Antofagasta was the region that gained the most share of Chile's tourism GDP between 2018 and 2025, according to Diario Financiero, which published data from the Subsecretaría de Turismo (Chile's Undersecretariat of Tourism). Over the same period, the Región Metropolitana (the Santiago capital region) fell back 2.08 percentage points.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) measures everything an economy produces. According to the outlet, tourism contributed $9.511 billones in 2025, that is, millions of millions of pesos. That figure equals 2.8% of national GDP, roughly $2.8 out of every $100 the country generates.
The capital still holds the largest slice: it accounts for 38.5% of total tourism GDP. But that portion shrank over seven years, and other regions took up the space it left.
Antofagasta added 0.72 points of share thanks to 82% growth in its tourism GDP, the fastest pace in the country. Behind it are Valparaíso, with 0.60 points; Coquimbo, with 0.34; and O'Higgins, with 0.25.
The opposite case is Arica y Parinacota, which lost 0.40 points. Its tourism GDP grew 22% over the period, but the rest of its economy advanced 88%, so tourism fell behind by comparison.
The report highlights another indicator: tourism intensity, or how much this industry weighs within each region's economy. Here the picture changes. Magallanes tops the list, with tourism equal to 7.3% of its regional GDP, the highest proportion in the country.
It is followed by La Araucanía, where the sector represents 5.4% of the local economy, and Los Ríos, with 4.9%. For people living in those areas, tourism directly affects employment and the income of many businesses.
Antofagasta shows the contrast. Although it leads growth in national contribution, tourism represents only 1.5% of its economy, which is dominated by mining. In the Región Metropolitana, the sector equals 2.9% of regional output.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, María Paz Lagos, told DF Regiones that both measures are needed to see the sector's importance. "This information allows us to make better decisions for public tourism policy and at the same time gives the market signals for decision-making on investment in this sector," she said.