MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

Headlines:
New airline will fly to Punta Arenas; High season extends to April; Sustainable tourism in Patagonia; Preparing for the next cruise season.

New airline will fly to Punta Arenas

The Spanish tourism corporation Marsans, who control Argentine flag carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas will begin operating in Chile with Aerolíneas del Sur in the coming three months announced Aerolíneas CEO Antonio Mata in Santiago. "Aerolíneas Argentinas will arrive in Chile as Aerolíneas del Sur, with Chilean pilots, staff, stewardesses, ground crew; it will be a Chilean company", said Mr. Mata adding that the launching of the enterprise will demand an investment of ten million US dollars and five aircraft including a Boeing Jumbo. "We've concluded all the documentation process so now we have to wait", said Mr. Mata who insisted in the "all Chilean" personnel contracting policy. The four starting domestic destinations of Aerolíneas del Sur will be Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas. Regarding international routes Mr. Mata said Europe and United States will be top of the list followed by Polynesia and Australia, "and as we consolidate we'll think about Asian destinations". Mr. Mata was quick to point out that "it's not in the company's interest to be involved in a rates war" with domestic airlines LanChile, Lan Express and Sky Airlines which virtually dominate the whole Chilean market. Lan Express concentrated 69,6% of Chile's domestic market followed by Sky Airlines with 16,9% and Lan Chile 12,8%. "We'll integrate to the Chilean market with all its advantages and its disadvantages", underlined Mr. Mata. AA CEO revealed that the Chilean operation is part of a greater project that includes having subsidiaries in Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay. The Spanish corporation Marsans has an annul turnover of two billion US dollars and is involved in the tourist industry of Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina. Some of the group's outstanding subsidiaries are the travel agency Viajes Marsans, Spanair, Air Plus Comet S.A., created in 1996 and fully dedicated to charter flights. In October 2001 Air Plus Comet took control of Aerolíneas Argentinas and in two years, with the assistance of the equivalent of the Spanish Development Corporation, turned the deficit plagued former Argentine government airline into a profitable company.

High season extends to April

Tourist keep arriving and reservations for the rest of April in Punta Arenas are very encouraging, according to Jorge Norambuena, president of the Austro-Chile Tourism Chamber. "Historically it's not the case, but tourists keep coming", said Mr. Norambuena, and "I believe this is the result of an important promotion campaign in Europe; for next August/September we have an exceptional number of reservations mainly from Spain". Mr. Norambuena said this is the third running year of the promotion campaign in Europe and now "for low season we're planning to target the Latinamerican market which has less available funds but also feel attracted towards Chilean Patagonia". Roberto Movillo president of the local Hotels and Gastronomy Association coincided in that "March has been unexpectedly superior to other seasons, and April is promising significantly with the long Easter holiday". Mr. Movillo also attributed the successful extension of the high season to the Chilean Patagonia promotion campaign overseas. "For example last winter I visited Spain and all public transport buses had a big "Visit Chilean Patagonia" stamped on them, and this resulted in a greater influx of Spanish tourists, almost double the previous season", remarked Mr. Movillo. Even when admitting the favourable exchange rate for Europeans, Mr. Movillo revealed that the "new" European tourists are "middle middle class", with relative average income, given their jobs. However "I believe we've found an interesting gap to keep advancing and we must keep the accelerator down, more investment and more promotion".

Sustainable tourism in Patagonia

Wildlife tourism, which is the main attraction of the Magallanes region, will experience a robust 13% growth in the next ten years, according to an official report from the Chilean Development Corporation titled "Sustainable tourism in austral Patagonia". The report also indicates that in the last five years the arrival of visitors to Chilean Patagonia increased an average 8% annually and is forecasted to expand an average 10,5% in the next five years. As to the positive aspects of the 2003 season, the report points out to the "quality tourist supply" and the coordinated efforts of the private and public sectors. And regarding aspects to improve: staff training, services standardization and diversification of products. Increasing tourist stay from an average 3,6 days to 4,5 days is one of the main targets for the coming five years, which will demand investments equivalent to 13 million US dollars with the creation of 906 new jobs. Sustainable tourism closely linked to conservation and protection of the existing wildlife is paramount in the report as is the development of other alternatives such as: eco-tourism, special interest tourism; adventure and navigation tourism. Austral Patagonia is divided into six main macro areas: Patagonia channels, Torres del Paine Park, Magellan Strait, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn and Antarctica. According to the report there are 388 tourism related businesses registered in Austral Patagonia.

Preparing for the next cruise season

Seventy cruise vessels called in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales during the 2003/04 season, according to Leonardo Castex, president of the Magallanes Maritime Chamber. Although the number is considered a historic average, there's encouraging information about the next season. "We're optimistic about the future; operators have anticipated the number of cruises calling will increase" is quoted Mr. Castex in La Prensa Austral. "Overall services and safety conditions are considered positive, even when we have a cost problem with tugs, boats and additional services when climatic conditions are adverse", admitted Mr. Castex. However the greatest challenge will be the security measures demanded by the United States government which include among others X rays, cameras, exclusive areas for passengers, strict port access control. "Ports that don't comply with these minimum demands will not be allowed to passenger vessels", said Mr. Castex.