The Undersecretary of Tourism of the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism of Chile published the monthly report of the Tourism Barometer in January 2021. The report presented the sector’s main data and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s tourism industry.
According to the report, 1.2 million foreign tourist arrivals were recorded last year. This figure reflects that fact that the national borders closed to foreigners between March 18 and November 23, a period in which the entry of foreigners for tourism reasons was equivalent to zero.
Foreign tourist arrivals decreased by 75.1% compared to the previous year. 3.395.104 fewer visitors arrived in the country than in 2019.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, José Luis Uriarte, commented: “The drop in the number of foreign tourists was expected, given the state of health globally. The Chilean figures are in line with what has already happened in the world regarding international travel. According to the World Tourism Organization, the drop reached 74%. We hope that the massive start of vaccination in most countries will promote a gradual recovery of tourism activity.”
According to the Barometer, as of November 2020, foreign tourist arrivals in Chile are clearly showing a gradual recovery, due to the opening of the air border only through Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in the last week of November. As such, during December 2020, 35.862 foreign tourists entered the country, a figure that represents a 91.7% reduction compared to the same month in 2019.