Abstract

Abstract: The research analyzes the profile of the national and foreign tourists visiting a recognized destination of Chile: La Serena. Based on a field study applied to 920 tourists, their sociodemographic, behavioral, motivational and satisfaction attributes are contrasted. The results reveal a tourist of homogeneous demographic qualities, who travels to the area motivated by the desire to disconnect from the everyday life and by the tourist reputation of the city. The main differences between the types of tourists are found in the socioeconomic level and behavioral aspects of travel such as the planning time, expenses and the use of internet resources. Also, a high degree of visitors satisfaction was found based on the beauty of the city, the hospitality of the residents and the quality of the gastronomy. While, in the other hand, the public transport service, the guide and tourist information available and price-quality relationship are the least valued attributes. It concludes, in regarding to the need to enhance the tourism in the area by generating tourist products according to the particular profile of the visitor and their satisfaction determinants.