MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: positive tourism trade balance

The tourism trade balance in the second quarter of 2005 was positive for Argentina in 27 million US dollars according to the latest release from the Statistics and Census Office.

The information is based mainly on Ezeiza international airport passenger traffic which showed a 12% incoming increase over the same period a year ago. Besides visitors spent more time and money in Argentina than in 2004 with the average per capita going from 868 US dollars to 996 US dollars.

The total figure for the second quarter was 370 million US dollars compared to 344 million last year.

As to Argentines going overseas, the number increased 5% in the second quarter and expenditure 26%. Most trips, 46%, were for business reasons, and the rest vacations and visiting relatives.

Argentines overseas spent an average 73 US dollars per night with the highest expenditure in other Latinamerican countries, 95 US dollars.

The longest sojourns of Argentine residents were in Europe, United States and Canada, with a third of visitors to European countries staying with relatives and/or friends.

However two thirds of those who travelled to the rest of America booked into 4 and 5 stars hotels.

The report concludes that the second quarter results are encouraging since the increase in the number of incoming tourists is greater than that of Argentines travelling overseas, signaling a change in the tendency which was evident in a positive tourism trade balance compared to a negative second quarter a year ago.