In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Gustavo Ventura, Secretary of Tourism of Ushuaia.
What participation do you have in FIT?
We are very happy to be here, it is important for Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego to be able to be in these areas where we are not only in contact with the local market, but also with the international market. We are really seeing and noticing on this occasion an interest in our relevant destination and we have been working since last Saturday with many other places in the world, operators and providers that are asking us for information. So we are working on energizing these agreements that we can generate with other markets, which is fundamental for us.
How many national tourists have you received so far this year?
We separated them by season, and the winter season was very successful, it has increased by 10% or 15% compared to the previous season, breaking all records, the occupancy rates exceeded 90%, and as far as air capacity more than 90%. We have had very high visitor rates, we exceeded the 45,000 visitors from abroad that we have received, for us it is really a very important number, because for the second consecutive year we have Ushuaia with very high operational and occupancy levels throughout the year, and this makes that drive our economy in a very important way along with employment. So we are happy because 90% of what Ushuaia generates comes from tourism, which is why these fairs and these possibilities of making contact with operators from other parts of the world are very important.
What is the situation of the city's infrastructure, hotels and beds?
Today we have approximately 20,000 beds, with four hotels of the highest quality and level with a really important offer. We are growing season after season and we are going to require more infrastructure, not only what has to do with hotel capacity, but also with more available seats, flights, gastronomy. And what we are really seeing is that a product is already being generated on its own that has to do with crab, toothfish, and Fuegian lamb, and we are also requiring and are building new restaurants that have to do with gastronomy. We are at a crucial moment in our destiny and in the coming years, without a doubt, the support not only of the private sector but also of the public sector will be very important.
What prospects do you see for 2024?
The initial perspective and what we are going to see most quickly is incredible progress season after season in terms of cruises. We are at 600 calls, the motorization of the sector and what it is generating not only in terms of visitors, but in terms of food industry suppliers and everything they require really drives the local economy a lot and is very important. Then the very strong winter season is coming for 2024, Cerro Castor and the sales levels it already has at this moment are very high, so next year we aim even higher. Together with this, the infrastructure must advance and together with the Ministry of Tourism there must be training in customer service and languages.
The city is considered a luxury destination or rather, of international level...
Yes, some attractions we have are a national destination but of an international level and that is seen in the prices, but we have also been working for some years on other offers to be able to bring another audience and it is giving very good results. What was Previaje gives us the possibility in those potholes that we have between seasons or weekends to invite a different audience that also consumes in a different way. For this, the idea is to generate a different offer as well, and we are working a lot with the private sector, giving them the tools so that these visitors can access excursions and gastronomy, but understanding that it is not the same public that comes from Europe.
We are in FIT, but they have had a long promotional agenda, I would like you to review what happened and what will happen in the coming months
Promotion for us is something fundamental for our destiny and we have really had a year, beyond the economic crisis that we are experiencing, that has been very active. We have a very important and very professional team that is specifically dedicated to promotion in Brazil, for us it is without a doubt one of the most important places and there is still a long way to go. We have set our sights on developing markets like the United States, and it is also important that we can develop the European one, so we are doing strong work with France, the ambassador visited us 15 days ago and we are working hard to enter Europe through France. . And specifically another market which is the Chinese one.