MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's tourism boom

With over three million tourists last year, a 15,4% jump over 2001, Argentina's tourism industry is undergoing a boom and this year expects to further increase the number of foreigners attracted by the country's multitude of possibilities and excellent prices since the peso was drastically devalued twelve months ago.

According to the Tourism Office, the number of foreigners arriving in Argentina between last October and December actually increased 40% with Europeans, North Americans and Latin Americans top of the list.

The main destinations of foreign tourists are the Atlantic coast, Patagonia, Córdoba's sierras, the lake area in Rio Negro and Neuquen and even the national parks in the northern tropical belt with the world famous spectacular Iguazú waterfalls.

The target for this year is four million overseas tourists, according to the Secretary of Tourism, Daniel Scioli. Also for the first time in almost a decade the tourism balance favours Argentina.

"Argentines who travelled overseas in 2002 spent 1,675 billion US dollars but foreigners left in Argentina, 2,247 billion US dollars that represents a 575 million US dollars surplus", indicated Mr. Scioli. "This even when foreigners in 2001 spent an average of 94 US dollars per day per capita and dropped to 74 US dollars last year".

The December 2001 devaluation of the peso when it was left to float freely after a decade fixed on a par with the US dollar, turned Argentina into an accessible and very attractive country for tourism and shopping.

Similarly as the influx of foreigners rocketed, the Argentines travelling overseas dropped drastically from 4,761,925 in 2001 to 2,870,581 last year.

However internal tourism particularly along the Atlantic coast has soared with over a million and a half people flocking to mainly to Mar del Plata and adjoining beaches.

According to regional tourism chambers in Mar del Plata, Córdoba, Patagonia, occupancy rates has almost doubled and in some cases demand is even higher.

And to make things even better a great number of foreigners fall into the category of what Argentine newspapers describe as "champagne tourists", that is high income visitors who spend lavishly in restaurants and shopping particularly leather garments and shoes.

And this applies not only to Europeans and Americans but rich Latinamerican from Chile, Mexico and Peru, all countries with strong and stable currencies.