Uruguay, a tourist destination in 2026: strategies for success

The event was attended by Vice President Carolina Cosse and Mayors Guillermo Rodríguez, Miguel Abella, and Mario Bergara. The minister was accompanied by Director General Florencia Ualde, National Director of Tourism Cristian Pos, and part of the ministry's technical team.

In his presentation, the Minister emphasized that the Ministry of Tourism's strategy, which aims to achieve a quantitative leap in inbound tourism, is designed with a vision that goes beyond 2030.

In addition to highlighting the importance of tourism in the national economy, both as a major generator of employment and as a source of foreign currency, being the fourth largest export sector by 2023, he emphasized that the sector is a state policy that transcends political parties, with a focus on international promotion, deseasonalization, sustainability, domestic and social tourism, and improved connectivity.

The minister also highlighted regional opportunities and Uruguay's potential to diversify its offering with products such as sun and sand, wine tourism, thermal spas, cultural and sports tourism, cruises, and conferences. He noted that technological innovation, the professionalization of human resources, support for SMEs, and an improved investment climate (reflected in the proposed budget) will be key to consolidating the destination's competitiveness and growth.

He also presented one of the Ministry's initiatives to incentivize airline ticket sales, included in the budget proposal, which enables cash refunds to airlines that increase ticket sales to foreigners arriving in Uruguay. This initiative also includes a commitment from the private sector to contribute equally to the State.

“Tourism is a driver of growth, identity, and opportunity. Our commitment is to move toward a sustainable and inclusive sector that will position Uruguay as a benchmark in the region and the world,” the official stated.

"To achieve this, we will apply the scientific method to public management: Observe (measure), plan, act, measure again, and correct if necessary," he emphasized, emphasizing the professional imprint being given to management, drawing an analogy with the steps of the scientific method.

Regarding the use of artificial intelligence in promotion, he noted: "(The incentive) on the demand side comes from the use of micro-segmented promotion and the use of artificial intelligence. Why? Because we shouldn't offer the same thing to everyone; everyone has their own tastes, preferences, and capabilities."

He also highlighted that the Ministry is working with CAF and AUGM on separate projects that "seek to integrate public spending on tourism promotion as one of the determinants of demand [...] using econometric tools."

Finally, before presenting the new "Uruguay Surprises" claim, the Minister emphasized, "When tourists visit Uruguay, they leave with more than they came looking for. Tourists leave surprised by the warmth of its people. They are surprised by the freedom we have in Uruguay, the individual liberties, the freedom to love whomever we want to love [...] that's why we want to embrace the "Uruguay Surprises" claim."

Source: Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay.