Chile's government wants to quadruple investment in tourism, from US$400 million to US$1.6 billion, and lift the sector's contribution from 2.8% to 3.8% of GDP by 2030. Undersecretary of Tourism María Paz Lagos set out the goal at Campus América 2026, an academic and business gathering organized by the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Spain, where Chile was the guest country, according to a statement from the Undersecretariat of Tourism dated October 30.
"Chile has everything it needs to become a world tourism power," Lagos said, adding that the country wants investors to "see Chile as a place with concrete opportunities to invest." The goal, also reported by Radio Agricultura, relies on more private participation and projects in all 16 regions.
The goals of the Chile tourism powerhouse plan for 2030
US$1,600 M
Target annual tourism investment
Today: US$400 million
3.8%
Tourism share of GDP by 2030
Today: 2.8%
6 M
Foreign tourists in 2025
15% more than in 2024 (rounded)
Source: Undersecretariat of Tourism, October 30, 2026
View the data as a table
| Target annual tourism investment | US$1,600 M · Today: US$400 million |
| Tourism share of GDP by 2030 | 3.8% · Today: 2.8% |
| Foreign tourists in 2025 | 6 M · 15% more than in 2024 (rounded) |
| Indicator | Current figure | 2030 goal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism investment | US$400 million | US$1.6 billion (x4) | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Tourism share of GDP | 2.8% | 3.8% | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Foreign tourists (2025) | Nearly 6 million (+15%) | — | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Spanish tourists (2025) | About 80,000 | — | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Tourism jobs (Jul-Sep 2026) | 680,200 (+4.4%) | — | Undersecretariat of Tourism, INE data |
Sources: Undersecretariat of Tourism (October 30, 2026) and its October 29 jobs report. According to the official arrivals series, exactly 6,004,567 foreign tourists entered Chile in 2025, up 14.6% from 2024, as detailed in our historical series of tourist arrivals in Chile. The jobs figure is in our story on tourism employment.
What Chile Potencia Turística is and who is behind it
The investment goal is part of Chile Potencia Turística (Chile Tourism Powerhouse), the initiative the Undersecretariat of Tourism launched on September 30 in Puerto Varas with Congreso Futuro and the Fundación Encuentros del Futuro, Radio Agricultura reported. Its first body is the Tourism Board of Proyecta Chile 2050, which brings together government, business, academia, communities and civil society, and will spend a year defining priorities, owners and indicators for a national strategy.
At the launch, Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism Daniel Mas summed up the diagnosis: "Chile doesn't lack tourism. What it has lacked is turning tourism into an industry." The board's results will be presented at Congreso Futuro Turismo 2027.
| Milestone | Date | What was announced | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interview with the undersecretary | September 17, 2026 | Second investment wave of about US$1.8 billion and at least 20 hotel projects by 2030 | Pauta |
| Launch of Chile Potencia Turística | September 30, 2026 | Proyecta Chile 2050 Tourism Board and 3.8% of GDP goal for 2030 | Radio Agricultura |
| Tourism employment | October 29, 2026 | 680,200 workers in July-September, up 4.4% year on year | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Campus América 2026 (Tenerife) | October 30, 2026 | Goal to quadruple investment to US$1.6 billion | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
How much tourism investment is in the pipeline
The US$1.6 billion annual goal compares with a portfolio already under way. In an interview with Pauta on September 17, Lagos spoke of a "second wave" of tourism investment worth about US$1.8 billion, with at least 20 hotel projects due by 2030 and nine under construction. The projects identified are spread over 13 regions, with a 2035 horizon, and are concentrated from Coquimbo southward.
The undersecretary also called for more projects in Arica y Parinacota, Tarapacá and Antofagasta, where tourism could complement mining. One of the first to open is a hotel in Puerto Williams, the gateway to Antarctica; we covered it in our story on The Cormorant at 55 South.
| Tourism investment pipeline | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Second investment wave | About US$1.8 billion | Pauta, 09-17-2026 |
| Hotel projects by 2030 | At least 20 | Pauta, 09-17-2026 |
| Projects under construction | 9 | Pauta, 09-17-2026 |
| Regions with identified projects | 13 (2035 horizon) | Pauta, 09-17-2026 |
| Area with most investment | From Coquimbo southward | Pauta, 09-17-2026 |
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See advertising optionsSpain, Chile's top European tourism market
The trip to the Canary Islands was no accident. Spain is the main European source market for tourists to Chile: about 80,000 Spaniards visited in 2025, according to the Undersecretariat. The record is 2019, with 86,681 arrivals, and each Spanish tourist spent an average of US$1,303 per trip in 2023, according to the Sernatur data we compiled in how much foreign tourists spend in Chile.
In Tenerife, Lagos took part in the technical session "Canarias y Chile: Innovation, Sustainability and Smart Management of Tourist Territory," on national parks, geotourism, astrotourism and data intelligence; met Lope Afonso, vice president of the Cabildo de Tenerife and councilor for Tourism; and presented investment opportunities at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Chamber of Commerce with the Why Tenerife? initiative. Ties between Chile and the Canary Islands date back to 1726, the Undersecretariat noted.
| Spain and tourism in Chile | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish tourists in 2025 | About 80,000 | Undersecretariat of Tourism |
| Record arrivals from Spain | 86,681 (2019) | Undersecretariat of Tourism and Sernatur |
| Spending per Spanish tourist (2023) | US$1,303 | Sernatur, inbound tourism |
| Foreign exchange from Spaniards (2023) | US$100.9 million | Sernatur, inbound tourism |
What the tourism powerhouse goal means for travelers
For anyone planning a trip, the goal means more hotel supply in coming years, especially in the south, and a bet on nature destinations such as Torres del Paine, San Pedro de Atacama, Easter Island and Pucón, which the government named as places where tourism weighs most in local jobs. Chile starts from a strong position: it won World's Leading Adventure Tourism Destination at the World Travel Awards for the seventh time, as we reported in our awards story, and climbed three places to 35th of 110 in the World Economic Forum tourism index.
It remains to be seen how promotion will be funded. The 2027 Budget under discussion allocates 5.805 billion pesos to international promotion, as we reviewed in our story on the tourism budget. Quadrupling investment is a government goal, not a figure committed by law.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chile Potencia Turística?
It is an initiative of the Undersecretariat of Tourism, with Congreso Futuro, launched on September 30, 2026 to turn tourism into one of the country's major industries. It starts with the Proyecta Chile 2050 Tourism Board.
How much does Chile want to invest in tourism?
The goal is to raise tourism investment from US$400 million to US$1.6 billion by 2030, with private-sector participation in all 16 regions.
How big is tourism in Chile's economy?
About 2.8% of GDP, according to the Undersecretariat. The goal is 3.8% by 2030. Tourism accounts for 7.3% of the country's jobs.
How many foreign tourists visited Chile in 2025?
6,004,567, up 14.6% from 2024, according to the official series of the Undersecretariat of Tourism and Sernatur.
