Chile skilled a landmark 12 months for tourism in 2024, welcoming 5,239,233 international guests—a 40% enhance from 2023—in line with Chile’s Subsecretaría de Turismo.
This surge marked the nation’s strongest restoration for the reason that pandemic, surpassing pre-2020 ranges. Key drivers included an 80.6% rise in Uruguayan vacationers and a continued inflow of Argentine guests, who accounted for over half of whole arrivals.
This progress underscores Chile’s enchantment as a chief vacation spot for South American vacationers, fueled by affordability, various landscapes, and improved connectivity.
Uruguayan arrivals reached roughly 65,000 in 2024, a 60% soar from the earlier 12 months, as reported by Uruguay’s Ministerio de Turismo. Chile emerged as Uruguay’s fastest-growing vacation spot overseas, outpacing conventional favorites like Argentina and Brazil.
Carlos Pera, president of the Asociación Uruguaya de Agencias de Viajes (Audavi), attributed this pattern to Chile’s deal with exploration and leisure quite than buying.
Common airfares from Montevideo hovered round $300, with lodge charges beginning at $50 per evening—making Chile an accessible but enriching choice. Financial shifts in Argentina additionally performed a pivotal position.
Argentina’s Financial Shifts Enhance Chilean Tourism
President Javier Milei’s insurance policies decreased Argentina’s worth benefit over Uruguay, narrowing the alternate price hole from 180% in September 2023 to only 21.7% by late 2024, in line with the Universidad Católica del Uruguay.
This transformation redirected Uruguayan vacationers westward to Chile, the place steady foreign money and enhanced airline providers supplied compelling options. By mid-2024, ticket gross sales to Chile had already matched the full for all of 2023.
Argentine vacationers additionally flocked to Chile in document numbers, pushed by financial instability at residence. The December 2023 peso devaluation made Chile a buying haven for Argentines searching for electronics, groceries, and different items at costs as much as 50% decrease than in Buenos Aires.
Official information confirmed Argentine arrivals rose 45% within the first half of 2024 alone, with fashionable locations together with Santiago and border cities like Temuco. Chile’s enchantment lies in its distinctive mixture of pure magnificence, affordability, and accessibility.
From Patagonia’s glaciers to the Atacama Desert’s salt flats, its landscapes cater to each journey seekers and cut price hunters. Enhanced air routes and steady pricing additional solidify its place as a prime vacation spot for South People. Consultants predict sustained progress into 2025, cementing Chile’s standing as a regional tourism powerhouse.