Social tourism in Latin America: regional initiatives

Abstract

In Latin America, during the last quarter of the twentieth century, the forces of development perpetuated the historical socio-economic gap, primarily based on racial and ethnic origins, gender and social class, and maintained the asymmetry between access to basic rights and the standard of living. The majority of social sectors in the region currently experience precarious and informal labor structures, low living wages, and difficult access to the most basic needs (CEPAL 2010). In this context, to refer to the right to tourism is to do so as it relates to its enjoyment by a social minority, even in those countries that show the best regional indicators.In this chapter we analyze the main social tourism initiatives that are being developed in the region. Private initiatives include the Social Service of Commerce (SESC) in Brazil and the Fenalco Family Compensation Fund (COMFENALCO) in Colombia; and among the public initiatives, with more than ten years of uninterrupted operation, are: the Tourist Program in Argentina; Vacaciones de Tercera Edad for seniors, Gira de Estudio for students and Turismo Familiar for families in Chile; the National Social Tourism System in Uruguay; and the Social Tourism Program in Venezuela, which in recent years has experienced a decrease in benefits due to the current political turmoil.