The Economy Minister explained that the initiative seeks to diversify tourism infrastructure in Chile and to boost the growth of the nine regions where the opportunities are located.

• Local and foreign investors can obtain information about the state land for tourism projects by visiting www.invierteturismo.cl.

In a bid to foster the development of tourism in Chile, the Minister of Economy, Economic Development and Tourism, Luis Felipe Céspedes, and the Minister of State Properties, Víctor Osorio, presented a map of opportunities for local and overseas businesspeople to invest in sustainable tourism projects on state land.

At the event, attended by over 100 private investors, Minister Céspedes explained that, in this first stage, 27 sustainable tourism investment projects had been identified, involving an estimated investment of some US$32 million and an estimated area of 54,979 hectares.

“Tourism is a strategic sector for the growth of our economy and, for that reason, our government has made efforts in terms of promotion and infrastructure and now we are seeking to boost investment through the Invest Tourism program,” said Céspedes.

He added that, thanks to this initiative, Chile will be able to diversify and expand its facilities for tourism and, in this way, generate more dynamism and growth in the country’s different regions.

The investment opportunities were identified jointly by the Ministry of Economy, Economic Development and Tourism, the Ministry of State Properties, the Undersecretariat for Tourism,  InvestChile, SERNATUR and CORFO. The aim is for local and foreign investors to develop sustainable tourism projects on state land, details of which can be found on www.invierteturismo.cl.

As regards the application mechanism, the Minister Osorio explained that “the state land will be made available to investors in the form of concessions to those who comply with its potential for the development of tourism projects.”

The concessions will be for at least 30 years and will be subject to an annual concession fee. Chilean and foreign individuals and legal entities will be eligible to apply.

The Undersecretary for Tourism, Javiera Montes, noted that “through this map of opportunities in tourism, we are contributing to the diversification of experiences and the development of destinations that are key pillars of the National Plan for the Development of Sustainable Tourism.” She added that “the increase in arrivals of overseas tourists and the growth of domestic tourism call for the development of new destinations, focusing principally on nature tourism.”

Finally, the Director of InvestChile, Carlos Álvarez, pointed out that “tourism is one of the sectors where foreign investment can make a difference. In this sense, the opportunities presented in this map for tourism investment are a concrete example of the openings that our regions offer for investors who seek unparalleled landscapes for the development of sustainable projects.”

Why invest in the development of sustainable tourism projects?

Minister Céspedes underlined that the tourism industry in Chile has been growing in recent years in terms of both the number of arrivals and revenues.

“In the ten years to 2015, the number of overseas visitors to Chile grew by 116%, which implies an average annual growth rate of 8.0%,” he indicated.

He added that nature, landscapes and flora and fauna were what attracted 51% of overseas tourists visiting Chile in 2015. “That is a sign of the potential for this type of tourism and of the need to develop it so that more visitors, both Chilean and from overseas, can enjoy the beautiful natural heritage that Chile offers.”

 INVEST TOURISM BROCHURE – Click here to download the opportunities presented.