The start of the Pan American Games, the appearance of Chile in the renowned magazine Lonely Planet, and the positive figures of tourist accommodations stand out among the latest tourist news in October.
There was news in the tourism industry in October 2023! It was a month marked by the beginning of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, where thousands of people traveled to the Chilean capital city to watch the games.
The prestigious magazine Lonely Planet also gave two recognitions to our country facing 2024, while diverse green figures were registered in the field, such as the almost 10% increase in passenger’s overnight stays at tourist accommodation.
Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games motivated the arrival of thousands of tourists to Chile. In the prelude to the start of the event, an Ipsos study published by La Tercera revealed that 76% of Chileans perceive the games as an opportunity to “improve the country’s pride”.
According to the same media, from October 20th and 22nd a total of 1,965 people came to Chile, while in Santiago there was an increase of between 30% and 50% in the tourism offer compared to the previous weekend was registered.
Photo: @fiusantiago2023
Chileans prefer first class
It turns out that Chileans are increasingly adhering to traveling in first class. According to Prensaeventos, the reclining seats, VIP lounges, and gourmet menu are catching national travelers’ attention.
Regarding airlines, Latam started to reinforce their flights to Magallanes due to the peak season, according to what was reported by El Pingüino, while JetSMART launched a new version of their companies and agencies websites, according to Tallyho.
SKY, on their side, projected that the company will increase two-fold in 2024, although it reported cost increases and inefficiencies at some air terminals such as at Santiago airport, according to Diario Financiero.
Regarding air routes, Radio Cooperativa reported that the direct flights between Cusco and Santiago were resumed on October 4th. On the other hand, the concession granted to the Sacyr-Agunsa consortium came into force in Calama, to increase and improve the capacity at El Loa Airport, according to what was published by ADPrensa.
Recognitions to national cuisine
Chilean cuisine continues to receive awards. The Zanzíbar restaurant located in Vitacura, was awarded at the World Culinary Awards for having the best terrace in Latin America, according to Radio Biobío.
In addition to this, the Club de Amantes del Vino (CAV) magazine awarded a special recognition to the wine menu at the Fuente Toscana restaurant in Ovalle.
Meanwhile, Viña Casas del Bosque obtained gold in the Sustainable Practices category in the Best Wine Tourism contest, which brings together the 12 huge wine capitals in the world.
Chile: sustainable destination
The prestigious travel magazine Lonely Planet positioned Chile as one of the top five best destinations for 2024, and the Chilean Patagonia in second place on their list of most sustainable destinations on the planet.
As a result of this, our country keeps consolidating in green tourism, which was reflected in the 16% increase of visits to protected rural areas in September, according to information from Dialogo Sur.
Meanwhile, Corfo presented an innovative program that aims to strengthen the adaptation of landscapes and tourism destinations facing climate change threats, according to Tourinnovación.
Furthermore, Barrancas, Caleta Tortel, and Pisco Elqui were chosen by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) among the 54 best tourism towns of the year, according to La Voz del Norte.
On one hand, Rapa Nui will host the Taputapuatea Festival for the first time, one of the most important events in Polynesia, which convenes representatives from New Caledonia, Rapa Iti, Raiatea Iti, Raiatea Nui, and Tahiti.
Green numbers
The National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported that passenger’s night stays at tourism accommodations increased 9.6% in August, compared to the same month last year. The highest increase occurred in the Metropolitan Region, where there was a 16.6% rise.
Ski centers celebrated the 2023 season. Ricardo Margulis, general manager at Valle Nevado told Emol that “this winter is one of the best since we opened in 1998”, detailing that they had 15 more open days compared to 2022.
Likewise, there are expectations with the beginning of the cruise season for 2023-2024. In Iquique the 300 passengers on the Viking Octantis went to visit the Humberstone Saltpeter, while in Valparaíso, the arrival of the MS Fram marks the beginning of a cycle where 56 ships are expected to land at the port, according to what was reported by Radio Bío-Bío.
Finally, four Chilean hotels appear among the best 20 in South America, according to Condé Nast Travellerde readers. They are the W Hotel, The Singular Lastarria, Mandarin Oriental, and Magnolina, which occupy 2nd, 12th, 14th, and 20th on the list, respectively.
