Children and youth tourism as a priority direction of development of tourism of the Republic of Chile

Children and youth area as an independent segment of the tourism industry has a long history in many developed countries in organized form with the support of relevant organs of state and territorial government, as well as in the independent form. However, for most developing countries it is a relatively new phenomenon, which forms and mechanisms of manifestation may differ significantly from each other. The authors of the article, in accordance with the priority directions of scientific research of St. Petersburg state economic University, chose the current state and prospects of development of youth tourism in Chile as the object of their study. The article presents a brief overview of the history and transformation of tourism of the Republic of Chile, gives the attractiveness of Chile for the regional tourism market, as well as formulates key trends of the modern youth tourism: the use of modern information technologies; development and implementation of integrated programs for children and young people; the development of family tourism; promotion of scientific tourism for children and teenagers.