MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean tourism industry recovering.

After two successive negative summer seasons the number of tourists visiting Chile during the first quarter of 2003 increased 2,7% over the same period in 2002 according to the latest release from the Chilean National Tourism Service. The increase represented a 5% expansion in income equivalent to 20 million US dollars.

"We can confirm that the foreign tourists falling tendency has reverted", said Mr. Oscar Santelices head of the Tourist Office adding that this has been achieved by "diversification, attracting tourists from other countries diminishing our dependency from Argentina".

The Argentine crisis had a direct impact in the Chilean industry when the number of tourists from that country dropped 20% in 2002 and 30% in 2001.

Faced with the situation Chilean authorities launched an aggressive international campaign to attract tourism and in the first quarter of 2003, the number of tourists from Europe, (Germany, Spain, France, Britain, Switzerland, Sweden and Holland) jumped 37,6%, plus the fact that Europeans spend an average daily of 80/100 US dollars compared to the 20 US dollars of the Argentines.

"We are now less mono dependent from Argentina, and our overseas campaign will continue, emphasizing on the natural contrasts of our 4,000 kilometers long territory with desert, sea, mountains, Patagonia, Antarctica", stressed Mr. Santelices.

Tourists from Asia increased 17,3%; from Nafta countries (US, Canada and Mexico) 9% and from Oceania 88%.

However the number of Chileans travelling overseas jumped 35%, attracted mainly by the weak currencies of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.