Earlier this year Chile was recognized for three years in a row as South America’s leading adventure destination at the World Travel Awards. Today Chile shows the world that it does adventure with a capital A by becoming 2016 and 2017’s World leading adventure destination!
This recognition was issued via a direct public vote and nomination defined by experts, placing Chile in a privileged international position.
To receive the award for World’s Best Adventure Tourism Destination, Chile had to compete against important leaders in the tourist industry, including Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the USA.
This recognition allows Chile to differentiate itself. It crowns itself as a tourist destination dedicated to turning thrill seekers into happy tourists. The award is particularly important for Chile since it provides third party validation and a valuable opportunity to position a destination sorrounded by giant tourism brands like Brazil and Peru.
The impacts are already being felt by Chile’s tourism economy. In recent years Chile’s international visits have sky rocketed. Today it is the country that receives the most international tourists on the South American continent except for Brazil. The adventure tourism sector has benefited from Chile’s geographic diversity and impressive natural surroundings. However, tourists need quality tourism product and service to be able to appreciate the activities and live the experience. Chile’s rise to becoming the adventure capital of the world is not a mere stroke of luck but rather a conscientious effort by its tourism industry to develop its potential in-line with global travel mega trends.
Since 1993, the World Travel Awards have highlighted excellence and awarded prizes to the industry’s best, which is why today it’s recognized as “The Oscars of Tourism”.
Today Chile has placed itself amongst a select group of countries. These awards, nevertheless, mark the start of a long tradition of cutting edge travel experiences Chile looks to develop in order to keep attracting international visitors. In the future look out for Chile and its ambition to become a cultural and gastronomic regional travel powerhouse.