Buenos Aires has witnessed a 25% increase in the number of people visiting the city based on flight bookings made in the first half of 2018 for July-December travel, according to official data released by the government of the Argentinean capital.
London was Europe?s fastest growing point of origin growing by 76% and with 2,900 tourists. This was followed by Frankfurt (39% increase), Bogot? (23% increase), Madrid (17% increase) and the United States (16% increase) and it is expected that this upward trajectory in international tourism will further continue into 2019.
Arrivals to Buenos Aires by air transit between January and May grew by 3.4% with 760,000 tourists and exceeded 2017's figure by 26,000. Room occupancy also grew by 58%, reaching its highest levels seen in the last seven years for figures between January and April.
This growth has been attributed to two key factors - the recent 'most liveable city' accreditation by The Economist and the falling peso value. The distance and expenditure to fly to Argentina has long been an obstacle for prospective tourists but with the recent currency devaluation holidaymakers can enjoy premium hotels, dining and fashion at more affordable prices.
In addition, the new and increased international air connectivity to the Argentinean capital is also pushing tourism. Norwegian currently provides long-haul flights direct from London. New connections from Zurich and Los Angeles will also be added in the coming months and expected to add approximately 38,700 more tourists per year.
To further encourage investment in its tourism sector, the government of the city of Buenos Aires has also announced a series of measures designed to help renew existing hotels and expand capacity to accommodate a potential of 430,000 new foreign tourists.
Gonzalo Robredo, president of the Tourism Authority of Buenos Aires (ENTUR), said: "We have the opportunity to position the city as the most visited place in the southern hemisphere. To achieve this, it is necessary to improve infrastructure and the value and capacity of our hotels. We will also be working closely with the UK trade, media and airlines flying from London, currently our leading point of origin in Europe, to promote our destination. I look forward to meeting with our partners at World Travel Market in November to develop strategies to take advantage of this great opportunity for the UK trade and Buenos Aires.?
