In Colombia, as in many Latin American countries, the initial stages of tourism growth have been due to a spontaneous, poorly planned and based on a weak conception of the integral development of activity. The effects of spontaneous development are well known and have had dire consequences for some areas intensively used and consumed by tourism. With suspicious frequency models have been applied and mistakes have been made without this having led to the development's own responses. In this analysis we will make a tour of the recent applications of approaches and guidelines for tourism development in the country, emphasizing the changing scenario of the last decade and the results of various kinds made so far. The country has begun a process of learning in this area and the results are varied. Understanding the development of tourism as a complex process, it is necessary to make a conceptual clarification on it and then analyze the various cases - successes consolidated results for, explore new options and troubling situations - throwing several lessons. This is not to classify Manichean good and bad but to interpret the trends of what has been seen in recent years and a glimpse of what lies ahead for each of the regions, the results speak for themselves.