Chile Naturist Beaches Latin America

Playa Luna will host Chile’s first nudist gathering at the beginning of March.

Playa Luna, Chile’s only nudist beach, will begin receiving its first visitors this Sunday for the 2011-2012 summer season.

nudist beach Photo by Rodrigo Garrido/Playa Luna.

The beach is located in the town of Puchuncaví in the Valparaíso region, just three miles from the popular beaches of Horcón Cove, on a nature reserve tucked away between two cliffs.

This summer, the reserve expects to see some 12,000 people visit Playa Luna, a 20 percent increase from last year.

“We have continually seen this increase with more people arriving every summer, considering that there were only a few people when we began,” René Rojas, director of the Nudist Club of Chile and one of Chile’s first nudist activists, said to El Mercurio.

Opening day will feature a guided tour and include transportation from Santiago, for those with a true interest in nudist tourism. The initiative was started a few years ago and has had great results.

“The beach is open to anyone. There have been many questions about whether or not Playa Luna is a public beach or not, but the invitation is for everyone. In this respect, the tours are a great opportunity for those interested in living this experience,” said Rojas.

Chile promotes nudism-naturism tourism; holds regional conference in 2012

The nudism and naturism movement in Chile will soon be in the international spotlight, as the country was recently named headquarters for the Latin American Nudism-Naturism Conference, scheduled for March 2012.

“This nomination allows us to promote Chile as a destination for the tourism business, just as we have focused campaigns in Latin America and Europe,” said Carolina Bugmann, head of the Chile Convention Bureau, which is part of the private business Turismo Chile.

Over 5,000 people have registered with Chile’s Nudism-Naturism Association, headquartered in the Luna beach area near Valparaíso.

“The development of international tourism meetings also brings other benefits, as promotional efforts have a multiplying effect and generate jobs and businesses, on top of additional spending by tourists,” Bugmann said.

The Latin American Nudism-Naturism Conference will feature various trekking and hiking competitions, in addition to more typically passive activities like beach-going. Organizers are currently looking to attract businesses to sponsor the event.

“We have a lot of work to do for the summit, because we’re interested in every type of request so that Chile remains on a good foot,” explained René Rojas, who has been president of the Chilean Nudism-Naturism Association for the last 12 years.

According to Rojas there is no single type of person who is interested in the nudism and naturism movement. Professionals and large families alike are equally prone to participation, but what counts most is a desire to connect more closely with nature.

By Alison Silveira – Santiago Times

Tourism

Tourism in Chile has experienced sustained growth over the last few decades. In 2005, tourism grew by 13.6%, generating more than 4.5 billion dollars of which 1.5 billion is attributed to foreign tourists. According to the National Service of Tourism (Sernatur), 2 million people a year visit the country. Most of these visitors come from other countries in the American continent, mainly Argentina; followed by a growing number from the United States, Europe, and Brazil with a growing number of Asians from South Korea and PR China.

The main attractions for tourists are places of natural beauty situated in the extreme zones of the country: San Pedro de Atacama, in the north, is very popular with foreign tourists who arrive to admire the Incaic architecture, the altiplano lakes, and the Valley of the Moon. In Putre, also in the North, there is the Chungará Lake, as well as the Parinacota and the Pomerape volcanoes, with altitudes of 6,348 m and 6,282 m, respectively. Throughout the central Andes there are many ski resorts of international repute, like Portillo, Valle Nevado and Termas de Chillán . In the south, the main tourist sites are the coastal area around Tirúa and Cañete with the Isla Mocha and the Nahuelbuta National Park, Chiloé Archipelago and Patagonia, which includes Laguna San Rafael National Park, with its many glaciers, and the Torres del Paine National Park. The central port city of Valparaíso, with its unique architecture, is also popular. Finally, Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean is one of the main Chilean tourist destinations.

For locals, tourism is concentrated mostly in the summer (December to March), and mainly in the coastal beach towns. Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, La Serena and Coquimbo are the main summer centres in the north, and Pucón on the shores of Lake Villarrica is the main one in the south. Because of its proximity to Santiago, the coast of the Valparaíso Region, with its many beach resorts, receives the largest number of tourists. Viña del Mar, Valparaíso's northern affluent neighbor, is popular because of its beaches, casino, and its annual song festival, the most important musical event in Latin America.

In November 2005, the government launched a campaign under the brand "Chile: All Ways Surprising," intended to promote the country internationally for both business and tourism.

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Chile’s premier nudist beach to give guided tours

Chile promotes nudism-naturism tourism; holds regional conference in 2012

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