“If it’s made in Chile, then it’s OK”

With a slogan reading Back to the Origins, the National Tourism Service (Sernatur) has kicked off a campaign aimed at boosting domestic tourism that this time around is urging Chileans to stay home for the Holy Week.

Sernatur’s national director Oscar Santelices explained the initiative embraces a number of actions to be conducted in the calendar’s red-letter days: Holy Week, wintertime seasons, homeland celebrations and summer vacations.

Mr. Santelices called on tourist entrepreneurs to join the efforts made by the public sector by designing and hashing out specific travel packages with luring and competitive offers for Chileans.

He recalled the leisure industry is going through a situation that could turn out gainful since the war in Iraq and SARS have generated shifting tourist flows all around the globe and lots of travelers are now swerving to Latin America.

In addition, the aforesaid situation has been driving a wedge in Chileans’ traveling overseas, especially in those who were bound to fly to Asia and the U.S.

In that respect, Mr. Santelices said the government is aware of the situation and has consequently stepped up advertisement of the nation’s image both inside and out.

In his opinion, those are concrete measures contained within the service’s perks that include the Holy Week blitz, promotional efforts targeting Spanish and German end users, and the opening of tourism offices overseas.

Advertisement actions began to pay off during the 2003 summertime season as the numbers of international tourists reached unprecedented figures despite the Argentines’ downturn. The situation served to prove right the assertion that European, U.S. and Asian travelers spend twice as much money as Trans-Andean trekkers.

As far as Chileans flying overseas –an index that climbed dramatically- Mr. Santelices made clear a vacation package in Chile is pricier than in other destinations such as Argentina and Brazil, and that explains why local tourists lean to those countries for budgetary reasons.

The only way to counteract that situation –he added- is by having the private sector deliver attractive and affordable offers for everyone.

Mr. Santelices went on to say the campaign’s objective is to jack up domestic tourism in key dates of the national calendar and forward the use of tourist services available all along the country.