
The United States Travel Advisory for Uruguay offered a not very encouraging description of the country for foreign visitors but anyhow is well distanced from most of the rest of Latin American, and neighbors.

Imagine having breakfast with an explorer and documentalist who turns out to be Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter. Or listen to a conference aboard the Nobel Prize in Physics Shuji Nakamura. Imagine waking up one day on an exotic island and the other in one of the great capitals of the world. Imagine owning a floating apartment worth between 1.2 and 7.5 million dollars.

After several seasons of negative growth, 2017/18 looks to be the turning point, with 165 calls, up 15, and 300.000 visitors in Uruguay, (Montevideo and Punta del Este) anticipated Tourism minister Liliam Kechichian during the symbolic launching of the season in Montevideo.

One of President Trump's sons made a business trip to Uruguay in early January that cost taxpayers US$97,830 to put Secret Service and embassy staffers in hotel rooms, according to a new report. Eric Trump visited Uruguay on behalf of the Trump Organization before his father’s Jan. 20 inauguration, The Washington Post reported.

With a budget of 100 million dollars, construction of the 35-story building may start in June next year and be finished by 2020, it was announced by the same developers in charge of the residential project in Punta del Este under the name of next President of the United States.

The 2016/17 cruise season officially begins this week in Uruguay with the arrival of MS Zaandam and Insignia. Zandam belonging to Holland America Line with capacity for 1.432 passengers usually calls several times in Montevideo during the season.

Uruguay is expecting some 150 cruise calls this coming season 2016/17 which begins next month and represents some 300.000 visitors, according to Tourism minister Liliam Kechichian who nevertheless admitted that growth prospects are somehow behind schedule because of the high costs of reaching and operating in the port of Buenos Aires.

More than 250.000 passengers and crew members from cruise vessels visited Uruguay during the three months extending from November to January, according to the latest release from the country's Ministry of Tourism. The number of calls in Montevideo during that period was 58, with 156.100 people of which 112.400 (72%) came ashore.

London's The Guardian in an article credited to Oliver Balch argues that Punta del Este, Uruguay's main international summer resort has become a 'golden ghetto' for the rich where the poor can't afford staples or lodging. However Mayor Andrés Jafif openly disagrees with the reporting and argues that ”we might be poor (by European standards) but we are happy, we can live in Punta del Este, we have a good time, we surf, work and bask in beaches”.

Uruguayan Tourism ministry officials announced that the country expects 170 calls from cruise vessels this coming season which is scheduled to begin 6 November and extend until 10 April 2016.