MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
UK and Argentina, main tourist generating markets for the Falklands in 2011
Falkland Islands visitor arrivals in 2012 by inbound overnight tourists, cruise passengers and domestic tourists are expected to total 57.000 spending around £7 million. Cruise ship passengers are forecast to make up 35.000 of the 57,000 in the 2012/13 season. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesVery Good results considering the argentine government has tried to scupper all of the Falklands trade and business deals!!!!
May 11th, 2012 - 09:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0Keep up the Good work.
Long live the Falklands.
I wonder how many South American visitors have a change of heart, seeing the situation in the islands at first hand, how settled, peaceful and un-Argentine the Falkland Islands and their people are.
May 11th, 2012 - 10:10 am - Link - Report abuse 0@2
May 11th, 2012 - 10:53 am - Link - Report abuse 0The South Americans I've met have not been supporters of Argentina's claim anyway (as indeed is the case with the vast majority of South Americans). What they do get on visiting the islands and meeting Falkland Islanders is an insight into why the Argentine claim is wrong for the Falklands. They already supported what is right but they gain understanding of the situation and validation of their standpoint.
Another conspiracy theory gone west,
May 11th, 2012 - 11:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0Amazing what the Argies will do to cover up the truth.
.
Dear posters. All the Falkland community has a lot to win if you look for a long run agreement with the argies. Not all argies are bad guys or want to impose their flag on your heads - and are ready to negotiate everything, despite hot speeches -. The problem is that the current situation is not good for any part: not for you, neither for the brits nor for the argies (or at least it can be better for everybody). In economic terms you could call the current situation no Pareto optimal. Negotiation theory suggests that it can be possible to arrive to a better outcome. Sometimes it is just needed to incorporate more elements in the negotiation – I mean, not just to think brits vs argies flags -. Humans are creative creatures when think. Don’t answer this post just with insults. Cheers.
May 11th, 2012 - 01:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 05 Kentu --- why should the Falkland people even talk to you lot never mind negotiate anything with you. They are doing quite well without you even though Argentina has tried every trick in the book to thwart their very existence. You have nothing that they want. It’s not they that are in trouble financially, it’s not them that have high inflation, it’s not them that have a high crime rate, it’s not them that have a high unemployment rate, its not them that have a high poverty rate. So what can you bring to the table that they would want?
May 11th, 2012 - 01:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Can you imagine how long it would take the Argentines to mess up the economy of the Falkland's if ever they got their grubby little hands on them? Ten years maybe, nope I would just give them six months and I am being generous with that estimation. Frigging corrupt stinking country.
6 Britishbulldog (#)
May 11th, 2012 - 02:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 11th, 2012 - 01:43 pm
As an Argentine who honestly believes that the Falklands belong to the Falkland Islanders, I also believe that at some point it would be great if we could sit down at a negotiating table and make friends again.
Only 35 years ago my sons were in school with a whole lot of Islanders, now thar has gone and I for one would like to see it return.
UK tourists are more than argies??? must be counting the militars, the prince, his friends, the guard, etc.
May 11th, 2012 - 02:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Malen. - Why do you show so much hate.
May 11th, 2012 - 02:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What is sad is that a large number of Argentinian visitors are there to see the graves of their fallen kin.
Simon - unfortunately the Argentinian government to not wish to negotiate - the only outcome the wish for is that they get sovereignty of the islands - Alicia Castro's comment “we will send them teachers so they can speak Spanish”
Every comment made by the Argentinian government starts with the “The Falkland Islands belong to Argentina”
8 malen (#)
May 11th, 2012 - 02:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 11th, 2012 - 02:33 pm
It shouldn't surprise you that UK tourist predominate in the Falklands, the only Argentines who go there are relatives of the fallen, ex-combatientes, the odd athlete and just about noone else.
@7
May 11th, 2012 - 03:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But if all Argentinians believed (as you so) that the Falklands belong to the Falkland Islanders then what would we be negotiating about?
And now Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile is to host the next annual meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, IAATO, in the first half of 2013.
May 11th, 2012 - 03:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It may be that the stupid Argie protests about cruise ships going to the Falklands (there are no Malvinas) not being able to dock in Argie ports will be sidetracked: just like some on here predicted would be the case.
Well done the Falklands.
@5
May 11th, 2012 - 04:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Yes, there was a time when there were some in the UK government that believed that 'some sort of deal could be done with Argentina that would benefit the UK government and Argentina.' But 1982 changed all of this and close examination of the Argentine psyche ever since and more of late has driven a wedge between the UK, Argentina and the FIG. This is very sad as the reality is that both the Falkland Islanders and Argentina could benefit from 'closer ties'. The distortion of historical facts ever since the time of Peron and a crazy belief that Argentina actually has some sort of legal right to own the Falklands, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands does nothing to promote friendship it just promotes Argentine paranoia. Ask yourself this: 'If were a Falkland Islander, would you trust the Argentine Government?'
11 WestisBest (#)
May 11th, 2012 - 05:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 11th, 2012 - 03:29 pm
”But if all Argentinians believed (as you so) that the Falklands belong to the Falkland Islanders then what would we be negotiating about?”
The negociation I envisage is getting back to where we were in the old days, perhaps before many of the posters on this site were born. It was a time when the Islanders would come over here for schooling, health reasons, and just for fun.
I'd like to see that happen again.
Simon - how far back are we going?
May 11th, 2012 - 05:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Between 35 and 50 years, those are the times I remember best. I guess that before that as well but I was just a kid so I don't have any special memories of the “Kelpers” as we used to call them.
May 11th, 2012 - 05:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I think I know where you are coming from - it would be nice though if the invasion in 82 had never happened.!
May 11th, 2012 - 06:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Where is “ Honoria ” ?
May 11th, 2012 - 06:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0i need her to ask “ visa applications ”” !
That Zylberberg Olympics video was in poor taste, but maybe something could be salvaged from it and used to get more Argie tourists to the Falklands? Ex-Penguin News editor Lisa Watson tweet on the stupid Argie video seemed appropriate: ”Initially angry but then saw the funny side and the jokes began:-) Someone suggested Falklands Tourist Board commissioned it.”
May 11th, 2012 - 06:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So as part of his contrite apology (yet to come), bring Zylberberg back to run through Argie cemetery at Darwin, munch on toasties at Victory Bar, drive LandRover on a dirt track, some fishing, flying around Islands on FIGAS flights etc, etc?
@7 You can sit down if you want. If you really need one, you can even have a table. But, as Britishbulldog pointed out, forget the negotiations. You have NOTHING the Islanders need or want. The point of negotiations is that Party A brings something that Party B wants, and Party B brings something that Party A wants. They then agree on how to exchange to the benefit of both. YOU have no basis for negotiation. YOUR country has tried everything, including war. And what have you got? Nothing. Think on this. Some considerable time ago there was a comment by an argie that you had tried being friendly for 10 years, but it hadn't worked. And therein lies the argie incomprehension. You are not satisfied with being friends. You want to own the Islands. How long do you think it will take the Islanders to forget that you invaded them, tried to conquer them and steal their land? A hundred years? Longer? You need to persuade the Islanders that you want to be friends, with no ulterior motive. YOU might get me (and I'm British) to believe YOU. But YOU don't speak for your compatriots. And I might believe YOU but that doesn't mean I trust YOU or your compatriots. And it wasn't MY immediate country that YOU invaded.
May 11th, 2012 - 07:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Here's a tip. Change your constitution. Change it so that it says that you have NO claim to the Falkland Islands and NEVER will have. Call them by their proper name - the Falkland Islands. Submit a resolution to the UN Security Council stating that Argentina has and never will have a claim to the Falkland Islands, repudiating all claims and previous actions and DEMANDING (a favourite argie word) that the UN, and any successor organisations, together with every individual member state, take immediate and overwhelming military action AGAINST Argentina if it breaks its word.
@14
May 11th, 2012 - 08:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Unfortunately to achieve that it's not as simple as just setting up the links. Even if the Argentine Government were willing to drop the claim and perfectly serious about fostering good relations it would take decades, even generations for us to trust Argentina again, if ever.
It's not just about '82 either, Argentinas current activity regarding the Falklands, though innefective, continues to reinforce the will of the Falkland Islanders (younger generations too) to have nothing to do with Argentina and to never put ourselves in the position of depending on Argentina again, ever.
21 WestisBest (#)
May 11th, 2012 - 09:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 11th, 2012 - 08:49 pm
Of course you're right. It will never be the same again whatever we say or do, more's the pity. I guess it's just we “oldies” hanker after the good old days when things were simpler and better.
Conqueror, I believe that Argentina actually has things that could make the Islanders' lives more comfortable, such as hospitals, british schools, british universities, etc. Even things like charter flights would improve their way of life. I think it's a mistake to shut the door on dialogue just because Kretina and her thugs have been up on their hind legs making difficulties for everyone. We have a saying here which says “Nothing bad lasts a hundred years”, eventually we'll get rid of Kretina and maybe we'll get back into the human race again.
14 Simon68 & 15 Leiard (#). Am I sniffing St Paul's in La Cumbre here???
May 12th, 2012 - 03:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0@7 Simon68 (#)
May 12th, 2012 - 09:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0May 11th, 2012 - 02:01 pm
The only people who don't want any part of this are KFC and the Malvinistas.
Anyone with the slightest hint of intelligence knows that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is a matter for the Falkland Islanders only. They live there, it is their lives we talk about here, It is right and proper that they decide, their own destiny.
May 12th, 2012 - 10:09 am - Link - Report abuse 025: With great respect for the Falkland Islanders' community, while their sovereignty is paramount, it comes at a price that both they AND Britain have been paying.
May 12th, 2012 - 01:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Going beyond the tragedy of British war dead and injured, the financial cost since 1982 has been incredible. And going beyond the accountable financial costs are the less-transparent costs for Britain, including the international diplomatic dealing that Britain has had to engage in to help maintain security and sovereignty for the Falkland Islanders.
A small example might be to know what Cameron has had to offer to Obama to get Obama to shift his Summit of Americas “neutral” position on the Falklands into full-stop consensus spoiling that routed CFK's interests, or to keep LAN flights from Chile operating inspite of Piñera's evident shift towards the Argie position in keeping with the whole UNASUR gang-up squad.
Right-thinking people must support the sovereign rights of the Falkland community but full-cost accountability is needed. Especially now that CFK and her ilk are putting increased pressure on the Falkland community and more powerful political, economic and social approaches will be needed to counter this pressure and to sustain the Falklands community in the face of this pressure.
@26 As far as we British are concerned, the financial cost has been insignificant. My recollection, and I can't be bothered going and re-checking, the Falklands costs Britain 0.3% of its defence budget. That's it, end of.
May 12th, 2012 - 04:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So it might “cost” us one flight to the United States and one flight to Chile. So what? We were going there anyway. In the meantime, one of the largest U.S. defence contractors is British. And don't forget that the U.S. only has ONE Level 1 partner in the F-35 joint combat aircraft project. Chile is still happy to see the Royal Navy and even refuels its ships.
But you don't want full-cost accountability. I suspect that you want a fully-itemised balance sheet, so that you can nit-pick. Forget it. As a British taxpayer, I have no interest in seeing such a balance sheet so that argies can pick at it. And I don't care if we are paying 0.3%, 0.5%, 1%, 5% or 10%. Actually, I'll quantify it another way for you. It will not bother me if Britain's expenditure in support of the Falkland Islands goes up to 258% ( a figure you might remember) or 260% of the defence budget. I remember reading, somewhere or other, a fictional conversation about the number of lives that justified fighting. Or, if you prefer, going to war. For me, it's a simple question with a simple answer. A negative effect on the life of ONE Falkand Islander is enough. In the last 30 years, argieland has piled up a massive debt, and I don't mean money. I wonder if argies have figured out how they are going to pay it?
“Going beyond the tragedy of British war dead and injured, the financial cost since 1982 has been incredible.”
May 12th, 2012 - 06:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Not really. 0.1% of our defence budget for a cause we believe in is WELL worth the investment.
For example a good 5-6% of our defence budget goes into staffing bases such as the German(Among others) one which no-one in this nation believes is still worth while.
“full-cost accountability is needed”
You are wrong. NOTHING that Argentina has done in the last thirty years has increased our military expenditure in any way. shape or form.
Argentina constantly has this issue where people from Argentina think they actually matter in the world, fact of the matter is pretty much everything they say or do is easily ignored. A point our government has proven for the last 200 years.
27 and 28: No, I hadn't intended my comment to amount to a call for a nit-picking of Falklands defence costs, but rather thought such accounting would be useful to support Falklands-related expenditures in Britain itself, not for Argies to gain any sort of a tool to thrash MOD or anything else related to helping sustain Falklands' community.
May 12th, 2012 - 10:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0However, looking at online statements by shadow ministers Murphy and Spellar, they seem totally committed to the Falklands, so doubtful they would play any such card as nitpicking on the costs.
Indeed, if there is no light in the space between what Falkland Islanders need, and what Britain can provide, there is no utility to going down the road of bean-counting the support.
But points you've made here are useful to help me put into it some relative perspective, such as other defence costs that have no rhyme or reason.
As government budget tightens and opposition is looking for cost-savings in all corners, direct them to pulling back on the waste, and not jeopardizing the security and sustainability of the Falkland Islands community.
23 Tim (#)
May 13th, 2012 - 01:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0May 12th, 2012 - 03:23 am
Yes good memories of Bob!!!
23 Tim (#) Hi Simon, get in touch, I know you are down in the boondocks somewhere south. You can find me on Facebook.
May 13th, 2012 - 02:05 am - Link - Report abuse 0Well seems that meanwhile in Britain people get poor and suffer a lot of cuts, in the Island they enjoy a wonderful life.
May 13th, 2012 - 09:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0Even not enough while Britain hardly cans protect herself the Islands have 1bn dollar boat plus a fortress that cost 600m at year.
Something are we messing here?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11999601
No need for the islanders to go to Argentina for schools and hospitals unless they really want to.
May 13th, 2012 - 12:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Uruguay has The British School in Carrasco, Montevideo (up to university level) and The British Hospital near Tres Cruces. I have no experience about the universities however, but I am sure that the Falklanders already know what is available.
“Even not enough while Britain hardly cans protect herself the Islands have 1bn dollar boat plus a fortress that cost 600m at year.”
May 13th, 2012 - 04:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Islands defence costs 70m a year. Hardly expensive.
@ 18 Max
May 14th, 2012 - 12:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What is our question about visas? I f you are an Argentinian and want to visit the Falklands you don't need one in advance - you will get a tourist visa at immigation when you arrive.
@22 Simon68
“I believe that Argentina actually has things that could make the Islanders' lives more comfortable, such as hospitals, british schools, british universities, etc. ”
Thank you for your friendly posts Simon. However you should know that we get a bit irritated with Argentinians assuming that we don't already have excellent facilities and access. The fact is that we do and therein lies our question when Argentina demand negotiation. What benefit is there for us? Put yourself in our shoes. Would you enter negotiations if there was nothing to gain but plenty to lose?
You say that you have happy memories of the days when Falkland Islanders were forced to use schools and hospitals in Argentina. It wasn't so happy for Falkland Islanders e.g. not being allowed to leave the Islands on a British passport, mail being opened by Argentine authorities, forced to accept an Argentine garrison to “protect” the fuel supply. Not such happy days.
35 honoria (#)
May 14th, 2012 - 12:24 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 14th, 2012 - 12:15 pm
Thanks Honoria for the info, these are the things that we don't get to know in Argentina. I can see ow that basically we can only offer you people the possibility of charter flights and really nothing more. Oh well perhaps in a few hundred years we may get to be friends.
@36 Simon68
May 14th, 2012 - 01:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I hope our two countries can be friends much sooner than that.
37 honoria (#)
May 14th, 2012 - 05:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0May 14th, 2012 - 01:04 pm
Same here, I'll keep my fingers crossed.
@ 37 honoria
May 15th, 2012 - 04:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0someone with common sense , decency and respect, and the abillity to hold a mature conversation and debate.
@32 DanyBerger
and someone without an ounce of moral fibre!
when you have finished attacking the british people with your uneducated degrading and insulting dialogue , perhaps i will think better of you , you have posted many fiction based arguements full of hateful rhetoric and spitefulness , your are an embarrassment to your countrymen , your mother and the rest of the human race , so do us all a favour and f*&k off
@32 Britains defences might not be as good as they should, but in UK we do have more than 1 inshore patrol boat, 1 destroyer and a few fighter aircraft (neccesary to prevent an Argentine invasion) to protect the UK.
May 20th, 2012 - 12:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0Why shouldn't the islanders enjoy a wonderful life? They have had it hard for years and even if the situation in UK is not as good as in the islands, I do not begrudge the Islanders a good life.
Something you are missing @32 is that if the Islands were not defended, the Argentinians would definately, without any doubt, invade. If they are allowed to run an Aerolineas Argentinas link to the Falkland Islands they will send an Argentine commando squad on one of them. They are not a government that can be trusted, (note I do not blame the Argentine people who deserve better than meglomaniac de Kirchener ).Therefore, the fact there are a few paltry weapons on the Falkland Islands for defence, NOT offence, is totally, and entirely, the Argentines own fault.
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