what you should do. Keep the hos but keep them away from the families and not so out in the open.

In the Cancun area, the escort agencies have been cracked down on. Still, there are high end strip clubs. For the Mexicans, there are casas where you can get your needs met. I have been there but I had my own map and rented a car and got serviced on the cheap with no problem. Another monger went by cab. The police stopped him and told him, "The casas are not meant for you. Stick to the tourist areas."

The easy part is saying you want to be the next Cancun. The hard part is getting there. Mexico's infrastructure is miles ahead of Colombia, and you have to treat the tourists well to some degree. This president locked up his own people for 7 months, is demonizing mongers, and is requiring vaccine cards to go out to eat.

I was in Cancun when there was a huge Indian wedding. You are talking about a 100 guests and probably 50 rooms rented out at the Marriott. These are the events the president is dying to have. Could you do this in Colombia right now? Given the restrictions, my answer is not just no but hell no. And even if you could, the flights from 48 of the 50 states would be a nightmare.

It will very interesting to see if Colombia can turn itself into a tourist destination. There are some great and interesting places to see. That said, I think this president is the last one who should be trying to do it. He needs some serious training in hospitality.

[QUOTE=UnknownGuy;2630699]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.[/QUOTE]That's right it's an easy shake down. And they already shaking people down whenever they can get away with it. These things come in waves in Havana it was a little bit tricky just before Covid shut everything down, and now it's apparently wide open. I don't mean to be offensive and pointing the finger at any individual group but the sense of entitlement of these posse's rubs me the wrong way. It's the younger crowd that's doing this and it's an eye so that's for sure. Whoever is running these tours is one step away from some big trouble

[QUOTE=MongerHunger;2630822]It's still 8 k-9 k for a taxi from El Laguito to Centro and 20 k from El Laguito to the airport. Their taking advantage of you for sure. You better shop around.[/QUOTE]I usually do InDriver or Uber and its only 8 or 9 K but then we have to wait 10 minutes for the car to show up as opposed to just walking out and allot of Taxis are there waiting. Also the Taxis drive faster and more aggressively getting us there faster. The Ubers drive like its their firs time driving a car, slow and steady.

I'm 100% guilty of not wanting to wait and end up paying the gringo price, when I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go jajaja.

Walled through the plaza tonight, Police are basically keeping all girls away from there, both outside and inside. All the girls are now inside the clubs or walking around outside the clubs.

Those who know how to use the apps or have a solid list of chicas in their contacts will not be affected.

President Iváand Duque announced that foreigners involved in sexual crimes will be deported.

Those who are caught in Cartagena seeking sex tourism services will be declared "non gratas", said President Iváand Duque this Saturday, during the launch of an offensive against sexual exploitation in that city on the Colombian Caribbean coast.

"Tourist who in this country intends to fall into any of these practices, will not only be deported, but will be declared persona non grata, and of course, before the commission of any crime, the respective prosecution will proceed," said the President.

The so-called 'Christmas Security Plan' implies the arrival of 50 additional police officers and 10 of judicial investigation, who will be in charge of monitoring and prosecuting those involved in sexual crimes in Cartagena.

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Trafficking ring that recruited women under threats of witchcraft falls.

The control of piers, hotels, establishments, and especially in the Clock Tower, one of the best-known entrances to the walled city, where sexual tourism is reported from the early hours of the day, will also be strengthened.

Defense Minister Diego Molano said that three critical points were identified inside the walled city, where sex tourism has been identified and that they will be monitored by the authorities.

"This also implies a special effort with the Attorney General's Office and the Police, with the most wanted in this type of crime, in addition to a contribution from the Ministry of the Interior to strengthening the mobility of the Tourist Police in the city," he said. Defense Minister Diego Molano, who accompanied the launch of the strategy.