The President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, appointed Jaime Benítez Villafranca as the new National Director of the National Tourism Service (Sernatur), after analyzing a list of applicants selected through Senior Public Management.
Benítez, who will take office on January 23, pointed out that “our main task will be to continue promoting the recovery of tourism activity and also its strengthening in the face of the challenges we face. For this, we will follow the guidelines of the Government, the Ministry of Economy and the Undersecretary of Tourism, where decentralization and work with the regions have a central role, and we will maintain coordination with the public and private sectors, listening to different actors who allow to consolidate a sustainable tourism” he specified.
The new director of Sernatur is an administrator of tourism companies from the Universidad Austral de Chile and has more than 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors, along with a teaching career in the field of innovation in state and private universities. He also has a master’s degree in Sustainable Management of Destinations and Tourism Products from the Universidad Andrés Bello, with a postgraduate degree in Preparation and Social Evaluation of Projects from the University of Chile and a diploma in Management and Sustainable Development of Destinations and Tourism Products from the University Andres Bello.
Regarding his efforts in office, Benítez added that “we know that it is important to deepen what has been done so far, support for micro, small and medium-sized tourism companies, the best connectivity, the promotion and safety of our visitors, as well as projecting the development of the industry, attending to the new post-Covid-19 market trends and taking charge of the effects of climate change in our sector” he concluded.
It is important to mention that Jaime Benítez was also an executive of Astronómica Chile, Cluster of Astronomical Tourism of the Regional Corporation for Productive Development of the Coquimbo Region, head of the Secretariat of Community Planning of the Municipality of Primavera, in charge of Marketing of Sernatur del Maule and head of the Experiences and Destinations / Tourist Infrastructure Units of the Undersecretary of Tourism, among other positions. Before his appointment, he was Manager of the Torres del Paine Association of Hotels and Tourist Services, HYST.
