"We want to foster the growth of economically viable tourism, but also environmentally responsible and socially fairer" is the strategic vision declared by the national director(s) of Sernatur, Beatriz Román, in the face of the challenges facing tourism for the year 2023, where it becomes relevant to accelerate the transformation processes to consolidate a tourism developed under sustainable and inclusive criteria.
And it is that Chile is rapidly advancing to be one of the leaders, not only in the continent but worldwide, in terms of tools to promote the provision of sustainable tourism services. This was verified by the director of Sernatur in her participation as an exponent at the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference (GSTC) 2022, which took place from December 12 to 15 in the city of Seville, Spain. There, more than 350 leaders from 60 countries and experts in this field exchanged experiences and agreed on the actions that are key to triggering disruptive changes in the sector.
Regarding the instruments to direct the tourist offer on the path of sustainability, Sernatur, together with the associative work with various public and private organizations, such as the Transforma Turismo de Corfo, has made a wide range available for tourist services and destinations. .
As he explains, “we constantly deliver free courses on tourism sustainability in e-learning modality, in which more than two thousand entrepreneurs have already participated. We have also created seven orientation and guide manuals to apply sustainability in the different tourism subsectors, an interactive guide to improve eco-efficiency in tourist accommodation and we will soon launch a circular economy tool that will allow evaluating the type of sustainable practices that the provider is implementing and its level of application”.
Looking at the general panorama presented to us by the GSTC summit, it is possible to point out that Chile is in a very good scenario and is leading the process of sustainable certification in tourism thanks to the S Seal and the Certificate of Sustainable Commitment. “After two years of restrictions on tourism due to the pandemic, we also have a tremendous opportunity to reactivate activity, differentiating ourselves through sustainability and enhancing our comparative advantages in these matters. Today, more than ever, we must accelerate this transformation process to position Chile and its destinations as leaders in the development of tourism under sustainable and inclusive criteria," says the tourism authority.
A new tourist, a new demand to meet
Román reveals that, according to Booking figures, 83% want to live at least once a stay in an eco-lodge, while 81% declare sustainability a priority in their future trips. And there is a consensus that the new profile of the traveler seeks more sustainable experiences, both services and destinations, above all that make the identity of the place visible.
In this scenario, therefore, sustainable distinctions become relevant. In Chile, the way tourists have to identify the offer of sustainable tourism services is through the Sustainable Commitment Certificate distinction, which is adhered to by those providers who are beginning their journey towards sustainability and declare their good practices. Currently, there are 374 throughout the country.