The loss of tourists from the neighboring country can not be offset by the rise in Brazilian, European and American visitors coming to Chile.
Despite the significant international awards that Chile has received for its activities in the tourism industry, the truth is that numbers continue to drop. Moreover, the government awaits tourism decline in the summer season.
Figures released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), which revealed more than a 5% drop in overnight stays during December 2018, follow the forecasts from the Undersecretary of Tourism.
The government expects that around 2,366,160 tourists will visit Chile during this year’s summer season, which suggests a strong 16.8% decline in comparison to last’s year performance.
This tourism decline is explained by a considerable 40% drop that, according to estimates of the Undersecretary, will experience the country in arrival of Argentine visitors, worsening what happened last year, when figures decreased by 28% due to the devaluation of the Argentine peso.
The loss can not be offset by the increase expected in Brazilian (5.4%), European (6.5%) and American (7.45) visitors.
According to the Undersecretary of Tourism, the decrease in number of visits is in line with the occupancy rate of hotels and other establishments. This rate showed a decline of 5.7 percentage points, dropping to 57.9% in a group of 48 tourist destinations for the last week of January.