In the context of a significantly growing tourism market in Chile, exporting and diversifying tourist services is ever more relevant. In looking to establish new tourist niches not found anywhere else, and to further encourage international visits, the office of the Undersecretary of Tourism, SERNATUR, FEDETUR, and LATAM have invited tour operators from abroad to participate in different tourist experiences that the country has to offer, across nature tourism, adventure, luxury, and incentives.
The fifth version of the exclusive trip, taking place between September 3 and 11, has the theme “Expedition Contrasts”, and is intended to display the diverse variety of high-potential tourism services. Activities were selected for their attractiveness to high-spending tourist segments, and thus their good probability of being exported as part of tour provider’s packages.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, Monica Zalaquett, stressed that “our work of international promotion instances like this generate new business opportunities and also positions our country in markets where there is still much room to grow. Chile has great tourism potential, and so this opportunity will show our visitors the charm of the different experiences that our country offers in terms of nature tourism, adventure, luxury and incentives, where we have great comparative advantages.”
National Director of SERNATUR, Andrea Wolleter, explained that “the tourism market is dynamic, as are the tastes of tourists. These familiarization trips are part of our international marketing strategies, and we have invited 24 recreational travel agencies and 13 incentive agencies that work with corporate travel. We added this latter group this year because we understand this segment will spend more.”
The initiative is part of the broader context of international promotion actions collaboratively deployed by the public and private sectors to enhance the country as a tourist destination in the global circuit. After the successful “Prazer Chile 2019”, organized in May by the Undersecretary of Tourism, the National Tourism Service (Sernatur), the Federation of Tourism Companies of Chile (Fedetur) and LATAM Airlines Group, the institutions again joined to coordinate and finance this expedition, including markets like Germany, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, United States, France, England, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Portugal, South Africa and Uruguay.
Helen Kouyoumdjian, Executive Vice President of Fedetur added that “in an industry as globally competitive as tourism, these international promotion actions are essential to differentiate and publicize the attributes Chile has as a destination. If we want to increase foreign visitors to the country, we must invest in international promotion, target strategic markets and those where there are growth opportunities, such as, for example, the Asian market.”
In speaking to the event, Andreas Schek, Vice President of Sales of LATAM Airlines Group, said that “Chile has unique characteristics that make it a very interesting destination in the international tourist circuit. We want these attributes to be known, to let the world know our country with multiple natural attractions and contrasts, a safe country and a charming culture. One of the objectives of LATAM Airlines is to make our complete connectivity network available to travelers from all latitudes so that more tourists can get to know the attractions of the south of the world.
The representatives of the tourism sector emphasized that the purpose of this trip is to generate new business networks between local and international services, to increase the number of visits from other latitudes, to allow more travelers to discover the traditional and emerging destinations of Chile, and to enjoy the contrasts they offer.
The public and private sectors agree on the importance of international promotion activities to boost the growth of tourism in Chile, and various initiatives will continue to be implemented to publicize the country’s tourist attributes and attract more visitors.
ITINERARY OF INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES
Tourism companies from abroad will be welcomed by tourism authorities on September 3rd. The next morning, they will have a business roundtable with 64 Chilean tourism companies with whom an estimated 740 business meetings will take place to strengthen ties and commercial relations.
After these meetings, the international operators will be divided into two groups to tour national destinations between September 4 and 11. Recreational travel agencies will visit San Pedro de Atacama, the Carretera Austral and part of the Ruta de los Parques de la Patagonia; while incentive houses, which are agencies that coordinate business trips for senior managers, will go to Puerto Varas, San Pedro de Atacama and Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley. In addition, those who are able based on arrival in the country will visit Casablanca Valley.
