{"id":9080,"date":"2015-03-26T12:15:03","date_gmt":"2015-03-26T15:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.amchamchile.cl\/?p=138755"},"modified":"2017-09-04T14:32:31","modified_gmt":"2017-09-04T17:32:31","slug":"chile-prepara-el-despegue-de-su-industria-turistica","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/amchamchile.cl\/en\/noticia\/chile-prepara-el-despegue-de-su-industria-turistica\/","title":{"rendered":"Chile prepara el despegue de su industria tur\u00edsticaChile prepares for its tourism industry to take off"},"content":{"rendered":"

El actual Gobierno lo defini\u00f3 como un sector estrat\u00e9gico y destin\u00f3 US$100 millones a un fondo para su desarrollo por los pr\u00f3ximos cuatro a\u00f1os. El turismo toma fuerza en Chile, y tendr\u00e1 como principales mercados de promoci\u00f3n a Brasil, Argentina, y Estados Unidos, a fin de atraer cada vez a m\u00e1s turistas que se deslumbren con “el secreto mejor guardado”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Alejandra Maturana<\/h5>\n

A pesar de ser due\u00f1o de un desierto que siendo el m\u00e1s \u00e1rido del mundo florece cada mes de septiembre, de misteriosos cielos estrellados declarados patrimonio astron\u00f3micopor la Unescoyde una majestuosa cordillera con senderos, cascadas y volcanes que se cubren cada invierno de blanco, hace un par de a\u00f1os Chile fue definido por el director regional de la Organizaci\u00f3n Mundial de Turismo (OMT), Carlos Vogeler, como “el secreto mejor guardado” en esta materia.<\/p>\n

Es por eso que la actual administraci\u00f3n de la Presidenta Michelle Bachelet se ha propuesto develarlo al mundo, impuls\u00e1ndolo como un polo de atracci\u00f3n de nivel mundial. Para eso, ha incluido el Plan de Desarrollo Tur\u00edstico Sustentable en su Agenda de Innovaci\u00f3n, Productividad y Crecimiento, el cual se sustenta en cuatro ejes principales: la promoci\u00f3n tur\u00edstica nacional e internacional, infraestructura, desarrollo de productos tur\u00edsticos, y actividades para el mejoramiento de la calidad de servicios y capacitaci\u00f3n sectorial.<\/p>\n

Para su financiamiento, en agosto del a\u00f1o pasado se anunci\u00f3 la creaci\u00f3n del Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Tur\u00edstico Sustentable, el que contar\u00e1 con US$ 100 millones para los pr\u00f3ximos cuatro a\u00f1os, y tambi\u00e9n se ha aprobado en Corfo un programa estrat\u00e9gico para el diagn\u00f3stico y la ejecuci\u00f3n de acciones que impulsen al pa\u00eds en materia de sustentabilidad y turismo aventura. En ese sentido, a finales del a\u00f1o pasado se dio inicio a un trabajo colaborativo entre el sector p\u00fablico y privado, donde tendr\u00e1 especial importancia el desarrollo de parques nacionales, el impulso al emprendimiento tur\u00edstico, el mejoramiento a trav\u00e9s de los sellos de calidad (como la distinci\u00f3n “S” de Turismo Sustentable o el sello “Q” de Calidad Tur\u00edstica), la formalizaci\u00f3n de los servicios, y el desarrollo de zonas con alto potencial tur\u00edstico, entre otros.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_principal\"<\/a>Fuerte foco en Pymes<\/h4>\n

Como indica el ministro de Econom\u00eda, Luis Felipe C\u00e9spedes, uno de los desaf\u00edos del pa\u00edses la diversificaci\u00f3n de su matriz productiva, donde el turismo puede jugar un rol clave. “Este es un sector que aporta cerca de 2,5% del PIB, y que tiene una gran posibilidad de crecimiento y expansi\u00f3n en nuestra econom\u00eda, por lo que nos hemos comprometido como Gobierno a desarrollarlo”, enfatiza, apuntando a que adem\u00e1s es un fuerte creador de empleos y generador de riqueza donde las peque\u00f1as y medianasempresas (Pymes) participan muy activamente.<\/p>\n

En esa l\u00ednea,por ejemplo, el Servicio Nacional de Turismo (Sernatur) ha sido activo en impulsar diversas iniciativas regionales con miras a desarrollar las potencialidades locales como, por ejemplo, el caso de Puerto Varas, donde recientemente se firm\u00f3 un acuerdo para potenciar el desarrollo sustentable de la pesca recreativa, la que deja ganancias de entre US$100 y US$700 diarios por turista. Adem\u00e1s,recientemente se lanz\u00f3 la aplicaci\u00f3n Compra Pyme Turismo que funciona como una vitrina de la oferta tur\u00edstica nacional. A ello se suma la generaci\u00f3n de un instrumento que permita certificar con el sello Q de calidad los servicios de peque\u00f1os y medianos empresarios.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sin embargo, el ministroC\u00e9spedes afirma que uno de los puntos m\u00e1s relevantes para impulsar el desarrollo de la industria es la promoci\u00f3n tanto interna como externa, pues “de nada sirve tener todo el potencial si no se da a conocer”, para lo que ha invitado a participar tanto al sector p\u00fablico como al privado. De este modo, se empezar\u00e1 a trabajar en un Plan de Marketing 2015-2020, cuya promoci\u00f3n para este a\u00f1o contar\u00e1 con $1.700 millones que se invertir\u00e1n en tres mercados prioritarios: Brasil, Argentina y Estados Unidos.<\/p>\n

Seg\u00fan la Fundaci\u00f3n Imagen de Chile 9,7% de las publicaciones que hicieron referencia al pa\u00eds durante 2014 provinieron de medios estadounidenses. De estos, s\u00f3lo 2% se refirieron a turismo y panoramas. Sin embargo, a pesar de tratarse de una cobertura “acotada”, Myriam G\u00f3mez, directora ejecutiva de esta entidad, afirma que “el tenor con el que se abordaron estos temas fue sumamente positivo, pues m\u00e1s de la mitad de los art\u00edculos tuvieron una connotaci\u00f3n favorable y no se registraron menciones negativas”.<\/p>\n

Entre ellas se encuentra, por ejemplo, la publicaci\u00f3n “Torres del Paine, postales de otro mundo en el sur de Chile” del Nuevo Herald, con la que el medio destaca los paisajes australes del pa\u00eds, y otra, que definea San Pedro de Atacama como un zona de reflexi\u00f3n y descanso para “recuperar la paz interior en paisajes encantados”. Tambi\u00e9n destaca una nota deCNNque alab\u00f3algunas tradiciones culinarias como el cordero magall\u00e1nico, y un art\u00edculo del USA Today que destac\u00f3 a la ciudad de Valpara\u00edso como uno de los lugares del mundo “donde uno puede viajar en el tiempo”.<\/p>\n

El boom de los viajes de negocio<\/h4>\n

Si bien 44,8% de los estadounidenses que llegan a Chile lo hacen por motivos vacacionales (concentrando un 42,5% del ingreso de divisas), hay una cifra de 31,6% que lo hacen por negocios.<\/p>\n

Seg\u00fan el director para Chile y Per\u00fa de la agenciaCarlsonWagonlitTravel, Sebasti\u00e1n Vicu\u00f1a, los viajes corporativos en el pa\u00eds est\u00e1n fundamentalmente ligados a la miner\u00eda, por lo que las visitas de ejecutivos y t\u00e9cnicos extranjeros muchas vecesincluyen en los requerimientos llevarlos a faenas ubicadas, principalmente, en la zona norte del pa\u00eds. Pero el turismo de negocios no siempre responde a esta din\u00e1mica, pues tambi\u00e9n apunta a la programaci\u00f3n de viajes de ejecutivos a destinos tur\u00edsticos con fines de esparcimiento y descanso, lo que puede ir unido a negocios en paralelo o por separado. En ese sentido, los destinos preferidos por este tipo de turistas son San Pedro de Atacama, Isla de Pascua, lugares de pesca con lodges exclusivos en el sur del pa\u00eds, cruceros en los canales australes y el Parque Nacional Torres del Paine.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_voceros_1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Para estos fines-opina Vicu\u00f1a- el servicio tur\u00edstico en Chile se ha ido adaptando a las nuevas exigencias con proyectos hoteleros que incluyen salones de reuniones y eventos, principalmente empujados por firmas internacionales en Santiago. Destaca la oferta gastron\u00f3mica de la ciudad y de recreaci\u00f3n after office, “los que cuentan con altos est\u00e1ndares que satisfacen las demandas de los hombres de negocios”, aunque enfatiza que el nivel de ingl\u00e9s a\u00fan es muy bajo y que es necesario seguir mejorando los est\u00e1ndares de servicios en regiones.<\/p>\n

Estos son justamente dos aspectos clave consideradosen el plan estrat\u00e9gico impulsado por el Gobierno. La Subsecretaria de Turismo, Javiera Montes, ha sido enf\u00e1tica en se\u00f1alar que se buscar\u00e1 una mayor diversificaci\u00f3n y profundizaci\u00f3n de la oferta tur\u00edstica en regiones, impulsando tambi\u00e9n atracciones de nicho -como la pesca con mosca o ciertos deportes acu\u00e1ticos- en distintas zonas del pa\u00eds.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_voceros_2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

En otro \u00e1mbito, la senior International TradeSpecialist and Global Travel&Tourism Leader del Departamento de Comercio de Estados Unidos, Anastasia Xenias, enfatiza en la importancia de la formaci\u00f3n de capital humano especializado en estos temas, se\u00f1alando que en Estados Unidos existen numerosos programas que ofrecen grados acad\u00e9micos en viajes y turismo en instituciones tan prestigiosas como la Universidad de Nueva York o la Universidad de Cornell, adem\u00e1s de diplomados y certificaciones impartidas por el sector privado a trav\u00e9s de asociaciones comerciales.<\/p>\n

“Los viajes y el turismo constituyen un sector muy importante de la econom\u00eda de los Estados Unidos, representando 25% de todos los servicios de exportaciones, y entre 7% y 8% anual de las exportaciones en total (incluyendo tambi\u00e9n bienes)”, se\u00f1ala.<\/p>\n

Un servicio de clase mundial<\/h4>\n

El Sheraton Santiago Hotel &Convention Center-perteneciente a la cadena internacional StarwoodHotels& Resorts Worldwide junto a firmas como WHotels y The LuxuryCollection-recibe mayoritariamentea clientes corporativos y participantes de congresos y reuniones, cuyas particularidades y preferencias identifica a trav\u00e9s de su programa de fidelizaci\u00f3n “StarwoodPreferredGuest” (SPG), permiti\u00e9ndole entregar un servicio personalizado.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

El establecimiento cuenta con certificaciones internacionales de servicio, calidad y seguridad que son monitoreadas porla empresa internacional LRA Worldwide y, bajo la intensi\u00f3n de apoyar el turismo en el pa\u00eds, el a\u00f1o 2012 se certificaron bajo la norma de Calidad Tur\u00edstica del Sernatur, “siendo el primer hotel 5 estrellas de una cadena internacional en recibir esta certificaci\u00f3n”, destaca su director de ventas en Chile, Alejandro Larrondo.<\/p>\n

De acuerdo a su experiencia, el ejecutivo explica que el turista extranjero busca descubrir nuevas historias en el \u00e1mbito de la cultura local, mayor conectividad y experiencias enriquecedoras, siendo muy importante enfocarse cada vez m\u00e1s en entregar un servicio especializado. Esta visi\u00f3n es compartida por el gerente general del Grand Hyatt Santiago, Marc Lorenz, quiencomenta que la firma est\u00e1 en proceso de lograr la certificaci\u00f3n de Sello Verde y Earthcheck, para complementar sus certificaciones internacionales. Explica que este establecimiento recibe mayoritariamente a turistas “de un alto nivel de exigencias. Personas y familias que acostumbran a viajar a destinos muy espec\u00edficos, principalmente, provenientes desde Estados Unidos, Am\u00e9rica del Sur, Europa y Asia”, y que sus destinos preferidos son Atacama y la Patagonia, para lo que usan a Santiago como ciudad de paso. “Como principio fundamental, los hu\u00e9spedes no deben notar diferencia alguna en la calidad del servicio de cualquier hotel de la cadena, independiente de la parte del mundo en la que se hospeden”, apunta”. Para ello, trabajan muy de la mano con los principales centros de formaci\u00f3n t\u00e9cnica y profesional del \u00e1rea de turismo y hoteler\u00eda para formar personas con esp\u00edritu de servicio acordes con los est\u00e1ndares de la compa\u00f1\u00eda e, incluso, cuentan con un servicio de capacitaci\u00f3n que incluye un \u00e1rea de idiomas con cursos de ingl\u00e9s y portugu\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“La oferta de servicios tur\u00edsticos ya no se basa en el lujo, la cercan\u00eda o el precio. Ahora la experiencia es lo que vale”, enfatiza, por lo que se debe considerar desde el taxi que el turista toma en el aeropuerto hasta las caminatas por los senderos, o las personas con las que comparte. De este modo, se\u00f1ala que “hay que trabajar para que la experiencia del extranjero sea la mejor, independientemente si se trata de un destino tur\u00edstico o no. Para esto, tambi\u00e9n importan medidas como el aumento de la seguridad en el sistema de transporte p\u00fablico, adem\u00e1s de complementar las indicaciones con dos o tres idiomas m\u00e1s”. Esto es necesario, afirma, pues si queremos elevar los est\u00e1ndares de nuestra industria tur\u00edstica, “lo m\u00e1s importante es lograr que el extranjero se sienta c\u00f3modo”.<\/p>\n

Estadounidenses en Chile<\/h4>\n

Seg\u00fan el Sernatur, los estadounidenses disponen de 13 d\u00edas laborales de vacaciones en promedio cada a\u00f1o, con un peak de viajes internacionales en los meses de diciembre, marzo y julio. Tienden a definir sus destinos vacacionales con tres meses de anticipaci\u00f3n, donde predominan pa\u00edses como M\u00e9xico, Canad\u00e1, Puerto Rico, Francia y Reino Unido, y gastan en promedio US$3.127 por viaje. Sin embargo, en Chile esta cifra es inferior a la mitad, s\u00f3lo alcanzando un gasto total individual por US$1.172,1.<\/p>\n

A pesar de esto, dicha cifra es US$9,4 m\u00e1s que el promedio total de divisas que dejan los turistas extranjeros en el pa\u00eds. La Presidenta de la C\u00e1mara Chileno Norteamericana de Comercio (AmCham Chile), Kathleen Barclay, visualiza un espacio de crecimiento “donde el desaf\u00edo es entregar una oferta de servicios que estimule el crecimiento del gasto en Chile”. Es por esto que la c\u00e1mara ha re lanzado su Comit\u00e9 de Turismo, que tendr\u00e1 como principal objetivo crear espacios para transferir buenas pr\u00e1cticas, desarrollar acciones dirigidas a aumentar en forma sostenida los viajeros entre ambos pa\u00edses y promover los beneficios de una mayor integraci\u00f3n de la industria del turismo bilateral, siendo muy activo en la discusi\u00f3n p\u00fablica privada que se est\u00e1 llevando a cabo.<\/p>\n

Esto es muy importante, ya que como se\u00f1ala la Subsecretaria de Turismo, Javiera Montes, Estados Unidos es un mercado clave para la industria tur\u00edstica nacional, cuyos turistas permanecen en Chile un promedio de 15,4 noches y deja un ingreso de divisas por US$ 207,1 millones.<\/p>\n

Entre sus principales motivaciones para viajar est\u00e1n el recorrer atractivos tur\u00edsticos (78%), el shopping (76%), el conocer pueblos y zonas rurales (43%) la alta gastronom\u00eda (41%) y visitar sitios hist\u00f3ricos (40%). Los tur\u00edstas estadounidenses tienden a informarse a trav\u00e9s de aerol\u00edneas (50%), agencias online (31%), agencias de viaje (20%), recomendaciones de familiares y amigos (19%) y departamentos de viajes corporativos (11%). Finalmente, la mayor\u00eda de estos concentra sus llegadas a Chile entre el primer y cuarto trimestre del a\u00f1o -con 32,9% y 28,9% respectivamente- y las principales ciudades estadounidenses emisoras son Miami (17,1%), Nueva York (14,2%) y Los \u00c1ngeles (8,3%).<\/p>\n

The current Government defined tourism as a strategic industry and allocated US$ 100 million to a tourism development fund for the next four years. Tourism is gathering strength in Chile and marketing efforts will be mainly focused on Brazil, Argentina and the United States, with the aim of attracting more and more tourists to be dazzled by this “best-kept secret”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Alejandra Maturana<\/h5>\n

Despite boasting the world’s driest desert,which flowers every September; mystifying star-filled skies declared an astronomy and world heritage site by UNESCO; and a majestic mountain range filled with winding trails, waterfalls and volcanoes that are snow-capped every winter, not so long ago Chile was labelled as tourism’s “best-kept secret” by the World Tourism Organization’s regional director, Carlos Vogeler.<\/p>\n

This has lead President Michelle Bachelet’s administration to set out an agenda to reveal this secret to the world, driving Chile towards becominga world class destination. In order to do so, they have included a Sustainable Tourism Development Plan in their program for<\/p>\n

Innovation, Productivity and Growth. This plan is based on four main pillars: international and domestic promotion of tourism, infrastructure, development of tourism products, and activities to improve the quality of service and training within the industry.
\n In order to finance this plan, the creation of a National Development Fund for Sustainable Tourism was announced in August last year, with US$ 100 million of funding available over the next four years. Furthermore, Corfo also approved a strategic program for assessing and implementing activities that will drive the country forward in terms of sustainability and adventure tourism. In this sense, a collaborative project between the private and public sectors began towards the end of last year. This project will place particular emphasis on the development of national parks, the stimulation of entrepreneurship in tourism, continuous improvement through seals of quality (with a distinction between an “S” for Sustainable Tourism and “Q” for Quality Tourism”), professionalization of services, and the development of areas with high potential for tourism, among others.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Heavy emphasis on SMEs<\/h4>\n

As highlighted by the Minister of Economy, Luis Felipe C\u00e9spedes, one of the country’s main challenges is to diversify its economic output, where tourism can play a major role. “This industry represents almost 2.5% of GDP and has huge potential to grow and expand within our economy, which is why as a Government we are committed to its development”, he stressed, also suggesting that tourism is important for generating employment and wealth, with active participation from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).<\/p>\n

In this sense, for example, the National Tourism Service (Sernatur) has actively promoted several regional initiatives with a look to develop potential local hotspots. One example of this is Puerto Varas, where an agreement was signed recently to bolster sustainable development of recreational fishing, which generates daily profits of between US$ 100 and US$ 700 per tourist. Furthermore, the app CompraPymeTurismo(Buy SME Tourism) was launched recently and serves as a showcase for national tourism. This is added to the creation of an instrument that allows the quality of service for small and medium enterprises to be certified with a seal of quality.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, minister C\u00e9spedes claims that one of the most important points for driving the development of the industry is domestic and international marketing, suggesting that “there’s no point having all this potential if we don’t publicize it” and inviting both the public and private sectors to participate. A 2015-2020 Marketing Plan will therefore be developed and assigned a budget of US$ 2,700,000 for 2015, which will be invested in three priority markets: Brazil, Argentina and the United States.<\/p>\n

According to the non-profitImagen de Chile, 9.7% of articles that referenced Chile during 2014 came from the United States. Of these, only 2% referenced tourism. However, despite this “limited” coverage, Myriam G\u00f3mez, executive director or Imagen de Chile, suggests that “the content of these reports was overwhelmingly positive, as more than half of the articles were favourable and there were no negative comments made”.<\/p>\n

These articles included, for example, the piece “Torres del Paine, postcards from another world in southern Chile” by the New Herald, which highlighted Chile’s southern landscapes, and another which defined San Pedro de Atacama as a place to reflect and relax so as to “regain inner-peace in charming surroundings”. Another noteworthy piece by CNN praised certain culinary traditions such as Magellanic lamb, while an article in USA Today highlighted the city of Valpara\u00edso as being one place in the world where “you can travel through time”.<\/p>\n

The boom of business trips<\/h4>\n

Although 44.8% of U.S. citizens that come to Chile do so for vacations (representing 42.5% of foreign spending on tourism in Chile), 31.6% of visitors come for business.<\/p>\n

According to the director for Chile and Peru from the travel agency Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Sebasti\u00e1n Vicu\u00f1a, business travel to Chile is fundamentally linked to the mining industry. Therefore, visits by foreign executives and technicians often include the need to be taken to mine sites located mainly in the north of the country. However, business tourism doesn’t always follow this dynamic, as visiting executives’ itineraries also include destinations for R&R, which can be achieved in parallel to a business trip or managed separately. In this sense, the preferred destinations for this type of tourist include San Pedro de Atacama, Easter Island, exclusive fly-fishing lodges in the South of Chile, cruises through the southern channels and the Torres del Paine national park.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_voceros_1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To accommodate this, claims Vicu\u00f1a, the tourism industry in Chile has started to adapt to these new demands by opening new hotels with meeting rooms and salons, mainly lead by international chains based in Santiago. This is matched by the city’s restaurant and after-office scene, which “enjoy the high standards that meet the demands of businessmen”, although he stresses that the level of English is still very low and that the level of service in the regions needs to continue to improve.<\/p>\n

These are precisely two key elements that are included in the Government-backed strategic plan. The Deputy Minister for Tourism, Javiera Montes, has been emphatic in stressing that the country will look to diversify and strengthen tourism in the regions, while also driving niche attractions \u2013 such as fly fishing and certain water sports \u2013 in different parts of the country. <\/p>\n

\"Foto_voceros_2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the senior International Trade Specialist and Global Travel & Tourism Leader from the U.S. Commercial Service, Anastasia Xenias, highlights the importance of developing human capital specialized in these areas. She points to numerous programs in the United States that offer degrees in travel and tourism from prestigious institutions such as the University of New York and Cornell University, as well as post-graduate diplomas and certificates offered by the private sector through trade associations.
\n “Travel and tourism is an important part of the economy in the United States and represents 25% of service exports, as well as between 7% and 8% of total annual exports (including products)”, she says.<\/p>\n

World class service<\/h4>\n

The Sheraton Santiago Hotel & Convention Center \u2013 which belongs to the international chain Starwood Hotels& Resorts Worldwide, together with firms such as W Hotels and The Luxury Collection \u2013 mostly receives corporate clients and participants from congresses and meetings, whose characteristics and preferences are identified through the “Starwood Preferred Guest” (SPG) loyalty program, allowing the chain to provide a personalized service. <\/p>\n

\"Foto_4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The establishment has international certification for its service, quality and safety, all of which are monitored by the international company LRA Worldwide and, in an effort to support tourism in Chile, the hotel applied for certification under Sernatur’s Quality Tourism regulations in 2012, “becoming the first international 5 star hotel to receive this certification”, highlights their sales manager in Chile, Alejandro Larrondo.<\/p>\n

According to his experience, Larrondo explains that foreign tourists are looking to discover new storiesfrom the local culture, improved connectivity and enriching experiences, with it becoming more and more important to focus on delivering a specialized service. This view is shared by the general manager of the Grand Hyatt, Marc Lorenz, who explains that the business is in the process of receiving their Green Seal and Eartcheck certifications, to go along with their other international certifications. He explains that the hotel mostly receives tourists that are “highly demanding. People and families that are accustomed to traveling to very specific destinations and mostly come from the United States, South America, Europe and Asia”, and that their favoured destinations are the Atacama desert and Patagonia, using Santiago as a hub. “As a fundamental principle, guests shouldn’t notice any differences in the quality of service at any of the chain’s hotels, regardless of wherever in the world they’re staying”, he says. To achieve this, they work closely with the main technical and professional training centres that specialize in tourism and hospitality so as to develop individuals with a level of service that is in line with the company’s standards.In addition to this, they also have a training department that offers language courses in English and Portuguese.<\/p>\n

\"Foto_5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Tourism services are no longer based on luxury, familiarity or price. Now it’s all about experiences”, stresses Lorenz, which includes the taxi that the tourist takes from the airport, to the walks they take along trails, or the people they spend time with. In this sense, he suggests that “we have to work hard so that the visitor has the best possible experience, regardless of whether they’re visiting a tourist destination or not. To achieve this, measures such as improving safety on public transport are also important, as well as providing instructions in two or three more languages”. This is essential, he suggests, because if we want to improve the standard of our tourism industry “the most important thing is to make sure the visitor feels comfortable”. <\/p>\n

U.S. citizens in Chile<\/h4>\n

According to Sernatur, U.S. citizens have on average 13 working days’ holiday each year, with the peak for international travel coming in the months of December, March and July. Tourists tend to choose their holiday destination three months in advance, with the favourite destinations being Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, France and the UK, and spend an average of US$ 3,127 per trip. However, in Chile this figure is less than half, with individual spending only reaching US$ 1,172.<\/p>\n

Despite this, said figure is US$ 9.4 more than other foreign tourists spend on average in Chile. The President of AmCham Chile, Kathleen Barclay, sees room for growth, “where the challenge lies in delivering services that stimulate a growth in spending in Chile”. For this reason, the Chamber has re-launched its Tourism Committee, with the main objective of creating opportunities to share best practice, carry out activities that look for sustained growth in the number of travellers between the two countries, and promote the benefits of having a more integrated, bilateral tourism industry. In order to do so, the Committee will be very active in the public-private debate that is currently taking place.<\/p>\n

This is very important because, as the Deputy Minister for Tourism, Javier Montes, points out, the United States is a key market for the local tourism industry, as their tourists stay an average of 15.4 nights in Chile and spend a total of US$ 207.1 million per year.<\/p>\n

Their main motivations for travelling to Chile include visiting tourist attractions (78%), shopping (76%), getting to know rural towns and areas (43%), haute cuisine (41%), and visiting historical sites (40%). U.S. tourists tend to get their information from airlines (50%), online travel agencies (31%), traditional travel agencies (20%), recommendations from friends and family (19%), and corporate travel departments (11%). Finally, the majority of visits come in the first and fourth quarters of the year \u2013 32.9% and 28.9%, respectively \u2013 and the main launching points for these trips in the U.S. are Miami (17.1%), New York (14.2%) and Los Angeles (8.3%).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

El actual Gobierno lo defini\u00f3 como un sector estrat\u00e9gico y destin\u00f3 US$100 millones a un fondo para su desarrollo por los pr\u00f3ximos cuatro a\u00f1os. El turismo toma fuerza en Chile, y tendr\u00e1 como principales mercados de promoci\u00f3n a Brasil, Argentina, y Estados Unidos, a fin de atraer cada vez a m\u00e1s turistas que se deslumbren […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","news_tax":[],"user_type":[],"class_list":["post-9080","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChile prepara el despegue de su industria tur\u00edsticaChile prepares for its tourism industry to take off - AmCham Chile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/amchamchile.cl\/noticia\/chile-prepara-el-despegue-de-su-industria-turistica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chile prepara el despegue de su industria tur\u00edsticaChile prepares for its tourism industry to take off - AmCham Chile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"El actual Gobierno lo defini\u00f3 como un sector estrat\u00e9gico y destin\u00f3 US$100 millones a un fondo para su desarrollo por los pr\u00f3ximos cuatro a\u00f1os. 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