“We are unknown and ignored as a tourism country.” Tourism propaganda in Chile between 1929 and 1959

Abstract

This article analyzes state promotion of the tourism industry in Chile between 1929 and 1959, a period when the state first took an interest in this issue. Through an analysis of the media, ministerial communications, and parliamentary discussions, this study reveals flaws in tourism propaganda aimed at foreign countries, and reviews the roles and tasks undertaken by consuls, who acted as middlemen in the promotion of tourism, as “propaganda commissioners” – actors that promoted national tourism at a time when there were no clear standards established by the government.