 |
| The world’s fiber optic
connections. Three run through Arica. |
| Courtesy of CORFO |
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| Adventure tourism such as
mountain biking is just one of the many activities
Arica has to offer. |
| Courtesy of the Development
Corporation of Arica and Parinacota |
The North of Chile has one of the greatest collections
of untouched tourist zones in the country, where
the magic of ancient cultures of the coast and the
plateau meet their present heirs, through the valleys
of ancient archaeological artifacts that portray
their histories. Knowing this, Chilean authorities
are conducting diverse battles to attract investors.
The zone is focused, mainly, in two points: special
interest tourism and high quality technology. Although
they may seem to be contradictory, the region of
Tarapacá allows that they coexist, as they
are the focus point for development in the area.
Mr. Patricio Arancibia, the general secretary of
the Development Corporation of Arica and Parinacota
says, “Arica is full of simultaneous advantages
of the country — political stability, solid
macroeconomics and transparency — with the
local advantages of Arica, its geographic position,
harbor infrastructure, technology development, high
education and pleasant, livable climate.”
Tourism
The Region of Tarapacá has been always one
of the Southern Cone’s more attractive destinations,
particularly for Peruvians, Bolivians and Chileans,
who come to enjoy their beaches and perfect climate.
Nevertheless, while maintaining those markets, today
the zone is opening to the rest of the world and
aiming for a richness of greater value and increasing
numbers from the developed world: the tourism of
long distance.
For the Regional Director of the Corporation of
Promotion of Production (CORFO), Claudio Ibáñez,
the tourism of special interests is an excellent
product from the north of Chile. “The zone
is composed of natural attractions unexploited from
the commercial point of view, which allows investment
into this area, such as those made in Cuzco, Machu
Pichu (Peru), Tiawanaku (Bolivia) or San Pedro de
Atacama (Second Region of Chile). The existence
of hieroglyphics (like the Giant of Atacama; the
oldest mummies of the world; the footsteps of dinosaurs
- amongst the oldest of the world that were discovered
recently in Pica, a community in the interior of
the First Region; Lake Chungará — the
highest in the world; million year old cultures
like Aymara, whose traditions are still preserved
today; and a variety of the highest quality of flora
and wild fauna.”
Nevertheless, Ibáñez knows that there
is a lack of both investment and tourists, as many
people are unaware of this unique place. For that
reason, it is considered fundamental to connect
Arica to the existing tourist zones that move millions
of tourists a year to such places as Machu Pichu,
Tiawanaku and San Pedro de Atacama. According to
Mr. Mario Moya, commercial director of the Port
of Arica, “Cruise ships that arrive to the
Port of Arica have the advantage of being able to
see the city of Arica and then go onto other popular
destinations within the region. It really is a traveler’s
paradise.” There are also many tourist agencies
in Arica that arrange tours and adventure trips
throughout the region. Mr. Cristian Neira, the manager
of the Agency of Promotion and Investments’
Arica office, explains that “Our zone is privileged
as far as (the) existence of a cultural and historical
patrimony and natural beauty, even (though) it is
not really on the tourist map. This places an important
task on those who promote the city as a destination
as it relates to Cuzco, La Paz, and the North of
Chile.”
Carlos Valcarce, Arica’s mayor, states, “We
want to be the Miami Beach of South America. ”
Technology
When internationally known businessman and intellectual
Fernando Flores won the Senate seat for the Region
of Tarapacá in December of 2001, he immediately
outlined a strategy to transform the city into a
center of technological development of the Southern
Cone.
In order for this to take place, a series of strategic
alliances was formed with the local government,
the Development Corporation of Arica and Parinacota,
CORFO, the University of Tarapacá (UTA) and
the Municipality of Arica. Because the city’s
conditions are unique in Latin America in that three
lines of fiber optics run through the zone (with
its respective terminals), Arica is at a technology
advantage. “Compared to other Latin American
cities such as Miami where there are four fiber
optic zones, Valparaiso where there are two and
in Santiago where there is one, Arica receives more
connectivity to the region with respect to the world.
It is the best position from the international point
of view as we are next to Peru, Bolivia, the North
of Argentina, the Andean macro-region and the center
of South America,” says Ibáñez.
Ibáñez agrees, emphasizing the important
potential of development of technology. “It
is proven that the countries with the most qualitative
and quantitative growth have been those who have
incorporated added value to their technological
services and this way attract technological investments.”
He adds “Tarapacá is the region with
the greatest potential on the matter, which today
is the center of investment in the technological
area, since its duty free zone allows the installation
of companies under several benefits, incentives
and franchises like none other in Chile.”
But with this connectivity it was necessary to be
prepared for the critical mass of those taking advantage
of the area and to meet these challenges. For that
reason, the University of Tarapacá made agreements
of international certification with the companies
Cisco, Oracle and Microsoft. With these agreements,
the students of these studies are prepared to develop
technology not only in Arica but anywhere of the
world.
The Development Corporation and the local municipality
worked rapidly to generate digital education and
teach the English language at a school level. This
has multiplied quickly, giving the city an advantage
with respect to other cities of Chile and the Andes
region.
Mr. Arancibia explains that there is still a greater
task. “The one to connect the different agents
who take part in the development: the public and
private entities, the civilians and military, academics
and those that are normal citizens. To look for
the best understanding of the phenomena that surrounds
us (such as globalization and local cultures) and
to find a middle ground. This is not a single bet
on the economic development, but also a fundamental
experience of social agreement for the development.”
To further this plan of technological development,
CORFO and the regional government have encouraged
company investment through the Agency of Promotion
of Investments of Tarapacá by offering benefits
and several different tools for the technological
development of the region.
Ibáñez points out several of these
tools to support investments. “There are several
incentives (for) hiring labor and (the) training
of professionals in specialized areas, costs that
are handled by the government instead of the company;
government subsidies (for) companies’ installation
as well as buying land for construction. In Arica,
there are funds to promote important investment,
there exists a law that gives 30 percent credit;
there are bonuses of 17 percent given for the workers,
and so many existing conditions to renegotiate in
order to produce for the best interest of both the
company and the area.”
As one can see, Arica is an untapped paradise for
both tourism and technology. As Mr. Patricio Arancibia
of the Development Corporation puts it, “there
are appropriate conditions for the development of
technology and tourism that just come together in
Arica.” |
