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Si bien la industria tur\u00edstica de Chile se est\u00e1 recuperando, hasta ahora ha sido una recuperaci\u00f3n desigual. Mientras los argentinos y brasile\u00f1os est\u00e1n volviendo a Chile a medida que crecen las econom\u00edas de sus pa\u00edses de origen, los distantes turistas de Estados Unidos y Europa a\u00fan est\u00e1n sintiendo los efectos de la crisis econ\u00f3mica global.<\/P>
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Las cifras de Sernatur muestran que en el tercer trimestre del 2010, la cantidad de norteamericanos que visitaron Chile por vacaciones apenas coincidi\u00f3 con el mismo per\u00edodo del 2009, mientras que la cantidad de europeos declin\u00f3 en un 4%. La cantidad de visitantes latinoamericanos, en contraste, subi\u00f3 un 25%.<\/P>
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Los argentinos siguen siendo lejos los visitantes m\u00e1s regulares de Chile y corresponden al 37% de los arribos. Los visitantes de Estados Unidos, por otra parte, representan apenas un 6%. No obstante, mientras los argentinos tienden a cruzar la frontera por el fin de semana o incluso por un viaje de un d\u00eda, los norteamericanos y europeos vienen por semanas, y gastan m\u00e1s dinero. Seg\u00fan la administradora chilena de tarjetas de cr\u00e9dito Transbank, el argentino promedio gasta s\u00f3lo cerca de US$60 en cr\u00e9dito durante su estad\u00eda en Chile, mientras que el turista estadounidense promedio gasta US$1.500 (ver tabla).<\/P>
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La reciente fortaleza del peso no ha ayudado a la causa de Chile. Ha hecho que el pa\u00eds sea m\u00e1s caro para los extranjeros mientras que al mismo tiempo muchos chilenos est\u00e1n aprovechando la favorable tasa de cambio para viajar al extranjero durante sus vacaciones.<\/P>
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Mercados de Nicho<\/STRONG><\/P> Dados estos desaf\u00edos y la creciente competencia por los d\u00f3lares de los turistas a nivel global, la industria tur\u00edstica de Chile necesita trabajar m\u00e1s arduamente para adaptar el perfil constantemente cambiante del visitante t\u00edpico.<\/P> En octubre, la Fundaci\u00f3n Imagen de Chile lanz\u00f3 una nueva campa\u00f1a internacional con el slogan \u201cChile is good for you\u201d o \u201cChile Hace Bien\u201d, que se concentra en la comida, el vino y los paisajes del pa\u00eds al tiempo que promueve a la naci\u00f3n como una tierra de aventuras.<\/P> \u201cHoy en d\u00eda, la gente est\u00e1 buscando experiencias m\u00e1s que destinos\u201d, indica Jaqueline Plass, directora nacional del Sernatur. \u201cLos turistas son mucho m\u00e1s sofisticados que en el pasado y hay muchos m\u00e1s mercados de nicho\u201d.<\/P> Por ejemplo, los turistas podr\u00edan escoger un destino basado en una experiencia determinada, tal como asistir a un concierto o hacer parapente, sostiene.<\/P> Turismo Chile ha respondido a ello personalizando sus productos de acuerdo a seis mercados distintos dentro de la industria: deportes y aventura; comida y vino; inspiraci\u00f3n natural; entretenci\u00f3n y vida social; cultura y patrimonio; y salud y bienestar.<\/P> Tambi\u00e9n hay mercados de nicho que est\u00e1n surgiendo en la industria. A comienzos de este a\u00f1o, por ejemplo, se form\u00f3 una nueva asociaci\u00f3n espec\u00edficamente para promover las termas de Chile. La entidad se ha comprometido a aumentar la cantidad de personas que visitan las termas del pa\u00eds de 700.000 al a\u00f1o a 1 mill\u00f3n para el 2015.<\/P> La astronom\u00eda es otro mercado emergente. Hoteles en el desierto de Atacama se promueven como el lugar perfecto para contemplar las estrellas a trav\u00e9s de los cielos m\u00e1s claros del mundo.<\/P> Incluso el nudismo se est\u00e1 usando para seducir a los turistas: en marzo del 2012, el pa\u00eds ser\u00e1 la sede de la Conferencia Latinoamericana de Nudismo y Naturismo, dise\u00f1ada para fomentar el turismo nudista.<\/P> Sin embargo, con o sin ropa, atraer turistas requiere dinero y muchos en la industria se\u00f1alan que Chile no est\u00e1 gastando suficiente para promoverse.<\/P> \u201cHe estado insistiendo sobre esto por a\u00f1os: Chile tiene que gastar m\u00e1s\u201d, comenta Rudi Roth, presidente ejecutivo de una de las mayores y m\u00e1s antiguas agencias de viaje de Chile, Andina del Sud. \u201cSi no, los pa\u00edses que nos rodean nos borrar\u00e1n del mapa\u201d.<\/P> \u201cTome como ejemplo a Brasil\u201d, se\u00f1ala Roth. \u201cCada a\u00f1o miles de brasile\u00f1os son sacados de la pobreza y tienen dinero para viajar, pero no vendr\u00e1n a Chile a menos que sepan de \u00e9l. Argentina est\u00e1 llena de turistas brasile\u00f1os hoy en d\u00eda, tal como Per\u00fa. Chile tiene que gastar m\u00e1s para competir\u201d.<\/P> \u00c1lvaro Castilla de Turismo Chile concuerda con Roth y estima que Chile gasta poco m\u00e1s de US$20 millones en su promoci\u00f3n en el extranjero. \u201cEsa es una cantidad significativamente menor que otros pa\u00edses\u201d, asevera.<\/P> El Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador ha destinado US$40 millones para promover a su pa\u00eds en el extranjero el pr\u00f3ximo a\u00f1o, mientras que en Per\u00fa la cifra es de m\u00e1s de US$25 millones, y si uno va m\u00e1s lejos la brecha es todav\u00eda mayor: el gobierno de Nueva Zelanda asign\u00f3 US$70 millones para promoci\u00f3n sin incluir el dinero del sector privado.<\/P> Financiar la Promoci\u00f3n del Turismo<\/STRONG><\/P> El mecanismo para financiar la promoci\u00f3n de Chile como un destino tur\u00edstico es complejo, demasiado complejo, seg\u00fan algunos.<\/P> El Ministerio de Hacienda asigna a Sernatur un presupuesto anual -el que actualmente bordea los US$7,5 millones-, monto que el sector privado iguala a trav\u00e9s de Turismo Chile. Adem\u00e1s, el gobierno entrega dinero a la Subsecretar\u00eda de Desarrollo Regional y Administrativo (Subdere) para promover las atracciones tur\u00edsticas de las 15 regiones de Chile. Y finalmente, la Fundaci\u00f3n Imagen de Chile; ProChile, la rama de promoci\u00f3n de las exportaciones dependiente del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores; y Wines of Chile, la asociaci\u00f3n de la industria del vino, tambi\u00e9n reciben fondos para promover al pa\u00eds en el extranjero.<\/P> Este sistema de financiamiento por partes ha generado acusaciones de que Chile carece de una pol\u00edtica coherente para el turismo.<\/P> Jes\u00fas Parrilla de Explora sostiene que Chile carece de pol\u00edticas y estrategias de largo plazo para atraer turistas, no invierte ni siquiera lo suficiente en autopromoci\u00f3n y necesita una mejor coordinaci\u00f3n entre entidades como Sernatur, Turismo Chile y la Fundaci\u00f3n Imagen de Chile.<\/P> \u201cCuando se trata de la estrategia de marketing y comunicaciones, no creo que hayamos comenzado a pensar en serio en los mensajes y t\u00e1cticas que queremos usar\u201d, afirma.<\/P> Jaqueline Plass afirma que el gobierno se est\u00e1 haciendo cargo de estas deficiencias.<\/P> \u201cNuestro gran desaf\u00edo es asegurar que las regiones sean parte de una pol\u00edtica nacional del turismo y que hablemos con una sola voz\u201d, se\u00f1ala. \u201cEso es lo que hemos estado haciendo en las recientes ferias de comercio bajo el \u00fanico estandarte de Chile\u201d.<\/P> Regulaciones Tur\u00edsticas<\/STRONG><\/P> La introducci\u00f3n de una nueva ley del turismo tambi\u00e9n deber\u00eda ayudar. La ley ya fue aprobada en febrero y ahora se est\u00e1 implementando. Una consecuencia de ella es que el Ministerio de Econom\u00eda y Fomento ahora es el Ministerio de Econom\u00eda, Fomento y Turismo.<\/P> La ley describe adem\u00e1s al turismo como una actividad econ\u00f3mica \u201cestrat\u00e9gica\u201d e insta a la creaci\u00f3n de una nueva Subsecretar\u00eda del Turismo, bajo el amparo del Ministerio de Econom\u00eda. Dicha subsecretar\u00eda debe lanzarse en enero.<\/P> La ley apunta a fomentar la inversi\u00f3n privada en \u00e1reas naturales protegidas de Chile y a mejorar el sistema usado para clasificar a los hoteles y otros proveedores de servicios tur\u00edsticos del pa\u00eds. En la actualidad, muchos hoteles en Chile emplean su propio sistema de clasificaci\u00f3n, describi\u00e9ndose -por ejemplo- como hoteles tres estrellas sin que haya una acreditaci\u00f3n independiente.<\/P> Sernatur est\u00e1 trabajando junto con el Instituto Nacional de Normalizaci\u00f3n (INN) para hacer que m\u00e1s hoteles se adhieran a estrictos criterios de clasificaci\u00f3n de manera que los turistas puedan estar seguros de que recibir\u00e1n el servicio por el que est\u00e1n pagando.<\/P> \u201cEstamos muy preocupados sobre el tema de las clasificaciones de calidad\u201d, se\u00f1ala Plass de Sernatur.<\/P> Como un incentivo, cualquier hotel que se registre en Sernatur podr\u00e1 participar en los varios eventos promocionales que organiza el servicio alrededor del mundo, explica.<\/P> Tambi\u00e9n se est\u00e1 preparando m\u00e1s legislaci\u00f3n para fomentar a la industria tur\u00edstica local. Por ejemplo, el gobierno quiere cambiar la ley sobre el uso de casinos en cruceros. Hoy en d\u00eda, los cruceros tienen prohibido abrir sus casinos una vez que se encuentran en aguas territoriales chilenas. Ello ha hecho que muchas empresas de cruceros piensen dos veces antes de incluir a Chile en sus itinerarios.<\/P> El otro gran desincentivo para los operadores de cruceros es el alto costo de atracar los nav\u00edos en los puertos de Chile y de navegar por sus aguas. De acuerdo con un estudio realizado por la Universidad de Los Andes, atracar en el puerto de Valpara\u00edso es tres veces m\u00e1s caro que en los puertos de Argentina y nueves veces m\u00e1s costoso que en Uruguay.<\/P> Quiz\u00e1s no sorprende que algunos operadores de cruceros hayan decidido que simplemente no vale la pena ir a Chile. \u00c1lvaro Castilla de Turismo Chile describe la ca\u00edda en los ingresos por cruceros en Chile durante los \u00faltimos a\u00f1os como \u201cdram\u00e1tica\u201d.<\/P> Alianza Oneworld<\/STRONG><\/P> Al sector de aerol\u00edneas le ha ido mucho mejor, en el que LAN y American Airlines -ambos miembros de la alianza Oneworld- siguen desempe\u00f1ando un importante papel en atraer turistas a Chile.<\/P> En noviembre, LAN suscribi\u00f3 un innovador acuerdo con Lonely Planet para publicar contenido de la popular serie de gu\u00edas de viaje en su sitio web en ingl\u00e9s, espa\u00f1ol, franc\u00e9s y alem\u00e1n de manera que los clientes puedan saber m\u00e1s sobre sus destinos.<\/P> En tanto, LAN sigue expandiendo sus operaciones desde su centro sudamericano en Lima, Per\u00fa, y planea iniciar dos nuevos servicios a comienzos del 2011 dise\u00f1ados espec\u00edficamente para turistas: Lima a Isla de Pascua y Lima a Iguaz\u00fa.<\/P> La aerol\u00ednea adem\u00e1s est\u00e1 en v\u00edas de fusionarse con la brasile\u00f1a TAM para crear uno de los mayores operadores a\u00e9reos del mundo. Si bien sostiene que es muy pronto para determinar el impacto de la fusi\u00f3n, Andrea Wolleter de LAN est\u00e1 \u201cmuy optimista en cuanto a que abrir\u00e1 nuevas oportunidades para turistas\u201d.<\/P> Pero si bien LAN puede traer m\u00e1s turistas a Chile, no puede hacer mucho en cuanto al servicio que reciben una vez que llegan ac\u00e1, afirma Wolleter, quien destaca que esta es un \u00e1rea en donde Chile necesita mejorar.<\/P> \u201cSi uno ve la cantidad de dinero que el turistas extranjero promedio gasta en Chile comparada con otros pa\u00edses, es muy baja\u201d, sostiene. \u201cSufrimos de una falencia de buenos productos. Nuestros hoteles han mejorado, pero no ha habido una gran mejora en servicios como excursiones y entretenci\u00f3n. Esas son las cosas que persuaden a los turistas para quedarse m\u00e1s tiempo y gastar m\u00e1s\u201d.<\/P> Los meses de verano de enero y febrero se acercan y miles de turistas est\u00e1n preparando sus maletas para Chile, pero est\u00e1 claro que el pa\u00eds tiene mucho trabajo que hacer para publicitarse. Quienes vivimos ac\u00e1 sabemos que tiene mucho que ofrecer, el gran desaf\u00edo es hacer que ese mensaje llegue a quienes no lo saben.<\/P> Gideon Long<\/STRONG> se desempe\u00f1a como periodista freelance en Santiago. Adem\u00e1s trabaja para la BBC.<\/P> In times of crisis, it\u2019s often the good things in life that must be sacrificed, and these include holidays. It\u2019s no surprise, then, that when the global economic meltdown began in late 2008, the tourism industry took a beating.<\/p>\n Across the world people cancelled holidays, and those who did travel had less money to spend. In 2009, the number of tourists taking holidays abroad dropped by 4% year on year, after years of steady growth. And global revenue from tourism dropped by 6%.<\/p>\n The outbreak of swine flu in early 2009 compounded the problem. Mexico\u2019s tourist industry was devastated, and soon the impact spread. In Chile, the ski season was particularly badly hit.<\/p>\n Then, just when things were getting better, Chile was rocked by February\u2019s earthquake, which brought down the ceiling of Santiago airport and wrecked tourist infrastructure in the Maule and B\u00edo B\u00edo regions. The impact was immediate: in March, according to the national tourism service Sernatur, there were 21% fewer visitors to Chile than in March 2009 and 30% fewer than in March 2008.<\/p>\n In Santa Cruz, the picturesque but badly damaged wine town in the heart of the Colchagua Valley, income from foreign tourists plummeted by over 60% in the six months following the earthquake, and has yet to recover to pre-quake levels.<\/p>\n \u201cThese have been a difficult couple of years without a doubt,\u201d said Andrea Wolleter, who heads the Chile Tourism department at national airline LAN. \u201cFirst the economic crisis and the [swine] flu hit us really hard. Then the earthquake.\u201d<\/p>\n But in 2010, the Chilean tourist industry has started to bounce back. In the third quarter, the number of foreign visitors was 12% higher than a year earlier. In some areas of the market, the figures are even back up to early 2008 levels.<\/p>\n In October, Chile\u2019s efforts to market itself as a tourism destination received a welcome boost from an unlikely source \u2013 the 33 miners who were trapped underground in the Atacama Desert.<\/p>\n Never before has Chile been the center of so much international attention. According to the Chile Image Foundation, which coordinates among different government offices that have an influence on perceptions of Chile abroad, 12,000 photos of the country and the miners were printed in the world\u2019s media during the single week of the rescue.<\/p>\n The well-organized and successful rescue of the men showed Chile in an extremely favorable light. Across the globe, people said they wanted to visit \u201cthe land of the miners\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s put the country on the world map in a way it never was before and we need to capitalize on that,\u201d said Alvaro Castilla, general manager of Turismo Chile, which groups more than 100 private sector tourism companies.<\/p>\n Jes\u00fas Parrilla, commercial vice-president of the upmarket Explora Hotels group, said that during the miners\u2019 rescue the company received far more requests than usual for information about the Explora Atacama hotel in San Pedro.<\/p>\n According to Parrilla, the miners\u2019 saga has supplanted the negative images of the earthquake in the minds of foreigners when they think about Chile.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rescue of the miners showed Chile\u2019s technological and logistical knowhow, planning and integrity to the world, and has helped us move on from the earthquake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bringing back the tourists<\/strong><\/p>\n Although the Chilean tourism industry is recovering, it has been a patchy recovery so far. While the Argentines and Brazilians are coming back to Chile as the economies in their home countries grow, the long-haul tourists from the United States and Europe are still nursing a hangover from the global economic crisis.<\/p>\n Figures from Sernatur show that in the third quarter of 2010, the number of North Americans visiting Chile on holiday was roughly in line with the same period of 2009, while the number of Europeans dropped 4%. The number of Latin American visitors, by contrast, jumped 25%.<\/p>\n Argentines are still by far the most regular visitors to Chile, accounting for 37% of arrivals. Visitors from the United States, on the other hand, account for just 6%. But while Argentines tend to pop over the border for the weekend or even a day trip, North Americans and Europeans come for weeks, and spend more money. According to Chilean credit card administrator Transbank, the average Argentine spends only about US$60 on credit during his or her stay in Chile while the average American tourist spends US$1,500 (see table).<\/p>\n The recent strength of the peso has not helped Chile\u2019s cause. It has made the country more expensive for foreigners while at the same time many Chileans are taking advantage of the favorable exchange rate to travel abroad for their holidays.<\/p>\n Niche markets<\/strong><\/p>\n Given these challenges and increasing competition for the global tourist dollar, Chile\u2019s tourism industry needs to work harder to adapt to the constantly changing profile of the typical visitor.<\/p>\n In October, the Chile Image Foundation launched a new international campaign with the slogan \u201cChile is good for you,\u201d focusing on the country\u2019s food, wine and scenery while also promoting it as a land of adventure.<\/p>\n \u201cThese days, people are looking for experiences rather than destinations,\u201d said Jaqueline Plass, director of Sernatur. \u201cTourists are much more sophisticated than in the past and there are many more niche markets.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, tourists might choose a destination based on a desired experience, such as going to a concert or paragliding, she said.<\/p>\n Turismo Chile has responded by tailoring its products to six distinct markets within the industry: sports and adventure; food and wine; natural inspiration; entertainment and lifestyle; culture and heritage; and health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n There are also niche markets sprouting up across the industry. Earlier this year, for example, a new association was formed specifically to promote Chile\u2019s geothermal hot springs. It has pledged to boost the number of people who visit the country\u2019s springs from 700,000 annually to 1 million by 2015.<\/p>\n Stargazing is another emerging market. Hotels in the Atacama Desert are touting themselves as the perfect place to gaze up at the heavens through the world\u2019s clearest skies.<\/p>\n Even nudism is being used to seduce tourists – in March 2012, the country will host the Latin American Nudism-Naturism Conference, designed to encourage naked tourism.<\/p>\n With or without clothes, however, attracting tourists requires money, and many in the industry say Chile is not spending enough on promoting itself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been insisting on this for years: Chile has to spend more,\u201d said Rudi Roth, executive president of one of Chile\u2019s biggest and oldest travel agencies, Andina del Sud. \u201cIf not, the countries around us will wipe us off the map.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake Brazil,\u201d Roth said. \u201cEvery year thousands more Brazilians are lifted out of poverty and have the money to travel, but they won\u2019t come to Chile unless they know about it. Argentina is invaded by Brazilian tourists these days, and so is Peru. Chile has to spend more to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n Alvaro Castilla at Turismo Chile agrees. He estimates that Chile spends just over US$20 million on promoting itself abroad. \u201cThat\u2019s significantly less than other countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ecuador\u2019s Ministry of Tourism has earmarked US$40 million to promote the country abroad next year, while in Peru the figure is over US$25 million, and if you go further afield the gap is bigger still – New Zealand\u2019s government has assigned US$70 million for promotion not including money from the private sector.<\/p>\n Funding tourism promotion<\/strong><\/p>\n The mechanism for financing the promotion of Chile as a tourist destination is complex \u2013 too complex, according to some.<\/p>\n Sernatur is given an annual budget by the Finance Ministry \u2013 currently around US$7.5 million – which the private sector matches through Turismo Chile. In addition, the government gives money to the national office for regional development, Subdere, to promote tourist attractions in Chile\u2019s 15 regions. And finally, the Chile Image Foundation, the Foreign Affairs Ministry\u2019s exports promotion arm ProChile, and the Wines of Chile industry association are also given funds to promote the country abroad.<\/p>\n This piecemeal funding system has prompted accusations that Chile lacks a coherent tourism policy.<\/p>\n Jes\u00fas Parrilla at Explora says Chile lacks long term policies and strategies to attract tourists, does not invest nearly enough in self-promotion, and needs better coordination between entities like Sernatur, Turismo Chile and the Chile Image Foundation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to marketing and communications strategy, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve really started in earnest to think about the messages and tactics we want to use,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Jaqueline Plass says the government is addressing these shortfalls.<\/p>\n \u201cOur big challenge is to ensure that the regions are part of a national tourism policy and that we speak with one voice,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing at recent trade fairs under the one banner of Chile.\u201d<\/p>\n Tourism regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n The introduction of a new tourism law should also help. The law was passed in February and is now being implemented. One consequence is that the Ministry of Economy and Development, is now the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism.<\/p>\n The law also describes tourism as a \u201cstrategic\u201d economic activity and calls for the creation of a new tourism department (Subsecretar\u00eda), under the auspices of the Economy Ministry. That department is due to be launched in January.<\/p>\n The law aims to foment private investment in Chile\u2019s protected nature areas and to improve the system used to classify the country\u2019s hotels and other tourism service providers. At present, many hotels in Chile use their own classification system, describing themselves as, for example, three-star hotels with no independent verification.<\/p>\n Sernatur is working alongside the National Institute for Standardization (INN) to persuade more hotels to adhere to strict classification criteria so that tourists can be sure they get what they pay for.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very concerned about the issue of quality ratings,\u201d Sernatur\u2019s Plass said.<\/p>\n As an incentive, any hotel that registers with Sernatur will be eligible to participate in the various promotional events that it organizes around the world, she said.<\/p>\n More legislation is also in the pipeline to boost the local tourism industry. For instance, the government wants to change the law on the use of casinos on cruise ships. At the moment, cruise ships are barred from opening their casinos once they are in Chilean territorial waters. That has prompted many cruise companies to think twice before including Chile in their itineraries.<\/p>\n The other big disincentive for cruise operators is the high cost of docking in Chile\u2019s ports and navigating its waters. According to a study carried out by the Universidad de Los Andes, docking in Valparaiso is three times more expensive than in Argentine ports and nine times more than in Uruguay.<\/p>\n Perhaps not surprisingly, some cruise operators have decided it is simply is not worth coming to Chile. Alvaro Castilla at Turismo Chile describes the drop in revenue from cruises in Chile in recent years as \u201cdramatic\u201d.<\/p>\n One world<\/strong><\/p>\n The airline industry has fared much better with LAN and American Airlines \u2013 both members of the oneworld alliance – continuing to play a major role in enticing tourists to Chile.<\/p>\n In November, LAN signed a groundbreaking deal with Lonely Planet to publish content from the popular travel guide series on its website in English, Spanish, French and German so that customers can find out more about its destinations.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, LAN is continuing to expand its operations from its South American hub in Lima, Peru, with plans to start two new services in early 2011 designed specifically for tourists \u2013 Lima to Easter Island and Lima to Iguaz\u00fa.<\/p>\n The airline is also in the process of merging with Brazil\u2019s TAM to create one of the world\u2019s biggest carriers. Although she says it\u2019s too early to determine the impact of the merger, LAN\u2019s Andrea Wolleter is \u201cvery optimistic that it will open new opportunities for tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n But while LAN can bring more tourists to Chile, it can\u2019t do much about the service they receive once they get here, said Wolleter, noting that this is an area where Chile needs to improve.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the amount of money that the average foreign tourist spends in Chile compared to other countries, it\u2019s very low,\u201d she said. \u201cWe suffer from a lack of good products. Our hotels have got better, but there hasn\u2019t been a great improvement in services like excursions and entertainment. Those are the things that persuade tourists to stay longer and spend more.\u201d<\/p>\n The summer months of January and February are approaching with thousands of tourists packing their bags for Chile, but it is clear the country has plenty of work to do in marketing itself. Those of us who live here know it has a lot to offer – the big challenge is to get that message across to those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Gideon Long<\/strong> is a freelance journalist based in Santiago. He also works for the BBC.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" En tiempos de crisis, a menudo son las cosas buenas de la vida las que deben ser sacrificadas y estas incluyen las vacaciones. No es ninguna sorpresa entonces que cuando a fines del 2008 comenz\u00f3 la crisis econ\u00f3mica mundial, la industria del turismo se viera afectada.<\/P> En todo el mundo la gente cancel\u00f3 vacaciones y los que s\u00ed viajaron, tuvieron menos dinero para gastar. En el 2009, la cantidad de turistas que sali\u00f3 de vacaciones fuera del pa\u00eds registr\u00f3 una contracci\u00f3n interanual del 4%, tras a\u00f1os de crecimiento estable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","news_tax":[],"user_type":[],"class_list":["post-4432","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\n![\"\"](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/ESP_torta_0.jpg\")
<\/P>
\n![\"\"](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/ESP_TABLA_SPDIC2010.jpg\")
<\/P><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/ING_torta.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/ING_TABLA_SPDIC2010.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n