Chile Tourism in the economy Tourism in Chile has experienced a sustained rise in recent years and has become one of the sectors delivering the fastest growth and employment generation. It has been estimated that tourism is directly responsible for 3.2% of Chile s GDP and 4.1% of employment. Inbound tourism has increased by more than 100% in the last 10 years, moving from 1.8 million in 2004 to more than 3.6 million in 2014. In 2015, figures are even better, with an average increase in inbound tourism of 20.2%. Main markets are Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and the United States. Domestic tourism flows have also increased in recent years, and with a 10% rise in the last four years have reached nearly 23 million trips. Domestic receipts account for an estimated of USD 4.8 million, while inbound tourism accounts for USD 3.1 million (including visitors and international transport). Tourism governance and funding Tourism in Chile is under the responsibility of the Under Secretary for Tourism within the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism. The Under Secretary, together with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Tourism and the Consultative Council for Tourism Development, is in charge of defining and implementing the national tourism policy and strategies. Their responsibility is to encourage the development of the sector, encourage investment, create jobs, reduce tourism seasonality and further promote decentralisation. The National Tourism Service (SERNATUR) has the responsibility of executing tourism policy and strategies. Regional government together with the Regional Offices of the Tourism Service can promote and develop tourism-related activities in their respective regions. Tourism initiatives have to compete for the regional budget with other sectors. The budget of the National Tourism Service was USD 37.6 million in 2015, up from USD 34.5 million in 2014. In 2015 the Under Secretary for Tourism was for the first time provided with a budget for supporting short, medium and long term actions to implement the National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2014-18. This budget amounts to USD 100 million. This new budget allocation stems from the Agenda for Productivity, Innovation and Growth 2015-18 which sets a path for the transformation of the economy. The regular budget 144
Chile: Organisational chart of tourism bodies Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism Inter-Ministerial Committee on Tourism Undersecretary of Tourism Consultative Council for Tourism Development National Tourism Service (SERNATUR) Source: OECD, adapted from the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, 2016. (for operation purposes) more than doubled from 2014 to 2015, moving from 0.75 million in 2014 to almost 1.5 million in 2015. Tourism Policies and programmes Chile has a great natural heritage and valuable cultural resources. Its legal and regulatory environment is conducive to the development of tourism, with an open economy, bilateral air service agreements and visa requirements with few restrictions. It also has an adequate level of security and improved tourism infrastructure. The challenge is to gain more benefit from this potential. Main priorities for Chile are to promote sustainable development of the sector through actions in prioritised destinations, to increase recognition of tourism as an important economic sector and to improve the competitive position of Chile. Specific goals to achieve are to: develop new and innovative tourism experiences, considering cultural and identity elements, encourage more Chileans to travel, know and enjoy Chile, capture more value from tourism, through actions to improve the offer and promotion in prioritised international markets, strengthen the sustainable development of destinations, from an integrated territorial approach that promotes the engagement of local and regional actors. Tourism has been recognised in the overall Government Programme 2014-18 as not only an economic activity whose importance has grown over time, but also has features that make its promotion a target of great public interest as it contributes to build national and regional identity, generates local development even in the more remote areas, creates related economic activity, contributes to the protection of natural resources and promotes cultural exchange. The National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2014-18 has been partly based on a process of territorial assessment, which identified and classified 84 tourism destinations according to their state of development. This was complemented by the identification of gaps that affect tourism competitiveness in each destination, leading to the prioritisation of different lines of action. 145
Chile s National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2014-18 The National Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development 2014-18 embraces a number of transversal principles including sustainability, territorial focus, inclusion and equity, and encouraging joint action. These principles are reflected in actions that address the following objectives: National and International Promotion. Increasing and spreading international and domestic tourism in Chile, including foreign exchange earnings and contribution to economic activity. The implementation of promotional activities in international and domestic markets. Strengthening existing tourism intelligence to enable better marketing decisions. Development of Destinations. Articulation and implementation of action plans for the development of public and private infrastructure. Bringing together stakeholders to strengthen public-private management and enhancement of destinations. Implementing actions that cover competitiveness gaps in tourist destinations. Promoting sustainable development in Areas of Tourist Interest. Diversification of Experiences. Promotion of sustainable tourism in protected areas, through enhancement of natural and cultural heritage and delivery of high quality products and services. Design and implementation of basic infrastructure. Development of different themes and facilitation of access by different market segments. Increasing demand in the low season. Simplification of regulations. Strengthening quality and human capital. Promotion of certification of services and people. Improving skills and employment conditions. Improving the relevance and quality of training. Provision of guidelines and tools. Promotion and assessment of quality certification and sustainability protocols. Encourage domestic tourism with an inclusive approach. Promoting access to tourism to Chilean vulnerable families, with emphasis on women heads of household, through a co-funded Family Tourism programme at different times of the year. To help reduce the seasonality of the occupation of accommodation establishments through two programmes Study Tour and Senior Holidays. 146
Statistical profile Table 1. Chile: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND Domestic tourism Total domestic trips.......... Overnight visitors (tourists).. 20 740 20 506 21 531 e 22 823 e Same-day visitors (excursionists).......... Nights in all types of accommodation.. 132 883 128 105 134 510 e 142 580 e Hotels and similar establishments.......... Specialised establishments.......... Other collective establishments.......... Private accommodation.......... Inbound tourism Total international arrivals 3 584 3 963 4 397 4 457 4 601 Overnight visitors (tourists) 2 801 3 137 3 554 3 576 3 674 Same-day visitors (excursionists) 784 826 843 881 926 Top markets Argentina 1 001 1 119 1 378 1 363 1 326 Brazil 229 325 374 362 408 Bolivia 307 321 356 384 395 Peru 309 339 338 331 344 United States 143 152 158 154 162 Nights in all types of accommodation.......... Hotels and similar establishments.......... Specialised establishments.......... Other collective establishments.......... Private accommodation.......... Outbound tourism Total international departures 2 737 3 223 3 448 3 674 3 841 Overnight visitors (tourists) 2 219 2 638 2 837 2 999 3 169 Same-day visitors (excursionists) 519 586 611 675 673 Top destinations Argentina 1 086 1 137 1 180 1 225 1 275 Peru 539 727 785 861 858 United States 149 169 182 198 225 Brazil 126 156 169 176 197 Spain 43 56 46 42 54 TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, MILLION USD Inbound tourism Total international receipts 2 422 2 751 3 114 3 144 3 134 International travel receipts 1 645 1 889 2 150 2 181 2 252 International passenger transport receipts 777 862 964 963 882 Outbound tourism Total international expenditure 1 808 2 047 2 400 2 435 2 775 International travel expenditure 1 383 1 624 1 833 1 867 2 136 International passenger transport expenditure 425 423 567 568 640.. Not available; e Estimated value Disclaimer: http://oe.cd/disclaimer Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database). 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933319779 147
.. Not available; p Provisional data Disclaimer: http://oe.cd/disclaimer 1. Data refer to number of enterprises. 2. Data refer to number of employees. Table 2. Chile: Enterprises and employment in tourism Number of establishments 1 Number of persons employed 2 2013 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total............ Tourism industries 45 367 p 294 861 314 313 348 314 354 962.. Accommodation services for visitors............ Hotels and similar establishments 10 188 57 942 67 811 75 233 74 862.. Food and beverage serving industry 24 907 136 400 146 225 153 835 161 516.. Passenger transport 3 754 39 440 40 829 50 808 50 234.. Air passenger transport 191 14 152 16 008 17 070 16 781.. Railways passenger transport 27 3 542 2 779 2 335 2 045.. Road passenger transport 3 228 17 292 17 724 26 743 27 635.. Water passenger transport 308 4 454 4 318 4 660 3 773.. Passenger transport supporting services............ Transport equipment rental.. 20 023 18 839 22 177 19 298.. Travel agencies and other reservation services industry 1 442 7 991 8 293 7 987 7 835.. Cultural industry 93 1 083 1 188 1 052 3 086.. Sports and recreation industry............ Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods 4 956 2 031 2 269 3 340 3 631.. Other country-specific tourism industries 27 29 951 28 859 33 882 34 500.. Other industries............ Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database). 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933319788 148
From: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016 Access the complete publication at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/tour-2016-en Please cite this chapter as: OECD (2016), Chile, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/tour-2016-12-en This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to rights@oecd.org. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at info@copyright.com or the Centre français d exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at contact@cfcopies.com.