Colombia has one of the busiest public holiday calendars in Latin America, with 19 days off on the 2026 schedule — and one influential industry group thinks that's too many. The Colombian Federation of Freight Transport and Logistics (Colfecar) has floated a proposal to scrap five public holidays and convert them into five extra vacation days for workers instead.
The pitch came from Sebastian Echeverry, chairman of Colfecar's board, at the opening of the federation's congress. His argument is economic: holiday weekends force trucks off the road for at least 24 hours per holiday, while companies keep paying for fuel, maintenance, financing and payroll. 'It is very difficult to talk about competitiveness when a truck has to be parked for nearly 20 days a year,' Echeverry said. The plan would keep workers' total days off intact — they'd simply take those five days during their vacations rather than on dates fixed by the national calendar.
Nothing changes yet. The idea needs to become a legislative proposal and win a majority in Congress. For now, all 19 holidays stand, and 2026 even added a new one: the Feast of Our Lady of Chiquinquira in July.
Why should travellers care? Because Colombia's holiday calendar shapes when the whole country travels. Under Law 51 of 1983 — the Emiliani Law — many holidays are shifted to the nearest Monday, manufacturing long 'puente' weekends. Those are peak times for domestic flights, Caribbean coast getaways and coffee-region hotels: expect higher prices, fuller buses and booked-out accommodation around every three-day weekend. Fixed holidays like Holy Thursday and Good Friday bring even bigger nationwide movement.
If the reform ever passes, travellers could see slightly less extreme peak congestion around certain holiday dates, with some of that demand smoothed into vacation periods. But don't plan around it — this is a freight-sector proposal at discussion stage, and Colombia's holiday-fuelled long weekends look set to continue for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, the practical takeaway is simple: check Colombia's holiday calendar before you book. Travelling outside the puente weekends usually means better rates and calmer attractions, while travelling during them means joining the country on the road to the coast.
