The Servicio Nacional de Turismo (Sernatur) announced on Apr. 6 that its internal tourism programs generated an economic impact of more than $22 billion during 2025. The announcement was made during the second edition of Horizonte VTE, an event focused on highlighting the contributions of these initiatives to the tourism sector.
These programs, including Vacaciones Tercera Edad (VTE), Gira de Estudio, Turismo Familiar, and Turismo Mujer, mobilized over 68,000 travelers across 56 destinations in Chile in 2025. The activities resulted in a total of 230,413 overnight stays and are projected to organize more than 48,000 travel packages for the upcoming 2026 season.
During the event, Sernatur also presented updates for the upcoming season and outlined new opportunities available to service providers within these tourism initiatives. This year marks the start of celebrations for the twenty-fifth anniversary of Vacaciones Tercera Edad. Launched in 2001 as a strategy to boost domestic tourism during low and mid seasons while promoting well-being among older adults by facilitating their access to travel opportunities.
María Paz Lagos, subsecretary of Tourism, said that this program “is a public policy that is celebrating its twenty-fifth year as a pioneering initiative which today is even more relevant. There is an opportunity for tourism because the silver economy becomes an asset so this segment continues growing and breaking seasonality; when we break seasonality we activate local economies and employment. Tourism moves.”
Cristóbal Benítez, national director of Sernatur, said that “programs like Vacaciones Tercera Edad, Gira de Estudio, Turismo Familiar and Turismo Mujer are public policies achieving real impact in territories. They generate double benefits: they stimulate demand throughout the year while guaranteeing preferential access to key population segments.” Benítez also detailed that “we have reduced tourist seasonality from twenty-seven percent to twenty-one percent in many destinations nationwide. We are talking about fifty-six destinations across eighty-two municipalities participating in our programs. In this way we benefit more than nine hundred companies directly and nearly three thousand five hundred indirectly thanks to year-round activity.”
Sernatur has expanded its range of internal tourism initiatives since launching Vacaciones Tercera Edad—adding Gira de Estudio (2007), Turismo Familiar (2015), and Turismo Mujer (2024). These efforts have not only addressed off-peak demand but also energized local economies by focusing on priority groups such as seniors, families, students and women.
Sernatur concluded by inviting beneficiaries and service providers alike to participate in “Carnaval Mayor,” a family-oriented tourism event scheduled for April 18-19 at Parque Estadio Nacional featuring music shows and information about new offerings from internal tourism programs.
