The arrival of cruise ships to Buenos Aires grows 30%

A few days before the start of the highest season for international tourism, a report by the Buenos Aires Tourism Agency announces that the number of landings in Buenos Aires will increase by 30%. While in the summer 2018/2019 98 arrived, in 2019/2020 they will be 127.

These numbers are given in full tourist boom in the City. The first half of 2019 was the best in history: 1,465,025 international visitors arrived and from the City Government they project that this year they will reach 3 million international tourists, a record for Buenos Aires.

“It is an exceptional year for international tourism in the City. The arrival of visitors grew both by air and through cruise ships. There are more cruises, more arriving lines and more passengers. Buenos Aires is a city that attracts all kinds of tourists and is on its way to becoming an inevitable destination, one of those that must be visited at least once in a lifetime, ”said Fernando Straface, Secretary General and International Relations of the City.

“International tourism has been growing steadily since 2016 - this year will break all records - and the arrival of cruise ships is a reflection of that reality. This tourist who arrives, also, takes the opportunity to visit neighborhoods such as La Boca, Recoleta and Retiro, among others, and thus expands the impact. There was a great job in the Port of Buenos Aires and that shows in the numbers of the cruise ships, ”said Gonzalo Robredo, president of the Tourism Entity.

The rise in the cruise movement is also reflected in a growth in the number of maritime lines, which will go from 17 in the 2018/2019 season to 24 in the 2019/2020 season, according to the report of the Directorate of Market Intelligence and Tourism Entity Observatory.

The impact of passengers is also increasing. In the last four seasons, it grew by 43%: for the period 2019 and 2020, more than 420 thousand people are expected to circulate through the terminal.

The summer months will be key: most will be concentrated in February (27%), while in January (26%) and December (21%) will be a good part of the rest of the flow. On December 19 in particular, it will be the most intense day: that day there will be 5 cruises in the Port of Buenos Aires.

Of the foreign cruise passengers arriving in the city of Buenos Aires, 91% spend at least one night in the City, according to a survey of cruise passengers who visited the city of Buenos Aires during the 2018/2019 season. They mostly stay on the ship, although a quarter (26%) stay at hotels in the City. One in three, in addition, takes the opportunity to attend a tango show (32%).

85% of international cruise passengers declare themselves satisfied with their experience in Buenos Aires. They emphasize how you strengthen architecture, gastronomy, tango and the people of the City, and show a high willingness to recommend it as a destination (8.6 on a scale of 1 to 10).

Based on the information collected by the Tourism Entity, during their stay, cruise passengers visit different areas, make purchases and consume Buenos Aires cuisine (bars and restaurants), especially in neighborhoods such as La Boca, Recoleta and Retiro.

According to the most recent report of the Cruise Lines International Association, cruise ships move more than 28 million passengers per year worldwide and generate an annual economic impact of more than 134 billion dollars.