translated from Spanish: Boiler and Rapa Nui entrepreneurs are the winners of the Women’s Tourist Entrepreneur contest

Over the past decade, the Women Business Tourism contest has highlighted the female role in tourism. Thus, she has rewarded more than twenty entrepreneurs from all over Chile for the attributes they address in their businesses in terms of innovation, sustainability and diversification of experiences.
This year, the winners turned out to be entrepreneurs of Caldera, in the Atacama Region, and Rapa Nui, in the Valparaiso Region, who from their fields provide visitors with authentic experiences in assessing the traditions and customs of the environment in which develop their services.
This is how Camila Ahumada Tiska (from Caldera) and Alejandra Rojas Alabarce (of Rapa Nui) were the winners of the contest and $2,000,000 for each, plus an audiovisual kit: a one-minute video and a book of thirty professional images for dissemination promotional to their business.
For this year’s edition, 300 women from all over the country, micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, applied.
Tiska Bicycles
Tiska Bicicletas leases this type of vehicles, however, the most important operation of this business are the tourist services of guided routes through coastal and heritage sectors in the Atacama Region.
Having lived all her life in Caldera, the thirty-two-year-old entrepreneur always had the concern to develop a tourism that would enhance the qualities and beauty of the city. This, coupled with his love of bicycles, he inferred this adventure tourism activity.
After receiving her award, Camila showed her excitement, as in 2017 she received the same award, but at the regional level. He says that “already at that time it had been very exciting. Now, winning the national prize is much more, especially in these times that are difficult for the country. It gave me a lot of excitement that everything appears in everything this award, which is a contribution to the city, but more than anything a recognition that I am doing something good for development and economics. I’m very proud of myself and happy.”
Snorkeling Rapa Nui
For its part, there is the case of Alejandra Rojas Alabarce, who with his company Snorkeling Rapa Nui not only diversifies the tourist offer of Rapa Nui, but, in turn, allows local children, young people and adults to connect with the sea, a fundamental element for c ulture on the island.
On a dive bus, the country’s first adapted mobile dive center, thirty-four-year-old Alejandra has all the conditions and facilities for people to access with their wheelchairs and other support devices. Thus they can be recreated in one of the most beautiful waters in the world, which give more than forty-five meters of visibility and a dream fauna.
The entrepreneur of the archipelago stated that this award “means opening doors for all the women of the island who fight day by day for their entrepreneurship. Sometimes they are not very visible, but to have won is to stand out Rapa Nui and many other ventures, not just mine. This is certainly going to give them a lot of encouragement and strength to go on with what they do.”
Women Tourism Entrepreneur 2019
The Undersecretary of Tourism, Mónica Zalaquett, stressed that the competition Women Entrepreneurs Tourism “is tremendously relevant, because it recognizes brave, enterprising and innovative women who have opted for tourism as an activity, with creative projects and with a tourist offer that values the rich natural and cultural heritage of each of the corners of the country in which they are located”.
As has been the tonic in previous years, this competition allows to publicize the distinctive elements of the country, new experiences and tourist products that encourage Chileans to prefer national destinations, as a way to contribute to reviving the local tourism.
In this regard, the national director of Sernatur, Andrea Wolleter indicated that “with this competition we have not only managed to make more than 4,800 female ventures in various destinations in Chile more innovative and successful ideas that have helped to boost domestic tourism and that today could undoubtedly be agents of change to drive the revival of our sector.”

Original source in Spanish