MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay with record export and tourism in 2005

Uruguayan exports reached a record value of 3.493 billion US dollars last year, reports the Central Bank. This represents 14.6% over 2004, when the country began to consolidate following the 2002/03 financial crisis.

Imports, the highest since 1998, also surged in 2005 totalling 3.879 billion US dollars with a trade deficit of 386 million US dollars. In 2004 imports reached 3.114 billion. Capital goods, transport equipment and manufacturing supplies were among the leading items in the higher imports bill.

Last year was also encouraging for the Uruguayan tourism industry which posted a 2.5% visitors increase over 2004, but with a considerably higher, 19%, income, according to the country's Tourism ministry.

The number of tourists in 2005 totalled 1.917.049, and 540 million US dollars, 85.6 million over 2004. Apparently a larger influx of US tourists, 69% over 2004, was decisive in the higher income recorded. Although US tourists arriving in Uruguay represent only 2.1%, as with Europeans, they have a higher per capita expenditure level. The number of visiting Europeans increased 15.5% in 2005.

Furthermore the number of Brazilians, Chileans and Paraguayans tourists also surged but Argentines, which make the bulk of the summer visitors, actually dropped. This is attributed to a less favourable exchange rate, strong promotions for domestic travelling in Argentina and the pulp mills conflict with picketers blocking for hours the bridges linking the neighbouring countries.