When we first started All Southern Chile, some of the first towns we visited were in the Araucanía Andina region of Chile. Everywhere we went people kept talking about this Araucania Andina Association that was promoting tourism in the region; however, no one seemed to know exactly where it was or exactly what it was. We were not sure if they were government, private, or perhaps the mafia. After many months of talking to people, phone calls, and knocking on doors, we finally tracked down this illusive group known as the Araucanía Andina. Now the question is, what exactly is it they do?

Turns out the Araucanía Andina association is a government instigated nonprofit association designed to organize the businesses and the towns of the Araucanía Andina region of Chile focusing on tourism. They are kind of like a regional chamber of commerce, but payed for by the government. They are also not exactly like Chile's National Tourism office Senatur. They are more focused on just the Araucanía Andina region including the towns of Cunco, Curacautin, Lonquimay, Melipeuco, Victoria, and Vilcun. Most of the business depend on the tourism flow to the National parks around volcanoes such as Llaima, Tolhuaca, Lonquimay and Sollipulli. These are the gateway communities.

Araucanía Andina Association makes of strange mix, not often seen in Chile, of large well established hotels and small mom and pop hostels and businesses. In many ways, they have a similar goal to the goal of All Southern Chile. That is, to get the large and small tourism businesses in southern Chile helping to promote the south of Chile together.

Just south of the Araucanía Andina is the town of Pucon. Pucon has been the Chilean governments tourism baby for years. Most of Senatur regional money is devoted to promoting Pucon, and only Pucon. Thus, the need for an association like the Araucanía Andina to help break the cycle of one day visitors from Pucon.

In part, the idea is to lure some of the tourist from Pucon to spend more than the afternoon in the area. Ideally the members want to turn the Araucanía Andina in to a destination in itself. To this end, there is a strong thrust to lure the foreign tourist that would normally not find the nightclubs and casinos of Pucon all that attractive to the national parks, rivers, and ski resorts of the Araucanía Andina region just a couple hours away.