In recent months, short trips to neighboring countries have become increasingly frequent due to the strengthening of the peso. In fact, the variation compared to the first two months of 2023 was 76.2%.
Meanwhile, 1,166,900 tourists from abroad arrived in Argentina
In recent months, short trips to neighboring countries have become increasingly frequent due to the strengthening of the peso. In fact, the variation compared to the first two months of 2023 was 76.2%.
Thanks to the remarkable economic recovery achieved by the Government of Javier Milei, during the high summer season (the first two months of the year), 3,751,100 Argentinians traveled abroad.
This represents an increase of almost 1.6 million people compared to the previous year, when 2,159,700 departures from the country were recorded. The notable difference between both periods reflects a growth of 73.7%, according to the International Tourism Statistics (ETI) of Indec.
Meanwhile, 1,166,900 tourists arrived in Argentina from abroad. As a result, the tourism balance showed a deficit of nearly one million people.
This scenario anticipates a continuation of the trend observed in January in terms of exchange balance. According to data from the Central Bank (BCRA), during that month there was an outflow of foreign currency of USD 1.486 billion due to Argentinians traveling abroad, while the inflow of foreign currency from the arrival of foreign tourists reached USD 374 million.
Additionally, in the first two months of the year, 1,291,700 Argentinians traveled abroad as "excursionists," meaning people who crossed the border without staying overnight at their destination. This category includes, for example, those who make day trips for the purpose of shopping abroad.
According to the data released yesterday by Indec, 23.7% of the tourists who visited Argentina come from Chile, while 19.6% reside in Europe and 12.1% in "United States and Canada."
Regarding the means of transportation used, 46.5% of foreign visitors entered the country by land, 37.8% arrived by airplane, and the remaining 15.7% did so by river or sea routes. The border crossings monitored by the ETI concentrated 43.1% of the total receptive tourists.
On the other hand, 86.2% of Argentinians who traveled abroad chose a neighboring country as their destination. The main ones were Brazil, with 38.6%; Chile, with 20.2%; and Uruguay, with 16.3%.
Regarding the means of departure, 63.9% of Argentinian tourists left the country by land, 27.6% did so by airplane, and 8.5% opted for river or sea transportation. The border crossings included in the ETI represented 37.9% of the total departures abroad.