Foreign Tourist Arrivals to Uruguay to Increase by 10% This Summer

The number of international tourist arrivals to Uruguay during the current summer season which peaks in December and January, should rise by more than 10%, Uruguay’s deputy tourism minister said based on current trends.

“If the current trend of a more than 10% rise in tourists continues, the season is going to be better than last year,” when the number of visitors amounted to 1,175,000,” Benjamin Liberoff said while speaking to during an event.

The Tourism Ministry, during the event, outlined its strategy for the 2016-2017 summer campaign.

The goals for this season are to bolster the country’s brand presence in its main target markets – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile – and increase the number of arrivals from each one, Liberoff said.

Last season, Uruguay recorded an 18.5% increase in the number of foreign visitors compared to 2014-2015 and the tourism industry earned a total of US$785 million.

Tourist arrivals from Argentina are up 25-27% compared to 2015-2016, a very encouraging sign considering that people from that neighboring country accounted for 72% of foreigners vacationing in Uruguay last season, Liberoff said.

There is also a 6% increase in the amount of arriving Brazilian tourists, which is also promising since their numbers had declined by 20% at the end of last season, he added.