MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile joins Latam whale and dolphin watching tourism

Whale and dolphin watching

Whales and dolphins are making the tourism market boom, particularly in Chile, where tourism is becoming a key factor of Chile's economic development strategy. More than one million tourists enjoyed viewing cetacean species in Latin America this past year, industry sources report.

The whale-watching craze really started in 1998 in Argentina, when whale research and observation activities began to develop in the southern province of Chubut. Argentina, Brazil and Mexico are the Latin American countries which have most profited from whale tourism, and Chile has now decided to join in the lucrative activity. Meanwhile, activists are calling on Chile's government to take an active role in protecting cetaceans. "We are waiting for the Congress to vote on a bill that would make Chile's coast a whale sanctuary," said a spokeswoman for the Center for Cetacean Conservation (CCC), an environmental NGO committed to protecting the numerous species of whales and dolphins that occupy Chilean waters. "The text was the initiative of many environmental NGOs, and President Bachelet gave her support to the bill in June." Whale tourism is on the rise at a time when Chile is focusing on expanding its tourism industry. Chile welcomed 2.5 million tourists in 2007 – generating US$1.8 billion in sales – up by 11.3 percent in comparison with 2006. Tourism also creates around 200,000 jobs. Encouraged by these figures, the government plans to significantly boost tourism, hoping to welcome 4 million tourists and to cash in between US$2.7 and US$4 billion for the year 2012. Earlier this week, President Michelle Bachelet and Chilean Economy Minister Hugo Lavados jointly launched a Special Interests Tourism Cluster in northern Chile. This is an initiative by Chile's government and private corporations to foster tourism in northern Chile. US$147 million has been invested in the cluster. "We want to promote tourism in Chile to foreign markets and to improve the different kinds of tourist activities and products we offer," said Lavados. "Thus, we expect to increase our tourism workforce and to generate synergy and solidarity within Chile's tourism industry." The Santiago Times