Taking to the Skies: Satena Announces New Routes from Popayán to Guapi and Timbiquí Starting September 23
Satena Returns to Guillermo León Valencia Airport in Popayán
With the new air routes, Caucano will be able to enjoy gastronomy, culture, biodiversity and see humpback whales on the Pacific Coast.
Through efforts made by the Cauca Chamber of Commerce and by unions in the tourism sector, the state airline Satena announced in recent days that it will start flying the routes Popayán / Timbiquí, Popayán / Guapi and vice versa, from September 23 at affordable rates, in addition to the opportunity in cargo business. The routes are agreed for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Satena, being the only state airline, has the obligation, according to its mission, to be present in regions where no other operator reaches due to geographical circumstances, public order and poverty.
About the New Air Service
About this new air service that will connect the Caucanos with their Pacific Coast, The Bell spoke with Satena’s commercial agent and operator in Popayán, Andrés Steven Paz Mancilla and Jaqueline López, commercial manager of the travel and tourism agency Fusiones JR, and leader of the tourism and peace strategy since 2017, for the Vice-Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
Interview with Andrés Steven Paz Mancilla
LC Satena returns to Guillermo León Valencia airport in Popayán, tell us, what is the reason for that decision?
ASPM. Mainly, to the requests of the Cauca Chamber of Commerce and other unions in the department. This is happening within the framework of Satena’s connectivity with all regions, especially with the most remote ones of the Nation.
LC What opportunities did the company see and what are Cauca’s strengths for Satena?
ASPM. Satena saw a very interesting opportunity to connect the Pacific Coast of Cauca with the center of the country, such as Medellín, and is reviewing Bogotá; There is good potential, because many officials and ordinary people do not have a way to communicate with this part of the department, there are even Caucano who do not know its peaceful coast and the purpose is to be able to connect them with tourism, with business and labor aspects as well.
Interview with Jaqueline López
For her part, Jaqueline López, commercial manager of the travel and tourism agency Fusiones JR, and leader of the tourism and peace strategy since 2017, for the Vice Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Satena has been a friendly airline for Colombians, always open so that people can fly no matter where they are, which, in the case of Cauca, will allow more connectivity with sectors and destinations.
This tourism businesswoman highlights the fact that Cauca is unique due to its cultural and natural diversity that foreigners seek in this region, which does not have mass tourism, but rather experiences, which is why Cauca and Popayán, with Unesco recognition, stand out in the international arena.
He added that the direct connection of Satena to our Pacific Coast will allow the arrival of commercial and gastronomic products, such as seafood and sins, the same ones that are marketed in the Middle East and will be on the tables of the Payanese people.
It elevates Pacific Coast gastronomy. “Connecting directly with Guapi, the island of science with a wonder of flavors, knowledge, experiences and Afro-communities, allows us to have a different vision of our territory. Foreigners love these types of destinations, because they are new, unique, but unfortunately those who live inside Colombia know the Gorgona for what it was, a prison, but they are not knows all the work done by the National Natural Parks. , the travel agencies, the guides and the communities that are immersed in Guapi, because La Gorgona belongs to the municipality of Guapi. In this paradisiacal destination, they try as much as possible for people to see the universality and uniqueness of the Gorgon, which, together with Malpelo, are the only Colombian islands in the Pacific Ocean. For tourists, sailing in these waters is unparalleled, as is the wonderful sight of seeing humpback whales, which arrive from Antarctica, between July and November and sometimes in September.
In December, La Purísima festivities are celebrated in Guapi, with boats harnessed and beautifully lit so that visitors can board them and enjoy the music of the jungle piano, such as the marimba, an instrument recognized worldwide through the Petronio Álvarez festival, where the famous Caucasian violinists from Patía and northern Cauca, such as Santander de Quilichao, also play with their incomparable melody.