The Undersecretariat of Tourism and Sernatur announced positive projections for the upcoming long weekend of Fiestas Patrias, which will run from September 17 to 21. According to data provided by the Studies and Statistics Unit of both institutions, more than 2,046,845 trips are expected to be made, which represents an increase of 5.2% compared to 2023 and 20.5% compared to 2019.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, Verónica Pardo, highlighted the positive impact of these figures for the tourism sector: “It is good news for the industry. We want Chileans to know our country, because you cannot love or care for what you do not know; therefore, we invite you to be tourists in each of the destinations. More than two million trips is a significant figure and the reactivation of domestic tourism is essential.”
In addition, the Undersecretary added that “2024 has arrived with good news: so far this year we have already reached 64% of the total arrivals for 2023. With this, we can say that we have already recovered the pre-pandemic figures and now we are focused on continuing to increase those numbers. In this regard, the Tourism Reactivation bill, which should begin to be reviewed in the Senate, is a priority, considering that with this we could have one million more tourists each year.”
Main regions of origin and destination
The 2024 Fiestas Patrias are a special opportunity to travel around Chile, considering the five days of rest that could easily be extended for up to a week. For this reason, Sernatur will continue with a special promotional campaign for Chileans to plan these days and travel, called Experts in Holidays.
Regarding the importance of good travel planning, especially for the regions that will receive the most visitors during these celebrations, the national director of Sernatur, Cristóbal Benítez, called for planning ahead to make the most of this XL weekend, since “of the more than two million trips that we expect to take place, the regions of Valparaíso, Metropolitana and O'Higgins will be the ones that will receive the largest number of tourists. This is a period of high mobility and tourist activity, therefore, we have prepared special content on our website chileestuyo.cl with destinations, panoramas and the best tourist offer in destinations throughout the country.”
In detail, the Undersecretariat of Tourism and Sernatur project that the Metropolitan Region will be the main generator of tourists, with 48.9% of the national total, which is equivalent to between 1,000,588 and 1,207,148 trips. They are followed by the Biobío region, with 9.8% (201,288 to 242,842 trips); and Valparaíso, with 7.2% (147,266 to 177,667 trips).
On the other hand, the regions that will receive the largest number of tourists during these Fiestas Patrias will be Valparaíso, with 24.5% (501,794 to 605,383 trips); O'Higgins, with 11.8% (242,444 to 292,494 trips); and the Metropolitan Region, with 10.9% (223,238 to 269,323 trips).
At the municipal level, the main communes of origin are expected to be Maipú (4.07%; 83,386 to 100,600 trips), Puente Alto (3.95%; 80,861 to 97,554 trips), and Las Condes (3.49%; 71,483 to 86,240 trips). As for the receiving communes, the most notable are El Tabo (2.56%; 52,410 to 63,229 trips), Viña del Mar (2.53%; 51,757 to 62,442 trips), and Algarrobo (2.44%; 50,029 to 60,357 trips).
Historical comparisons and sustained growth
The projection for this year shows a trend of sustained growth in domestic tourism. In 2019, 1,698,122 trips were made, while in 2023, between 1,945,366 and 2,276,219 trips were estimated. The constant increase in the number of trips reflects the recovery of domestic tourism after the effects of the pandemic.
With these forecasts, the 2024 Fiestas Patrias are shaping up to be a period of high mobility and tourist activity that benefits both the regions of origin and those that are destinations. In this sense, the authorities reiterate their commitment to the development and promotion of tourism in Chile, taking advantage of this important national event.
Source: SERNATUR.