September 2017 – GSTC conducted a Destination Assessment of Lago Llanquihue, Chile – comprising the four municipalities of Puerto Varas, Fruitillar, Llanquihue, and Puerto Octay, on the banks of Lake Llanquihue in Northern Patagonia. This assessment served as a follow-up to the earlier GSTC assessment of Lago Llanquihue as part of GSTC’s Early Adopter Program to pilot test the GSTC Destinations Criteria in 2013. The goal of the assessment was to evaluate the destination’s progress implementing the recommendations from the initial GSTC Destination Assessment four years earlier, and identify remaining sustainability risks and recommendations for improvement of destination management according to the GSTC Destinations Criteria.
Located in south-central Chile in the Los Lagos Region, this tourism destination notably features Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile, and the lake resort towns of Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Llanquihue, and Puerto Octay. Tourism is economically vital to the region, where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes, and partake in outdoor recreation such as skiing, hiking, hot springs, and activities in and around the lake.
