Development of Tourism Clusters in Aysén, Patagonia, Chile
Author
Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Scholz
TU Dortmund; Fakultät Raumplanung; ISPC
August-Schmidt-Straße 6, 44221 Dortmund Germany
Tel. +49/231/755-4399 Fax +49/231/755-4398 Email: wolfgang.scholz@tu-dortmund.de
Abstract
The article analyses the development of economic clusters and their relationship to tourism. Tourism
clusters can be a useful tool to promote tourism in a particular area. However, for its implementation,
there are preconditions to consider when transferring the cluster concept to tourism. The most important factor is the relationship between actors and not only sharing the same location. With reference
to a case study region, the article analyses the condition to apply the concept. As case study serves the
region of Aysén in the Chilean part of Patagonia. The article analyses the current situation of tourism
development and its weaknesses with special attention to the local actors involved in tourism development. The author’s team conducted an intensive survey on stakeholders in the tourism industry in the
region. This revealed the need for cooperation and training of local actors in order to develop tourism
in Aysén for the benefit of the local stakeholder.
Keywords
Chile, Patagonia, Aysén, tourism development, tourism clusters, regional development.
Economic clusters
The term cluster derives from the analysis of economies and their geography. There were three observations: firstly, that “a large proportion of total world output of manufactured goods is being produced
in a limited number of highly concentrated industrial core regions”, secondly that “firms which are related (…) tend to co-locate und thus form spatial clusters” and thirdly that these spatial clusters endure
over a longer period (Malmberg et al. 1996:86).
The appearance of spatial clusters are assembled in the agglomeration theory, the first elements of
which already date back more than a hundred years (see Marshall 1890, Weber 1909, Hoover 1948
and many others). The cluster theory and the evidence of agglomerations are important for spatial analysis. In the last decades this has also became an instrument for economic planning as the creation of
new clusters (e.g. IT-related clusters) is seen as a tool to stimulate economic development through public and private interventions.
In general, there are two types of clusters, one of similar firms or products in a geographical area (e.g.
manufacturing belts) and a second type of interrelated firms (e.g. Silicon valley). In economic analysis,
reasons to create a cluster are mainly related to the links among different firms, closer links to customers and suppliers, and the share of infrastructures and skilled labour. The goal is to lower production
costs and/or increase revenue (Malmberg et al. 1996:87).
However, empirical studies have shown that the linkages between firms are weaker than expected
(Malmberg et al. 1996:87). The question therefore is: what are the driving forces behind the clear evidence of the existence of clusters? Porter (1990) rather sees the capacity of clusters in dynamic improvements and Patchell (1993) stresses dynamic arrangements based on knowledge creation. A static
efficiency does not seem to be the reason for clusters being sustained over a longer period but rather the
easy flow of information, know-how and expertise in comparison to other places (Scott 1995). Andersson (1985) lists preconditions of “learning abilities” for regions to become and remain cluster based on
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creativity: high level of competence, academic and cultural activities, internal and external communication and synergies.
From the pure economic analysis of clusters there is a shift towards the understanding of clusters as a
more social complex system of mutual commitments and localized non trade-able business inputs. This
understanding leads to a special local milieu being the base of clusters (see Dosi 1988, Lundvall 1988).
The local milieu or the local accumulation of knowledge is based on interactive innovation, informal
transfers and face-to-face contacts (Freeman 1991). Malmberg (1986:91) defines a spatial cluster “as a
set of inter-linked firms/activities that exist in the same local or regional milieu, defined as to encompass economic, social, cultural and institutional factors”. He argues that there is a need for a specific
territory with common practise of the actors, inter-action based both on cooperation and rivalry and a
set of material- like infrastructure, immaterial assets such as knowledge and institutions which can lead
to innovation. French speaking academics, therefore, use the term “innovative milieu” (see Aydalot
1986 and Maillat 1995).
Tourism clusters
Based on the descriptions of clusters above one may ask how to link this theory and empirical evidence
of clusters deriving from very different sectors (like heavy industries or computer technology or the art,
music and film industries) to the tourism sector? Obviously, tourism clusters do exist as well but there
are some fundamental differences when dealing with the tourism industry. Tourism is bound to a particular geographic location. Tourism needs an attractive natural landscape and/or an outstanding destination based on cultural or historical attractions. Therefore, it seems to be obvious that all actors involved in tourism clusters are themselves in a particular destination simply due to geographical reasons
(Jones et. al. 2003). However, as shown above, sharing the same location inside a wider area does not
automatically form clusters. Maskell and Kebir (2005) stated therefore that for any regional agglomeration there is a tendency to call it clusters although other aspects of clusters like inter-linkages among
the actors, transfer of knowledge and others are missing or cannot be verified. Therefore, to apply the
cluster theory to tourism, there is a need for some clarification. The following definitions and considerations display the wide range of understanding of tourism clusters.
Capone (2004: 9) defines a tourism cluster in spatial terms as “a geographic concentration of interconnected companies and institutions in tourism activities. It includes suppliers, services, governments,
institutions, competitors, and universities.” Monfort (2006: 46) focuses on the relationships and for him
a cluster is a “complex group of different elements, including services carried out by tourism companies or businesses (lodging, restoration, travel agencies, aquatic and theme parks, etc…); richness provided by tourist holiday experiences; multidimensional gathering of interrelated companies and industries; communication and transportation infrastructures; complementary activities (commercial allotment, holiday traditions, etc.); supporting services (formation and information, etc); and natural resources and institutional policies”. Beni (2003:74) stresses more on the cooperation aspect of the actors: “tourism clusters are a group of highlighted tourism attractions within a limited geographic space
provided with high quality equipment and services, social and political cohesion, linkage between productive chain and associative culture, and excellent management in company nets that brings about
comparative and competitive strategic advantages”. Porter (1998:77), refers more to the product as a
“travel experience”, being a “host of linkages among cluster members that result in a whole greater
than the sum of its parts. In a typical tourism cluster, for example, the quality of visitor experience depends not only on the appeal of the primary attraction but also on the quality and efficiency of complementary businesses such as hotels, restaurants, shopping outlets and transportation facilities”.
Therefore, let us have a closer look at the specific elements of tourism clusters. Tourism clusters differ
from other clusters mainly in the type of actors (from incoming agencies to accommodation and catering business as well as guides and transport business) which differ a lot in their internal set up and
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business structure. However, all contribute in one way or another to the production of tourism in a region. Furthermore, some of the actors can be based outside the region but contribute essential elements
to tourism like airlines, international tour operators, tourism promoting agencies and so on. Therefore,
it is more important to look at aspects of the inter-relationships of the actors rather than at their spatial
distribution and location. Furthermore, it is important to analyze the potential of comparative and competitive advantages which create a higher value of the products of the different actors to form a destination and not only at a long list of tourism offers in a specific area.
Creation of Tourism Clusters
The World Tourism Organization (WTO 2004) emphasizes that tourism as a product implies a deep
interaction with the local area as well as promoting joint actions of inter-related enterprises to increase
the attractiveness and value of a tourism destination. While the main differences of common economic
clusters and tourism clusters have been discussed above, the question remains: Why should tourism
clusters be created and what are their main advantages and benefits?
Santos et al (2008:7) summarize these features as “the main advantages of creating a cluster structure,
namely the offering of complementary services, the minimization of costs per tourist, the sharing of
infrastructures and marketing campaigns. Instead of promoting one company, agents promote one
product with a positive effect on the value added“. When it comes to the question of how to create tourism clusters, one can ask how independent agencies of different ranges and with different business
models and experiences can work together and why should they do so?
Fig. 1: Tourism Cluster in Jordan
Source: Jordanian National Competitiveness Team / Ministry of Planning (2003): Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: The
Tourism Cluster. Universidad de Sevilla.
Jackson and Murphy (2002) emphasize the development of a cooperative platform which leads to a
pooling of resources, increasing the value added of a tourism destination as well as attractiveness for
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tourists. It is important for the actors to create an awareness of the potential mutual benefits of a competitive-cooperative mix allowing a more fulfilling experience for the client. Each actor can then concentrate on its core business, while being inter-connected with others to provide additional and better
services. For smooth implementation they call for incentives from outside such as linkages to universities which can initiate a process of a higher awareness of the importance of cooperation among local
actors.
In order to create such clusters, there is a need to have an overview of potential actors. A cluster matrix
or cluster map (Fig. 1) is a useful tool to identify actors in the cluster and then to analyze their linkages.
The following example of a cluster map is from Jordan but can easily be transferred to other regions.
The wide range of actors in the cluster reflects the complexity of the tourism product and goes far beyond the expected actors of transport, accommodation and catering. Only when all potential actors and
their linkages are identified, can the process of creating mutual benefits in a competitive-cooperative
environment (Jackson and Murphy 2002) be successfully started.
Micro-cluster in tourism
A special case of tourism cluster is the so called micro-cluster. It is related to remote regions and a
comparable small size in terms of tourists and local actors. While a “normal” cluster has to be defined
by the analysis of the linkages between the actors in order to identify the size of the cluster, in a micro
cluster its size, range and members are already given by the specific remote geographic location and its
cohesive local environment. Michael defines a micro cluster by its local context, the identification of its
product “rather than by artificial perceptions of regionality or production processes” (Michael 2007:3).
The view at a micro-cluster goes beyond the economic aspects and includes the specific circumstances
in the community since nearly all members are integrated in the production process. Therefore, the impact of tourism development on the society and the local environment is much higher, in positive and
negative aspects. Michael stated enthusiastically (Michael 2007:1) “micro-clustering may offer an approach that helps create new tourism destination, or expand existing ones, in a framework that could
channel the benefits to meet the needs and values of the existing population”. However, the need for
multiplier and accelerators mostly from outside, outside capital and knowledge to promote and develop
tourism can easily turn positive effects into the loss of autonomy. Nevertheless, a micro-cluster in tourism in a small, remote settlement can stimulate and generate economic benefits if it is supported by the
community and not only driven by outsiders. In the following case study we will have a closer look on
this phenomenon. Summarized, peripheral areas do not only suffer due to increased transportation costs
but also have less political and economic control on their own resources and residents have less access
to educational and health services. Out migration and the loss of human capital is another obstacles
while natural attractions and the untouched beauty of the environment are positive aspects for tourism
development.
Development of Tourism in Aysén
The region of Aysén in the south of Chile provides a unique environment with unspoilt water bodies,
mountains, volcanoes and glaciers. The regions covers more than 100,000 sq km but has only 105,000
inhabitants. The wide range of ecosystems in the region, the fact that almost 50% of the area is either
National Parks or protected forests and the low population density, creates an unique place and a high
potential for nature based tourism. The opportunities for tourism development can be seen by increasing the market for eco-tourism and adventure tourism. Aysén as part of Chile can take advantage of the
political and economic stability of the country; however the local population does not seem to be well
prepared for tourism nor able to exhaust its potential fully (fieldwork of the authors 2008).
In Aysén today tourism plays an important role in the regional economic structure. Tourism accounts
for seven per cent of regional employment (more than twice the national average) and about 10 per cent
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of regional GDP (Blanco et.al. 2007). This relatively high figure is even more significant considering
that tourism only developed in the region quite recently. Only after 1974 when the construction of the
Carretera Austral as a main access road to the entire area had been started, could tourism really commence. The importance of the construction of the road is underlined not only by it providing access to
the area but also by the fact that tourism itself started by providing services such as accommodation
and food supply for the workers who were constructing the road (Rojas and Torres 2008). These findings are underlined by a survey analyzing the foundation year of the current tourism enterprises. Almost 45% started between 1991 and 2000 and 30% after 2001 (Rojas and Torres 2008). Today, therefore, tourism is still in the infancy stage. In the same way, the number of tourists in the region increased
significantly in the last years. From 1990 with 49,795 tourists, the number has more than tripled with
159,948 tourists up to 1998 (SERNATUR 2009).
The focus of this study is in the Baker River basin in the Aysén Region with the provinces of General
Carrera and Capitán Prat (see Fig. 2). Most tourist attractions are related to natural features like water
bodies, mountains and glaciers. Main attractions are the glaciers with the inland ice shields, the mountains of Cerro Castillo, the cave of marbles at Lake General Carrera and the remote village of Caleta
Tortel and the Rio Baker Basin. In this area, tourism development can be summarized as a highly diverse market with:
 mostly young tourists (almost two third are between 19 and 36 years of age)
 a great variety in age groups between the nationality of the tourists (from 24 years by Israelis
and up to 60 years by Australians),
 a particular distribution of the nationality with almost 50 % of Chilean tourists, followed by
13,1 % of Israelis, 8.7 % Germans and 4.2 % from France and UK,
 different preferences by Chilean and international tourists: According to CORFO (2006:12) almost 90% of tourists looking for activity related offers, come from abroad while Chilean tourists visit six times more often the “Cave of Marbles” than international tourists. The number of
international tourists for trekking in the Cerro Castillo area and the glaciers, is six times higher
than that of Chilean tourists (sight-seeing versus active recreation),
 the main market segments are high class tourism in fly-fishing lodges (mainly with tourists
from the US), middle class cabana tourism (mainly Chilean families) and less sophisticated
tourism with young trekking travellers from outside the continent,
 80% of the incoming tourists travel independently, only 20% come on a package tour (CORFO
2006:10), and
 a high seasonality with a short high season from November to April when business earnings are
up to six times higher than during the rest of the year.
(fieldwork of the authors 2007 and 2008; Rojas and Torres 2008; Rojas et al 2009:11)
Weaknesses of Tourism Development in Aysén
Although the region provides many unspoilt tourist attractions and there are growing numbers of tourists, it is facing several obstacles. In detail, SERNATUR (2009) has summarized the main weaknesses
of the current tourism development in the region. First, the region has no clear appearance and definition as a tourist destination for clients. This weakness is combined with low marketing efforts in comparison to other regions in Chile. Patagonia itself is a very diverse region attracting different clients and
covering various market niches. However, the Argentinean part is better known and promoted and also
provides better accessibility from outside, better services covering the demand of different tourist
groups and can also take advantage of the relatively weak Argentinean Peso. The Chilean part lacks
connection to the international market, not only by internet facilities (e.g. booking tools) but also the
lack of clear marketing strategies. Furthermore, accessibility of the region is restricted and hinders tour5
ism from exploiting its full potential. Laguna San Rafael, as one of the main attractions of the region, is
barely accessible from the region itself. Most tourists come by large ships from Puerto Montt which is
more than 400 km further north. There is a lack of competitiveness in the current tourist offers. In order
to enhance the quality of the offer and their economic stability, capacity building in tourism business
skills and innovative products are needed. The local people do not have sufficient knowledge about the
ins and outs of tourism business and tourist demands. Furthermore facilities to train professionals and
market studies and strategies are missing. The high seasonality of the tourism industry is another weakness for stable development. (SERNATUR 2009)
Fig.2: Case study area of Baker River Basin
Source: Centre for Environmental Sciences EULA-Chile, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
In addition to the findings mentioned above, own fieldwork surveys revealed that the various businesses in tourism work separately and do not benefit much from coordination and cooperation. Furthermore, the diverse structure of tourism creates different market segments (national and international
tourists, different age groups, income levels, sight-seeing versus active recreation, lodges, cabañas and
hostels) which also make joint efforts more difficult. Additionally, tourists ask for services which are
not available on the local market or which cannot be covered by the local residents due to lack of skills
and knowledge. Therefore, as in many other regions worldwide, tour operators and suppliers from outside (from the capital Santiago or from abroad) cover this particular demand for trekking, glacier walks
and fly-fishing as well as high quality food experiences. Often lodgings in the remote villages do not
have telephone or internet connections which makes booking in advance difficult. This again calls for
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more cooperation to fully cover the given potential in tourism. (fieldwork of the authors 2007 and
2008)
The following figures underline the imbalance in the market share. Almost three quarter of all tourism
related enterprises are in the accommodation and food supply business, while traditional tour operators
and additional tourist services are underrepresented (Rojas and Torres 2008). CORFO (2006:25) calculated that while almost 70% of the tourists use food and meal offers it generates only 15% of the total
tourism income. Furthermore, organized programs and activities, where higher skills and knowledge
are needed, are used by only 13% of the tourists but generate 62% of the total income.
Tourism Stakeholder Survey
Based on these observations, in February 2010, the authors undertook a detailed study on the weaknesses of the current tourism development, the reasons for these shortcomings and opportunities to
change the situation. The target group of the survey was stakeholders from tourism businesses in the
region of Aysén (121 respondents): Public officials (28), entrepreneurs in tourism business (78) and
key persons from environmental, cultural and business groups (8) as well as community representatives
(7). Of the interviewed stakeholders in the tourism industry more than half (41) are involved in accommodation, about 15 % each in restaurants (12) and excursions (14) and about ten percent in
transport business (7). Others are involved in activities like travel agencies (4).
The survey focused mainly on the study area of the Rio Baker Basin but included also stakeholders
from the neighboring communities and the provincial capital Coyhaique as the main tourist hub for the
area. The survey was undertaken on a structured questionnaire delivered to the stakeholders. Additionally, workshops with stakeholders in tourism development (entrepreneurs, representatives from local
communities, civil organizations, and public institutions) were conducted in three selected locations in
February 2010. One workshop took place in the north of the region in La Junta where a public program
to support tourism development by SERCOTEC (Servicio de Cooperación Técnica) is already in place.
The second was in the provincial capital Coyhaique and the third in the village of Puerto Tranquilo in
the Rio Baker Basin where the famous marble cathedral is located and public support for tourism development programs has not yet been established.
First, it was asked about the importance of tourism for the region. A clear majority underlines the
statement that tourism will in future play a most important role in the regional economic development
(45% strongly agreed, 43% agreed and only 6 % disagreed). Therefore, it is necessary to look deeper
into the current and future tourism business, its problems and potentials.
The main obstacles for tourism development (see table 1) were highlighted with almost the same number of responses: the language barrier since most stakeholders only speak Spanish as well as the lack of
financial resources to access loans. A second group with slightly less respondents focused on the seasonality of tourism, the road conditions and problems in the transport system. A third group of answers
refers to the lack of access to tourist attractions, low cooperation between the actors in the tourism
business, lack of business skills and experience among the actors, lack of promotion of the region in the
national and international market as well as unskilled and inexperienced staff. Other problems mentioned were difficulties in booking accommodation and excursions in advance from outside the region
as well as the low quality of offers. These answers clearly call for training in business and language
skills, better cooperation among the actors, marketing efforts and infrastructure development.
When asking the stakeholders for ideas for improvement and solutions to overcome the problems (see
table 2), the focus is on the following issues (ranked according to the number of responses): Better language skills, more and better information for tourists, improving alternatives to reduce the seasonality
of tourism, more staff training in services, better transport facilities, better access to tourist attractions,
and a higher quality of offers. These answers also address the problems mentioned above and clearly
define fields of action for the business community as well as for public institutions where to intervene.
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Looking for an opinion on the future of tourism development, the picture is not quite clear. Most expect
more package tours; however another large group expect more individual tourists. Although most expect more tourists in the high class segment, almost the same number of respondents expects more
middle class tourists and some even more backpackers. The finding is that future developments for the
stakeholders in tourism are not quite clear thus making efforts regarding training or marketing towards
a clear target group difficult to define.
Table 1: Tourism is not developing its full potential due to:
Problem of language barriers
Lack of financial resources/access to loans
seasonality of tourism
Precarious roads
Transport problems
Lack of access to tourist attractions
Low cooperation between tourism actors
Lack of business skills/experience
Lack of promotion of the region on national
and international level
Unskilled and inexperienced staff
Negative impact of climate change, decrease of
glaciers
Problems to book in advance from outside
Low quality of offers
Low cooperation between public actors
Low cooperation between public actors and
tourism business community
Huge distances
Lack of information what tourists prefer
Source: Fieldwork of the authors in 2010
N
Minimum Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
121
120
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4.13
4.12
3.98
3.96
3.93
3.81
3.79
3.76
3.74
0.894
0.812
0.961
0.934
0.923
0.994
0.939
0.895
1.192
121
119
1
1
5
5
3.73
3.69
0.894
1.103
121
121
121
121
1
1
1
1
5
5
5
5
3.6
3.56
3.55
3.51
1.172
1.007
1.016
1.065
121
121
1
1
5
5
3.51
3.32
1.104
1.149
A clear picture, however, is the answer to the question about the future contribution of local and international operators. Almost three quarters of all respondents stated that the tourism industry in the region will still be led by foreigners. 80 % of them think, however, that the share of local business will
grow over time and local operators will work together with international ones.
While the need for improvement is clearly defined above and a realistic picture of the importance of
local operators in the market is drawn by themselves, the question is now whether a better and deeper
cooperation among the local actors can support tourism development for the benefit of the local community and regional economic development. Almost all stakeholders agree that better cooperation will
make the business stronger and more stable and will increase the benefits as well. The majority also
disagree with the statement that cooperation will cause unnecessary costs and time consumption or will
have a negative impact on the free market. This finding calls for deeper studies on the implementation
of tourism clusters in the region picking up the idea to form micro-cluster in tourism in the rather than
the macro-economic view on the region only. However, there are several preconditions to consider.
Table 2: Degree of importance of suggestions to improve tourism in Aysén region
Better language skills
More and better information for tourists
Alternatives to reduce the seasonality of
tourism
N
Minimum Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
121
121
121
1
2
2
4.56
4.54
4.51
0.694
0.62
0.564
5
5
5
8
More staff training
Better transport facilities
Better access to tourist attractions
Higher quality of offers
Further information on climate change and its
impacts
Training in business skills/sharing of experience
Better access to loans and subsidies
Better cooperation between actors in tourism
business
Better cooperation between public actors and
tourism business
Training in tourism demand
Better cooperation between public actors
Better pre-booking facilities
Source: Fieldwork of the authors in 2010
121
121
121
121
121
1
2
1
1
1
5
5
5
5
5
4.46
4.45
4.45
4.41
4.4
0.764
121
1
5
4.38
0.733
121
121
2
3
5
5
4.36
4.36
0.753
0.617
121
2
5
4.34
0.748
121
121
121
2
1
1
5
5
5
4.3
4.24
4.18
0.703
0.796
0.837
0.73
0.691
0.724
Towards tourism clusters in Aysén
Tourism stakeholders revealed a general willingness to cooperate. Also, the Chilean government, acting through CORFO (Chilean Economic Development Authority) and alongside the regional authorities, has encouraged this effort by setting up a policy based on the concept of tourism clusters (Blanco
et. al. 2007: 44). Lira (2002) recalls the ideas to create tourism clusters in the region: “The idea is that
business agglomerations across the territory can produce greater levels of wealth and employment; or it
could be associated with the idea of incrementing the chain of value of ecotourism which, in one form,
could be visualized as retaining tourists or lengthening their stay in the region so that they spend more,
and so generate more revenue.”
CORFO tries to address these issues with the Programa Territorial Integrado (PTI – Integrated Territory Program) as an instrument that uses the concept of clusters to stimulate development by improving
production in a particular territory (Blanco et. al. 2007: 44). In the area of Cuenca de Palena Queulat
(see Fig. 3) a long term project has been undertaken to develop a tourism cluster (Programa Chile Emprede Territorio Palena-Queulat/SERCOTEC). First a detailed market study was undertaken to identify
the different tourists groups and their demands, their spending and average periods of stay in the area
like backpackers, package tours and individual tourists differentiated by income levels. This market
research allows the creation of tailor-made tourist offers: new offers, new combination of existing offers as well as the enhancement of existing ones.
One part of the current tourist offers, the agencies and public institutions involved, their strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. Special attention was given to missing or not yet
fully exhausted potentials of cooperation. Based on this a strategic development plan has been established in a participatory way. The main issues were to enhance the quality of the administration and the
tourist products and their success in the market. This could be achieved by cooperation between public
and private stakeholders, capacity building and professional training as well as focused marketing efforts. However, there are some important factors to consider. “The success of the cluster strategy depends on a series of factors. These range from the degree of association between stakeholders, the level
of trust in these relationships, domestic competitiveness and, lastly, the role played by local and regional governments” (Blanco et. al. 44). Despite better linkages among the actors, for the region the “need
to enhance the competitiveness of small enterprises in the tourism sector” (Blanco et. al 2007:45) is
essential.
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Fig. 3 Programs and Projects for Tourism Development in Aysén
Source: Aysén Regional Government
The workshop conducted by the authors in La Junta (part of the Cuanca de Palena Queulat program) in
February 2010, however, revealed obstacles. For example participants cited missing information about
training courses and access to subsidies and loans, problems to use internet to apply for training courses, problems due to the lack of local based and accessible officers from the different public agencies
and too large areas covered by them, too long distances to travel to the next office, and non tailor-made
training courses. These are serious problems and not easy to solve since low population densities and
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long distances are given facts. Some participants also mentioned different development goals on national and local levels and they feel they are not being involved in the decision making processes.
A cluster strategy in tourism for the Aysén region can, therefore, only be successful and justify public
investment if it is combined with sufficient information, local training in the villages, tailor-made education in the English language and business knowledge transfer. However, it has to be considered, as
Blanco et. al. state, that in supporting local enterprises in tourism, many projects fail due to the “lack of
understanding of the targeted group of consumers”. Therefore, a specific “market segmentation is essential in the effective design and implementation of management and marketing strategies”. (Blanco
et. al. 2007:151)
In order to enhance the quality of tourism in the area and to increase the benefit from tourism business
there is a need for multi-level strategy. As seen from the analysis of clusters, the most important criteria
are the links between the different actors. These links can be observed retrospectively once they are
established in a cluster analysis but they are not easy to establish in an environment of large distances,
small companies doing their own business in separated market niches, a high level of competition and,
last not least, a market driven mainly by actors and entrepreneurs from outside the region. Therefore,
the first step is research on the different actors involved directly and indirectly in the tourism business
from transport to accommodation, travel agencies, tour operators and public institutions dealing with
tourism marketing as well as vocational training. They all have to work together in order to achieve
mutual benefits for everyone.
Lynch et al (2000) defined three main areas to work on together with local stakeholders: learning and
exchange, business activity and community. Following their structure, the fields of intervention for
Aysén can be defined. For learning and exchange, in Aysén there is a need for knowledge transfer on
how to run the business, education on the tourism business and marketing, better communication including language skills and the development of cultural and natural untapped potential attractions. In
the field of business activities, the research revealed the need for co-operative activities especially in
marketing, purchasing and production, needs-based approaches rather than tourism-based approaches
like human resource development, increased business activities, inter-trading within the community
and enhanced product quality. For community development the focus is on the identification of commons, support of co-operations, the development of a stronger sense for the community among different actors and among the remote villages.
For the tourism development itself as an integrated approach, environmental protection, social development and a focus on endogenous development has to be the main goal.
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