Sernatur Los Ríos

What Sernatur Los Ríos does

Sernatur Los Ríos is the regional office of Chile's Servicio Nacional de Turismo (SERNATUR), operating under the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism to promote tourism in the Los Ríos Region. Founded in 2014 when Los Ríos was established as Chile's 14th region, the agency is headquartered in Valdivia with two additional offices in La Unión and Panguipulli. It is a government state entity, not a commercial enterprise, and is publicly funded through annual state budgets and the Fondo Regional para la Productividad y Desarrollo (FRPD), most notably a $3 billion CLP FNDR program approved in November 2023 for 'Reactivar la Competitividad y Posicionamiento Turístico'.

The agency's core operational infrastructure consists of the official regional tourism portal descubrelosrios.cl, the national tourism services catalog serviciosturisticos.sernatur.cl, the national tourism registry registro.sernatur.cl, and the Valdivia Virtual panoramic venue platform developed with the Convention Bureau. No proprietary commercial technology product is developed; technology is deployed as undifferentiated infrastructure for promotion, registration, and visitor information. The agency executes four core functions: (1) destination promotion across four organized destinations (Valdivia-Corral, Sietelagos Panguipulli, Cuenca del Lago Ranco, Cuatro Ríos) and 15+ tourism experience categories including adventure, gastronomy, Mapuche cultural tourism, craft beer tourism, MICE, and thermal wellness; (2) regulatory oversight via the national tourism registry, Sello R certification, and quality/sustainability seals (Sello Q, Sello S, Compromiso Turismo Sustentable); (3) execution of social tourism programs (Vacaciones Tercera Edad, Gira de Estudio, Programa Turismo Familiar, Turismo Mujer); and (4) MICE destination development via the Los Ríos Convention Bureau.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial: Sernatur Los Ríos does not sell products or services to tourists and generates no fee-based revenue. Promotion is funded by public budgets and distributed through owned digital channels, three physical tourist information offices, a national toll-free call center, social media (Instagram, Facebook, X), monthly bulletins, downloadable destination maps, and coordinated participation in national and international trade fairs (EXPONOR, FIEXPO Latin America, Carnaval Mayor, Expo Mundo Outdoor). The agency serves five distinct segments: domestic Chilean tourists (primary), social tourism program participants (subsidized), international MICE buyers, cross-border Chile-Argentina tourists via the Hua Hum pass, and regional tourism SMEs that register for certification and access FNDR-funded promotion. The 20+ named SME beneficiaries — including Espíritu Outdoors, Futangue Hotel & Spa, Hotel di Torlaschi, Puro Rafting, Kume Yeal, and Aldea Intercultural Lawan — are all small operators supported through collective pavilions and certification pathways.

Name

Sernatur Los Ríos

Legal name

SERNATUR Los Ríos - Servicio Nacional de Turismo, Región de Los Ríos

Website

https://descubrelosrios.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sernatur Los Ríos is the regional office of Chile's National Tourism Service, promoting the Los Ríos Region through four organized destinations via digital portals, trade fair participation, Sello R certification, and social tourism programs serving domestic travelers, international MICE buyers, cross-border tourists, and regional SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Tourism Promotion Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Recreation & Activity Services (Hiking, Boating, Climbing, Fishing—Guided/Authorized) (THAAAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Outdoor Guiding Services (Hiking, Trekking, Mountaineering) (THAAALAA), Cultural Heritage & Indigenous-Led Visitor Services (Tribal Tours, Heritage Sites, Co-management) (THAAAGAL), Student & Youth Educational Tours (THAKAGAA), Campground & Overnight Facilities Operations (Campsites, Cabins, Backcountry Huts) (THAAAGAE)

Keywords

• Destination tourism promotion
• Regional tourism development
• MICE tourism marketing
• Tourism certification programs
• Social tourism programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Valdivia

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Public Program Execution: Sernatur Los Ríos is a government agency funded through annual state budgets and the Fondo Regional para la Productividad y el Desarrollo (FRPD). It executes the 'Reactivar la Competitividad y Posicionamiento Turístico de la Región de Los Ríos' program with 3 billion CLP in regional government financing. It does not generate commercial revenue from tourists directly; its role is promotional, regulatory (tourism registry, Sello R certification), and programmatic (social tourism programs). Revenue derived from any fee-for-service is not described in source material.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sernatur Los Ríos is a Chilean government tourism promotion agency that promotes the Los Ríos Region as a year-round destination across four geographic areas (Valdivia-Corral, Sietelagos Panguipulli, Cuenca del Lago Ranco, Cuatro Ríos). It delivers tourism certification programs (Sello R, Sello Q, Sello S, Compromiso Turismo Sustentable), social tourism programs for seniors, families, students, and women entrepreneurs, MICE tourism promotion through the Los Ríos Convention Bureau, and binational tourism through the Hua Hum border crossing with Argentina. The agency does not sell tourism services directly; it provides regulatory oversight, destination promotion, and operator registry services.

Product overview

Sernatur Los Ríos is the regional office of Chile's National Tourism Service, operating as a government tourism promotion agency rather than a commercial technology company. The organization promotes the Los Ríos region as a tourism destination through its official website descubrelosrios.cl, featuring four main destination areas (Cuenca del Lago Ranco, Sietelagos Panguipulli, Valdivia-Corral, and Cuatro Ríos). The platform organizes tourism experiences across categories including nature tourism, adventure tourism, thermal spas, Mapuche cultural tourism, rural tourism, meetings/incentive tourism (MICE), gastronomy, and craft beer tourism. Supporting programs include social tourism initiatives (Vacaciones Tercera Edad, Gira de Estudio, Turismo Familiar, Turismo Mujer), regional certification seals (Sello S, Sello Q, Compromiso Turismo Sustentable), and a comprehensive catalog of registered tourism service providers. The organization also manages the Los Ríos Convention Bureau for meeting and event promotion and implements binational tourism through the Hua Hum crossing to Argentina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Los Ríos Convention Bureau: Regional convention bureau dedicated to promoting Valdivia and the Los Ríos region as a destination for congresses, conventions, and international events.

Products and services

• Turismo de Reuniones (Meetings Tourism / MICE) MICE tourism offering for international meeting planners, association executives, incentive travel buyers, and convention organizers. Includes congresses, conventions, and incentive travel supported by the Los Ríos Convention Bureau and modern infrastructure, with virtual venue previews via the Valdivia Virtual platform.
• Experiencias Turísticas (Tourism Experiences Catalog) Organized catalog of regional tourism experiences including volcanoes and mountains, Mapuche cultural tourism, thermal spas, sport fishing, waterfalls and viewpoints, park networks, lakes and rivers, rafting, scenic tours, craft beer and cider, museums and castles, gastronomy, rural tourism, and maritime adventures.
• Destinos Turísticos (Four Regional Destinations) Four promoted tourism destinations: Cuenca del Lago Ranco, Sietelagos Panguipulli, Valdivia-Corral, and Cuatro Ríos, each with distinct nature, culture, and gastronomy offerings.
• Sellos Regionales (Regional Tourism Seals/Certifications) Regional certification programs including Sello S (sustainability), Compromiso Turismo Sustentable (Sustainable Tourism Commitment), and Sello Q (quality certification), plus the national Sello R registration, recognizing and promoting quality and sustainable tourism service providers.
• Programa Vacaciones Tercera Edad Government social tourism program promoting domestic tourism and wellbeing for senior citizens, running since 2001, including the annual Carnaval Mayor event.
• Gira de Estudio Study tours program for educational institutions, providing subsidized domestic tourism experiences for school groups.
• Programa Turismo Familiar Family tourism program supporting subsidized domestic tourism for low-income families in the Los Ríos region.
• Programa Turismo Mujer / Mujer Empresaria Turística Program supporting female tourism entrepreneurs in partnership with Ministerio de la Mujer y la Equidad de Género and BancoEstado, including the Mujer Empresaria Turística competition awarding CLP $2,500,000 to selected women entrepreneurs.
• Turismo Binacional Hua Hum Binational tourism product crossing the Hua Hum Pass connecting Panguipulli Seven Lakes with San Martín de los Andes, Argentina via Lake Pirihueico, promoted in partnership with Argentine tourism authorities.
• Servicios Turísticos (Tourism Services Catalog) Official national catalog of registered tourism service providers in the Los Ríos Region, including certified accommodations, safe transportation, expert guides, and local gastronomy accessible through the national Sernatur platform.
• Planificador de Viaje (Trip Planning Resources) Travel planning resources including road conditions, international crossing status, how-to-get-there guides, maps and plans, and a monthly Boletín Informativo newsletter.

Quantifiable outcome

• Regional average occupancy reached 70.9% in January 2025, a 13.4pp increase over January 2024, surpassing the national average of 64.9%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, moderate and major.

• Gobierno Regional de Los RíoscoreOthers · 1 June 2026The Regional Government of Los Ríos and its Consejo Regional are the primary funders of Sernatur Los Ríos's tourism promotion activities, providing $3 billion CLP through the Fondo Regional para la Productividad y el Desarrollo (FRPD) for the 'Reactivar la Competitividad y Posicionamiento Turístico' program. The GORE also co-funds tourism infrastructure, fair participation, and regional marketing campaigns.
• Cámara de Comercio e Industrias de Valdivia (CCIV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026CCIV collaborated with Sernatur Los Ríos, GORE, and the Corporación Regional de Desarrollo Productivo to organize the first regional pavilion at EXPONOR 2026, assembling a 15-company multisectoral delegation from Los Ríos. The chamber provides private-sector coordination for tourism promotion actions.
• Corporación Regional de Desarrollo ProductivocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The regional development corporation co-organized EXPONOR 2026 participation and manages international relations aspects of regional tourism promotion, including cross-border tourism corridors with Argentina.
• Los Ríos Convention BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The Convention Bureau operates as a non-profit partner of Sernatur Los Ríos dedicated to promoting the region for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE). It participates in FIEXPO Latin America, manages the Valdivia Virtual platform, and supports university engagement for event capture. Key representatives include Juan Pablo Leiva, Layla Yantani, and Pablo Lepez.
• Asociación de Industriales de Antofagasta (AIA)minorOthers · 1 June 2026AIA organizes EXPONOR, the international mining and energy technology fair where Los Ríos was the only Chilean region with an official pavilion in 2026. AIA facilitated regional access to exhibit at the event.
• Ministerio de la Mujer y la Equidad de Género / BancoEstadomoderateGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2025Joint partners in the national 'Mujer Empresaria Turística' program, which awards two regional women tourism entrepreneurs $2.5 million CLP each plus an audiovisual kit. The program, coordinated by Sernatur nationally, promotes female leadership in tourism across Los Ríos.
• FIEXPO Latin AmericamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2025FIEXPO Latin America is the premier MICE tourism trade show in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in San José, Costa Rica in 2025 (with Chile as guest country). Sernatur Los Ríos and the Convention Bureau participated for the second consecutive year to engage international buyers and position Los Ríos as a congress destination. The fair's director Arnaldo Nardone and business development director Santiago González provided direct engagement with the Chilean delegation.
• FungiFest (Festival Internacional de los Hongos de Valdivia)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2025Sernatur Los Ríos provided patronage to FungiFest 2025 (10th edition) under the FNDR program, supporting the event that positions Valdivia as Chile's fungi tourism epicenter. The festival featured over 130 stalls, talks, workshops, and a fungi-focused program with Amanita muscaria as the 2025 symbol, targeting off-season tourism demand.
• Subsecretaría de Turismo / INN (Instituto Nacional de Normalización)coreOthers · 1 May 2025Sernatur participates in the national technical normalization process for adventure tourism vocabulary led by the Tourism Undersecretary and the INN. This supports quality and safety standards in the regional adventure tourism segment.
• Consejo Regional de Turismo de Los RíoscoreOthers · 1 April 2025The Tourism Council, comprising public and private sector representatives, meets regularly (1st Session 2026 documented) to set annual tourism strategy, coordinate FNDR program execution, and align regional marketing priorities.
• Gobierno Regional de Los Ríos / FRPDcoreOthers · 1 December 2024The FRPD financing enabled Sernatur to send a multi-destination delegation (entrepreneurs from all four regional destinations) to the gastronomic festival Fuego, Humo y Sabores in San Martín de Los Andes, Argentina, promoting cross-border tourism and regional food products.
• Inacap Valdivia (HOTUGA career program)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024INACAP Valdivia provided culinary faculty (professors Carlos, Raúl, and Paola) who conducted live cooking demonstrations at the Fuego, Humo y Sabores festival in San Martín de Los Andes, showcasing regional gastronomic innovation with local products.
• Municipalidad de ValdiviamoderateGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2024The Municipality of Valdivia partnered with Sernatur Los Ríos for participation in Expo Mundo Outdoor 2024, contributing municipal resources and representation to the regional adventure tourism promotion effort.
• ONG Entre LengasmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Entre Lengas is a mountain culture NGO that co-organizes the annual Entre Lengas mountain encounter in Huilo Huilo and Mocho-Choshuenco reserves. Sernatur co-sponsored the 2023 VII version with support from GORE Los Ríos, CONAF, CRDP. The NGO received the 'Espíritu Entre Lengas' recognition. Partners include Fundación Plantae, Reserva Huilo Huilo, Volkanica Outdoor, and Andes Solutions.
• SENADIS (National Disability Service)minorOthers · 1 December 2022Sernatur participates in the national accessible tourism framework aligned with SENADIS standards. Chile has 2 million people with disabilities (15% of adult population per 2015 SENADIS data). Regional accessible tourism destinations are promoted under the #LosRiosSeguroYSustentable hashtag.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit Norway: National tourism organization promoting nature-based experiences, fjord and mountain destinations, and outdoor adventure tourism. Highly comparable in nature-based DMO positioning and seasonal destination challenges.
• Switzerland Tourism: National tourism board with multi-destination clustering, strong brand positioning (nature, culture, MICE), and partnership-driven SME support programs. Comparable as a publicly funded DMO with sustainability-focused differentiation.
• VisitBritain: National tourism agency promoting Britain internationally through trade engagement, MICE development, and digital portals. Comparable as a state-affiliated DMO executing trade fair presence and inbound tourism strategy at scale.
• Tourism New Zealand: National tourism promotion agency operating 100% Markets and PR-driven international campaigns, with strong nature-based positioning. Comparable in function and approach (national DMO with nature-led brand), though at a much larger scale.
• VisitDenmark: National DMO with sustainability-led brand positioning, regional clustering, and Convention Bureau activities. Comparable in promotional structure and emphasis on certifications and quality seals.
• Austrian National Tourist Office: National tourism board with strong MICE positioning, alpine and nature-based experience promotion, and convention bureau activities. Comparable in mix of nature, culture, and meetings tourism.

Direct peers

• Tourism Tasmania: Regional/subnational DMO for Tasmania, Australia, focused on nature, gastronomy, and craft beverage positioning with a smaller population base. Highly comparable as a regional DMO competing against larger international destinations.
• Visit Flanders: Regional destination marketing organization promoting a subnational territory (Flanders, Belgium) with multi-destination clustering, trade fair participation, and event-driven promotion. Directly comparable as a regional DMO with similar promotional and cluster-based strategy.
• Visit Vancouver: Regional convention and visitors bureau operating under a city/regional mandate with strong MICE focus and nature-urban positioning. Comparable as a CVB structure with similar trade fair engagement.

Others

• SERNATUR (Chile national): National parent organization of Sernatur Los Ríos, operating the unified national tourism portal, registry, and certification system. Comparable as the institutional framework within which Los Ríos operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DescubreLosRios
• Facebookfacebook.com/descubrelosrios
• Instagraminstagram.com/sernaturdescubrelosrios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sernatur-los-r%C3%ADos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sernatur Los Ríos