Colombia is in the running to be crowned the world's most desirable country to visit, after making the shortlist for the top prize at the 2026 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. The British travel magazine's public vote closes on 27 October 2026, with winners announced on 4 November in London during World Travel Market — one of the biggest dates on the global tourism calendar. Organisers expect more than 250,000 people to take part this year.
The shortlist pits Colombia against a genuinely global field that includes Argentina, Belize, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Egypt, Nepal, Oman and the Philippines, among others. What makes this award different from most industry gongs is that readers decide, not panels of experts. Last year's edition drew more than 208,000 voters casting over 4.8 million votes across the categories. Wanderlust, which has been going for more than 30 years, bills itself as the UK's longest-running and largest travel magazine by circulation.
It's not Colombia's first rodeo either. The country was shortlisted in the same category in 2022, when the awards split destinations between Europe and the rest of the world, and it has picked up other Wanderlust recognition over the years. Colombia's tourism promotion agency ProColombia is treating the nomination as another chance to pitch the country's nature, culture and regional travel experiences to an international audience.
The nod caps a busy year for Colombian destinations in the international press. Cartagena landed a spot on Lonely Planet's list of places to visit in 2026, the Magdalena River featured in a Travel + Leisure round-up of water-focused trips, and Medellin cropped up in recommendations from Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic and Culture Trip. On the industry side, Colombia gathered 52 nominations at the 2026 World Travel Awards for South America, spanning everything from the Las Lajas Sanctuary and Tayrona National Natural Park to Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Cali.
The recognition reflects real growth in arrivals, too. ProColombia says the country welcomed more than 23 million nonresident visitors between August 2022 and March 2026, and in 2025 it pulled in US$11.166 billion in foreign-exchange revenue from air passenger transport and travel — a 9.4% jump on 2024.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: Colombia is having a moment, and the world's travel media is catching up with what returning visitors have been saying for years. If you've been eyeing Caribbean beaches, coffee-country hills or city breaks with serious food scenes, 2026's wave of recommendations gives you plenty of starting points — and the awards shortlist is one more signal that the country belongs on the short list.
