Uruguayan summer resorts recorded a 10.45% increase in tourist spending compared to the previous year, with 572,699 visitors entering the country. Popular destinations like Punta del Este, Piriápolis, and Barra del Chuy saw high demand, with accommodation prices soaring. Some apartments in the exclusive Punta del Este fetched up to US$ 20,000 per month. The surge was largely driven by Argentine tourists, compensating for a decline in Brazilian visitors. Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport also hit a record with 206,000 passengers.
Uruguay's Undersecretary of Tourism Remo Monzeglio said this weekend that he was optimistic about the 2024-25 season for his country, with numerous domestic and also foreign travelers expected, both from cruise ships as well as from neighboring Argentina and Brazil.
Uruguay's cruise season kicked off Tuesday with the arrival of one of the Germany-based Aida company's vessels carrying some 2,100 passengers and 600 crewmembers.
Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (SUA), a privately owned company, has begun the process of becoming Uruguay's new flag carrier. The endeavor is led by Antonio Rama, a Uruguayan commander who has been based in Doha for a decade.
Uruguay's Tourism Undersecretary Remo Monzeglio said during the weekend that there were several airlines interested in flying under the flag of the South American country.
Argentina's economic volatility has become a magnet for Uruguayan travelers during the winter recess, causing significant losses to local businesses, it was reported in Montevideo.
The Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay announced that in the first quarter of the year, more than one million tourists visited the South American country, generating revenues of 741 million US dollars. This was presented on Wednesday, indicating an increase in the sector.
Uruguayan tourism authorities included the riverside city of Colonia del Sacramento as yet another possible destination for cruise ships already making calls at Montevideo and Punta del Este. Deputy Tourism Minister Renzo Monzeglio headed the South American country's delegation which participated in the recent Seatrade Cruise Global 2023, arguably the most important cruise fair in the world, held at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center in the US State of Florida.
Uruguay's Deputy Tourism Minister Remo Monzeglio said this week that the South American country was going through the most active cruise season in the past 8 years, with 160 ships arrived so far (116 in Montevideo, 44 in Punta del Este and 44 others yet to reach its shores.
Argentine nationals topped the list of foreign travelers arriving in Uruguay throughout 2022, although Paraguayans were the ones who spent the most money, according to the latest report by the South American country's Ministry of Tourism.