Pablo Escobar's Life: Now a $40 Tourist Draw

Medellin travel agency offers controversial tours on late drug lord
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 13, 2011 1:36 PM CDT
Pablo Escobar's Life: Now a $40 Tourist Draw
In this 1983 photo, Medellin drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar, left, watches a soccer game in Medellin, Colombia.   (AP Photo, File)

Pablo Escobar has made the transition in death from feared drug lord to Disney-esque tourist attraction. Visitors to Medellin, Colombia, can now shell out $40 for a three-hour tour of Escobar's favorite haunts when he ruled the city in the 1980s, reports the Guardian. The tour includes a stop at the building where police fatally gunned him down in 1993—"You can go inside to see for yourself how he attempted to escape," reads the brochure—and a meeting with his brother, who encourages photos, questions, and donations.

The city has made huge strides since the days of Escobar, from murder capital of the world to a place plugged as a potential retirement spot for Americans, writes Vicky Baker, and the tour by See Colombia Travel is not sitting well with officials. "I think it's very negative and counterproductive," says Colombia's ambassador to the UK. "I hope they fail, and soon." Until then, you can plan your tour here. (More Pablo Escobar stories.)

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