MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian tourists captivated by Chile’s ski slopes and vineyards

However for the merry Brazilians Santiago is a “destination for older people”

A new tourism review shows that Brazilians love Chile’s ski slopes and vineyards, but say that national flights are expensive and inflexible.

They consider Chile safe, stable, and friendly, but consider Santiago a “destination for older people” because of a comparative lack of nightlife. However, Santiago’s proximity to vineyards, ski slopes, Valparaiso, and Viña del Mar make it the number-one destination for Brazilians.
Overall, Brazilians consider tourism in Chile a “guaranteed product.”

The study, presented this week by Chile’s Tourism Chile and the National Economic Development Agency (CORFO), reviewed the results of a qualitative survey of 30 tour operators and a quantitative survey of the Brazilian public.

The study contained a number of recommendations to improve the tourism industry.

At the moment, Brazilian tourism surges in the winter for ski slopes and in the summer for most other locations. Tour organizers say that because of Chile’s varied geography, it could be an attractive tourist destination year-round. The study attributed the “reduced seasonality” to a lack of “consolidated information” about what Chile has to offer.

A lack of information or even misinformation was also identified as a key factor in the relatively low percentage of Brazilian tourists in Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, and the Chilean Antarctica. Chile also faces competition from Argentinean Patagonia, which is considered by the Brazilians in the study as more easily accessible.

According to a report in La Tercera, every year more than 200,000 Brazilians come to Chile. Valeria González, head of the Latin American department of Tourism Chile commented that the study was carried out because Brazil is the “second most important [tourism market] for Chile.” Brazil especially stands out on the ski slopes.

Between 50 and 95% of this year’s ski bookings are Brazilian tourists.

Tourism is not only a large industry in Chile, but a growing industry. Last year Chile’s tourism industry generated nearly 10 billion USD (about 3.5% of Chile’s GDP) and employed an estimated 200,000 people.

Matías Evans of the Andes Hostel in Santiago agreed with many of the survey’s findings. The hostel receives many Brazilians every year, and Evans said that the tourists frequently comment that Santiago is “clean, and orderly, with good public services.”

The most common outings are to vineyards and ski slopes, with not many trips to the north or the extreme south. With regards to Santiago’s nightlife, he was unsurprised, saying that in Santiago, the nightlife only goes until four or five in the morning, which seems early to “carnivalesque” Brazilians.

By Benjamin Schneider – Santiago Times