#EligeChile: the campaign encouraging Chileans to travel around the country and reactivate the economy
In partnership with the Economy Ministry, the Tourism Undersecretary and the National Tourism Service (Sernatur) have announced an initiative to encourage Chilean tourists to favor domestic destinations.
This Tuesday, the economy and tourism authorities launched an initiative that aims to encourage Chileans to choose domestic destinations as a way of contributing towards reactivating local tourism. #EligeChile (Choose Chile) is the name of the campaign promoting domestic tourism, which will last until February 28.
Nearly one million Chileans typically leave the country during summer vacation and so Chile’s authorities are issuing a call to people to choose to travel within Chile this summer. As Economy Minister Lucas Palacios noted, “this change in trend will help reactivate our economy and help our tourism-related small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have been strongly impacted by the acts of violence.”
As an example, Minister Palacios said that “when Chileans travel outside of Chile, they spend an average of Ch$52,000 a day. If we spend that amount, or even less given the current situation, in our own country and with our SMEs we will be contributing to reactivating Chile’s economy”
#EligeChile
Since the tourism industry is particularly sensitive to events like those experienced in Chile in recent weeks, the Tourism Undersecretary and Sernatur have launched the #EligeChile promotional campaign, which is just a call to all Chileans to favor Chile’s own beautiful destinations for their summer vacation and weekend getaways in order to help the thousands of SMEs that have been impacted by recent events.
Tourism Undersecretary Mónica Zalaquett noted that “in the first quarter, one million Chileans went on vacation abroad, and spent more than US$600 million outside Chile. We are inviting them to connect with Chile this year; to travel to northern or southern Chile. There are entrepreneurs with innovative services on offer who have put their dreams into tourism-related SMEs and they need us now.”
One important factor that this campaign targets is the industry’s high interest in urgently reactivating tourism at Chilean destinations as high season approaches, thereby helping to offset the impact that the country’s situation could continue to have on local tourism and tourism entrepreneurs.
“This campaign is among the actions we are promoting to support not only Chilean tourism destinations, but also and very importantly, the around 95,000 tourism SMEs in Chile that now more than ever need to promote themselves and reactivate their business,” said Andrea Wolleter, Sernatur National Director.
Chile has fantastic tourism destinations, with impressive and diverse nature and delicious cuisine. People can enjoy them along with their families and friends while at the same time helping the thousands of tourism sector SMEs that have been so strongly impacted by the situation in Chile. Thus, the call to choose Chile, #EligeChile, seeks to encourage action that is sensitive to and aligned with the situation currently facing the country and the industry.