International tourist arrivals grew by 7% in the first four months of 2010 according to the latest issue of the United Nations World Tourism Organization World Tourism Barometer.
Hobart, Tasmania has won the right to host a prestigious Antarctic tourism conference, again proving its unique status as Australia’s “Antarctic Capital”.
The number of Chileans travelling to Europe is up sharply, thanks to the lower value of the Euro – down 9.74% between January and February of this year – which makes travel to Europe more attractive.
Though Chilean ski resorts were ready to begin the winter season more than a week ago, the slopes cannot be opened due to lack of snow. A lack of rain in the region has been blamed. The central and southern region of Chile has had a low level of rain this year, causing opening delays for some centres.
In the first four months of this year (high season in the southern hemisphere) Uruguay hosted 910.597 tourists who on average stayed nine days (spent over 800 USD per capita) totalling an estimated income of 744 million US dollars, according to Uruguay’s Deputy Secretary of Tourism and Sports Lilian Kechichian.
In February, Chris Spelius, owner of the adventure travel company Expediciones Chile, was standing out by the Futaleufu River in Southern Chile waiting for a client, when he looked into the normally clear water and noticed something unusual.
Airports in the major cities of Brazil that will be hosting the World Cup in 2014, and the Olympic Games in 2016, are working at their maximum capacity and eight of them are described as “in the edge of operational collapse” according to a report from the Applied Economics Research Institute in Sao Paulo, IPEA.
According to the 2010 World Ranking of Mercer's Quality of Life, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Santiago are the best major cities in South America to live although they compare poorly with the top ten mostly from Europe, Canada, NZ and Australia.
Chile is researching the possible construction of a new centre for visitors and scientists to study whales in the Straits of Magellan.
Cruises through the waters of Patagonia and around the most southern point of South America are a popular tourist attraction for US and European tourists. In more recent years however, cruise lines have started avoiding Chilean ports.