| By Laura Bly, USA TODAY
As millions of viewers across the globe watched the last of 33 trapped Chilean miners emerge from their subterranean prison into the glare of cameras on a cold desert night, Chile is hoping for a boost from its own ecstatic turn in the media spotlight.
People celebrate the end of the successful rescue operation that freed 33 trapped miners from the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile, on Oct. 13, 2010.
By Martin Mejia, AP
"It would be difficult to put a price on how much the good news exposure will be a boost to Chilean business abroad, tourism at home or even the numbers who will choose a Chilean red over an Australian or French vintage on their way home tonight (judging by the numbers on Facebook who said they planned to hoist a celebratory glass of Chile's finest, the nation's wine industry should enjoy a post-rescue windfall)," notes CNN. The donated Oakley sunglasses worn by each of the miners as they greeted the world could serve as canaries in the coal mine: According to one estimate, Oakley's largess netted the equivalent of $41 million in television advertising time alone.
Foreign travel to Chile, which celebrated its 200th anniversary of independence from Spain last month, has been rebuilding since an 8.8 earthquake rocked the central part of the South American country in February.
The desolate mine location near Copiapo isn't a tourist draw yet, though there's talk of building an underground museum and preserving Camp Hope, the ad hoc tent city (complete with school and hair salon) that housed family members, rescue workers and media during the 69-day ordeal.
But more than 400 miles to the north, the Atacama Desert outpost of San Pedro de Atacama - where I'll be on vacation next month - is booming with trendy boutique hotels and tour companies offering excursions into the world's driest landscape.
"At this point, I don't think we have a way to measure a spike in interest in the Atacama, (but) certainly this has put a positive spin on Chile, and our ability to handle a crisis of this magnitude," notes Kristina Schreck, author of Frommer's Chile. "Yesterday the country felt a sense of indescribable euphoria, celebrating in the streets, honking horns. It made me very proud of my adopted country."
Meanwhile, it's a safe bet the miners themselves won't be turning to the Atacama for R&R. Rescued miner and Elvis fan Edison Pena scored an all-expenses-paid trip to Graceland, while a Greek mining company has offered the men and their guests a week-long jaunt to Greece and the soccer team Real Madrid has invited them to watch a match at its stadium in Spain.
www.ChileTeam.org
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