Corfo Study Shows Valparaíso Tourism Hits Record Employment with Over 67,000 Workers

Original article: Estudio de Corfo revela que turismo en Valparaíso alcanzó récord de empleo con más de 67 mil trabajadores

Valparaíso’s tourism sector has reached significant milestones, boasting over 67,000 dependent jobs and 16,000 related businesses, highlighting its vital role in the region’s economy.

This information comes from the Business Characterization Report of Tourism, created by Corfo and released in conjunction with World Tourism Day. The study indicates a recovery and growth of the regional tourism sector, both in job creation and the number of businesses.

To illustrate further: in 2024, there were 16,337 businesses connected to tourism, accounting for 10.6% of all companies in the region. This marks an increase of 887 businesses compared to the previous year, representing a growth of 5.7%.

In terms of employment, the trend is similarly positive: the sector employed 67,249 dependent workers in 2024, reaching its highest historical level and constituting 9.9% of the regional dependent employment. Over the course of a year, more than 4,500 workers have joined tourism-related activities.

The report also highlights the substantial recovery observed post-pandemic: more than 20,000 jobs in the regional tourism sector have been regained since then.

Following the report’s release, Samuel Chávez, the regional director of Corfo, emphasized that these figures demonstrate that tourism should not only be perceived as an activity linked to visitor arrivals, but as a crucial productive sector for the regional economy.

Restaurants Account for 4 out of 10 Tourism Businesses

The Corfo study also reveals where tourism activities are concentrated. Notably, restaurants and food services house 6,621 businesses, making up 40.5% of regional tourism firms. Their share in employment is even larger: they account for 28,650 dependent workers, representing 42.6% of the jobs tied to tourism.

The hotel industry records 514 businesses and 9,481 dependent workers, remaining another significant component of the regional tourism activity.

Geographically, the province of Valparaíso accounts for the majority of activity, with 6,962 tourism businesses and over 41,000 dependent workers. At the communal level, Viña del Mar reports 3,019 businesses linked to the sector, while Valparaíso has 2,467.

Additionally, the region plays a pivotal role in national tourist movements. In 2025, Valparaíso attracted 20.7% of overnight trips undertaken by residents, with destinations like Litoral de los Poetas, Viña del Mar-Concón, and Ritoque-Los Molles among the most visited in the country.

Moreover, Viña del Mar emerges as the commune receiving the highest amount of domestic tourism at the national level.