Two long weekends in the same month until a few months ago, was a kind of treasure for the tourism industry in the City. But the internal recession and how Argentina became more expensive in dollars for tourists means that The next holidays pass almost unnoticed.
Above all, for the hotel industry, one of the sectors most affected by the drop in the arrival of foreign tourists and less movement within the country. No movement for a week with three holidaysBuenos Aires hotels are already fearing one of the worst winter holidays in recent years.
“There are almost no reservations for the winter break and there is only one month left. For this time in other years we already anticipated good occupancy due to the level of consultations,” they explain from the AHRCC Chamber of Hotels. According to a survey among its associates, occupancy in May barely reached 40%.
A hotelier with more than 40 years in the business explains it: “The numbers are desperate. Because we have to face increases in services and increases in costs in general, between inputs and salaries and our income does not move. Sincerely, we don’t see the exit”.
The latest numbers released by Indec clearly reflect the situation. In April, 762,800 non-resident visitors entered the country, of which 440,100 were international tourists (visitors who spend at least one night) and 322,800 were day trippers (visitors who only spend the day). The figure represents 23% than the same month of 2023. And it rises to 35% if the cut is only for tourists from neighboring countries.
In addition, it marks the decline that has been recorded this year: in January the arrival of 841,900 tourists had been recorded; in February 713,400, and in March, 631,100.
In the decline in tourist arrivals, Brazilians are still the ones who come to Buenos Aires the most. Photo: Juano Tesone
And when it is said that Brazilian tourists are still found in the City of Buenos Aires, the data corroborates it. 60% of those who arrive in the country do so from neighboring countries and 21.5 are Brazilian.
From the sector they point out that they are reservations from last year that many even canceled and that foreign tourists who choose Argentina reduced their daily spending a lot.
Tourists confirm it. They say they come with a budget and end up paying double what they expected. They say that prices in Argentina “are like Europe” and they miss the time of “Argentina given away.”
There is more data that illustrates the situation. According to a study by the Mediterranean Foundation, Chilean tourists lost 42% of purchasing capacity, while Brazilians lost 38% since December to the present. This change is expected to impact the flow of international tourism to those countries in the coming months.
Attentive to the situation, the Government had launched a program in April to promote activity during the low season. “Argentina Emerge” was the ambitious name given by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Sports, under the command of Daniel Scioli, to the plan with 30% discounts on long-distance bus tickets and 20% discounts on hotel rates. .
“It didn’t have any kind of impact. It was like putting a band-aid on a terminally ill person”, they emphasize in the Chamber.
