Uruguay successfully concluded its participation in the 2025 International Tourism Fair

During the four days at La Rural, the national stand—composed of more than 300 tourism stakeholders from across the country—attracted thousands of professionals and visitors, consolidating Uruguay as a destination for the 2025/2026 season and leaving a robust agenda of business contacts and joint promotional activities.

“The team made a great effort to ensure that each destination had its own visibility within a unified proposal; we're leaving with more than a hundred productive meetings and many ideas to capitalize on the season,” emphasized Tourism Minister Pablo Menoni, who also held a meeting with his Argentine counterpart, Daniel Scioli, and UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaika Nasser Al Nowais. Meanwhile, Cristian Pos, National Director of Tourism, added: “The coordinated work with municipalities and the private sector allowed us to close the fair with concrete agreements and an agenda of actions that support connectivity and the diversification of experiences throughout the country.” For her part, Florencia Ualde, Director General of the Secretariat, stated: “FIT once again served as a key showcase for
strengthening regional integration and projecting Uruguay as a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable destination.”

At the fair, Uruguay presented its new 25/26 "Uruguay Surprises" campaign with a cocktail party in the El Central lounge at La Rural, where operators, the press, and tourism industry stakeholders gathered in a space that combined a brief institutional speech with cultural offerings.

Uruguay's participation in the fair included tastings of Uruguayan cuisine and participatory activities with raffles for hotel stays. The closing ceremony was a Drum Circle, brought especially to Buenos Aires, which recreated the tradition of candombe in its most popular format: a festive, open gathering where musicians and the public join together to sing and dance.

Throughout the event, Uruguay presented its new campaign for the 2025/2026 summer season and showcased an offering that combined traditional sun and sand with cultural, gastronomic, wine tourism, and nature experiences. The stand offered tastings, cultural activities, and networking opportunities that led to multiple meetings with airlines, operators, and local and regional press, as well as the planning of family trips and collaborative marketing initiatives for the coming months.

In terms of competitiveness, the series of tax benefits for non-resident tourists, effective until 2025, was highlighted: 0% VAT in hotels year-round, a 9-point VAT refund on restaurants, catering, car rentals, event services, and tourist property rentals until April 30, 2026, in addition to the Tax-Free regime for participating businesses.

These measures, combined with new infrastructure and connectivity improvements, bolster the attraction of visitors from Argentina, Brazil, and other source markets.

Participation in FIT 2025 is part of the Ministry's annual international promotion strategy, which combines presence at global fairs, communication campaigns, and public-private partnerships to sustain tourism flow throughout the year.

In 2024, Argentina once again became the main source market, with 1,705,090 visitors, total spending of USD 923.2 million, and an average stay of six nights. These figures the Ministry seeks to strengthen with the actions agreed upon at this fair.

Source: Ministry of Tourism of Uruguay,