After strengthening the weight, tourism from bordering countries to Argentina

According to INDEC, the visit of Uruguayan and Chilean tourists at least 30% fell in Decemberand also considering that they are countries where there is a greater number of income per capita compared to Argentina.

In that line, according to the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism, The inhabitants of that country spent some some U $ S780 million In 2024, which represents a fall of almost half in front of the period 2023.

Also, Argentina lost US $ 2,100 million for tourismdepending on what the Argentines who traveled abroad and what foreigners disbursed in Buenos Aires spent.

These numbers go hand in hand with the economic policies adopted by the government of Javier Milei, who reduced the gap between the official exchange rate and the parallel. In addition, the fuel price rise It is another factors that influenced the Uruguayans who arrived in the country by car.

“If this continues, it is likely that in 2025 it is a year in which Let’s see less trips to Argentina, and therefore less consumption in Argentina, and more Argentines visiting Uruguay”Said Florencia Carriquity, partner and economist of the ex -consulting consultant in dialogue with Bloomberg.

Argentine tourists spent more than US $ 47.9 million in Uruguay during the fourth quarter

Uruguay It was the third destination chosen by the resident tourists in Argentina To travel during December and a great protagonist of the broadcasting of the neighboring country throughout the last year, according to the Argentine data National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC).

The Argentine tourist balance was negative in 2024, with more trips abroad than visits from foreign tourists. This, mainly, because the departures increased 22.5% year -on -year – at a closed year -, from 11,092,900 to 23,593,000. In this scenario, the key month for this data published in the Technical Report Tourism statistics International (Eti) of Indec was December: the exit exits reached 1,341,800 (+76.4%).

In the last month of the year, 80.7% of the destinations chosen by tourists residing in Argentina They were bordering countries, and Uruguay It was the third most chosen country: it was the fate of 15.6% of the exits, behind Chili (28%) and Brazil (22.6%).

In this way, there were 108,500 tourists who entered the country from Argentina In December, according to INDEC data. Although we must bear in mind that the survey contemplates the information from the International airports and of Puerto de Buenos Airesbut not of the international bridges or other river terminals, So the information is partial.

Also, the report collects data from Argentine international tourism during the fourth quarter. In that sense, 9,900 tourists arrived from the neighboring country to Uruguay by air – an interannual decline of 31.7% -, while there were 85,900 who arrived from the port (+28.9%).

In the first case, in addition, the Total spending in dollars It was 7,135,300 – with an average daily expenditure of 106 dollars; and in the second, of 40,809,600 dollars and an average daily of 61. Not counting those who entered by land, the Argentines spent $ 47,944,000 in dollars in Uruguay between October and December.

More than half a million Argentines on the Eastern beaches

Local data of Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) and of Statistics Department of the National Migration Directorate They show an even more complete image of the impact of Argentine tourism in Uruguay: More than half a million Argentines crossed the Rio de la Plata To enjoy the tourist places offered by the country from the significant reduction of the exchange difference.

The increase in spending is the other side of this increase in visitors to the neighboring country: for 2024, the 1,705,091 Argentines who arrived also implied a greater expense by 15% compared to what was registered in 2023. These data coincide with the registered panorama For INDEC, which observed the most important broadcasting increase in the second half of the year.

In parallel, during the year passed there was also a 37% drop in the Trips abroad of Uruguayans; particularly towards Argentina, which decreased by 45%.