In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Roque Baudean, National Director of Tourism of Uruguay.
What expectations does Uruguay have for this edition of FIT 2024?
We are arriving with the same enthusiasm and joy as every year, with many expectations because there is really a lot of movement on both sides of the River Plate. Argentina is the main tourist-issuing market for Uruguay, in the same way that Uruguay is for Argentina. And with a more stable exchange rate situation, we have a very good level of reservations for the season, much higher than last year.
We are very pleased that above all things there is the movement that must exist in tourism so that it is for both sides, because that favors the transport lines that are joining the different cities of our countries. In addition, the border crossings along the Uruguayan coast, the Uruguay River, are also being worked on very well. Last week there was practically a movement of 37 thousand entries through Colonia del Sacramento, so that is very important because it is always a great thermometer of what the movement is for both shores and above all things at this point in the preseason.
You have been working on developing new destinations. What are your expectations for each of them and how do you expect tourists not only from Argentina but from the rest of the region?
The truth is that we are doing a very important job with tourism promotion in many markets, in Brazil, in the southern area as well, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, but also in Santa Catarina and that has been yielding benefits, it has generated a permanent movement throughout the year. Uruguay has a very important dry border with Brazil, where for some years now we have been working with many bordering cities as binational destinations, which has given very good results.
Generally, up to 30,000 people arrive in Ribera and Santa Ana do Livramento, and so we are also generating promotion in Brazil, where we have direct flights that are working very well, and are increasing now in the summer season. We have to do the same to try to attract the best in those flights, on those routes, in the number of Brazilians who arrive in Uruguay. We are doing the same with Santiago de Chile, with which we have very good connectivity with three companies.
We are working very well with Paraguay, as well as with Peru, Colombia and Mexico. We are generally receiving a good number of visitors from Mexico. In the US we have done a lot of promotional work, with events, workshops and networking, which we have been working on with the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism.
At this point of the year, the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism has held 13 workshops alone, and there are still a few more to go until the end of the year, plus all the tourism fairs in which the Ministry participates, and of course there is the support of the Uruguayan Chamber of Tourism in the different segments and products, whether they are general tourism fairs, workshops with the trade sector, workshops for MICE Tourism congresses, LGBT Tourism, Sports Tourism. In other words, we really have a very strong promotional agenda throughout the year and we see that Uruguay, despite its size compared to the rest of Latin America, has a well-earned place in tourism activity.
Now, it can also be used to reach destinations such as Salto, since activities with Paranair from Montevideo have been added. There are flights from Asunción and these same teams are operating the Montevideo-Salto route, not only for domestic tourists, but in general for airlines, especially those that work through IATA and can issue tickets adding that leg.
What other connectivity developments can you tell us about in the coming months?
There is a lot of route connectivity with Brazil, especially direct flights from Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Florianopolis, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre. Porto Alegre was closed due to flooding problems, but it will start operating again in October, with many flights to Punta del Este during the high season.
We are talking about new routes and also in many cases new companies that are joining existing routes, such as the route to Rio de Janeiro that Gol is now starting to offer. There are also direct flights from Rio.
What is your vision of the objectives set at the beginning of the year?
I think we are doing well, the idea is to increase the number of tourists this year compared to last year and especially in what has to do with the next season, because in some way 2024 started with a very difficult situation in terms of our main tourist-issuing market, which is Argentina. We have to keep in mind that in December a new government began in Argentina with an almost hyperinflationary situation, that did not help at all for the summer season or the first months of this year.
There has also been a great sustainable movement that is growing on the part of the Argentine public. We have everything so that many Argentines can return to Uruguay. We also know that we are coming from complications of a pandemic and then that very difficult exchange rate situation, but things are moving and heading in the right direction. There are some reasons for regulations or rules regarding Argentina that will make tourism much easier, so we understand that it will be a good season.