The number of international tourist
arrivals to Uruguay during the current summer season which peaks in December
and January, should rise by more than 10%, Uruguay’s deputy tourism minister
said based on current trends.
“If the current trend of a more than 10% rise in tourists continues,
the season is going to be better than last year,” when the number of visitors
amounted to 1,175,000,” Benjamin Liberoff said while speaking to during an
event.
The Tourism Ministry, during the event,
outlined its strategy for the 2016-2017 summer campaign.
The goals for this season are to bolster
the country’s brand presence in its main target markets – Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay and Chile – and increase the number of arrivals from each one,
Liberoff said.
Last season, Uruguay recorded an 18.5%
increase in the number of foreign visitors compared to 2014-2015 and the
tourism industry earned a total of US$785 million.
Tourist arrivals from Argentina are up
25-27% compared to 2015-2016, a very encouraging sign considering that people
from that neighboring country accounted for 72% of foreigners vacationing in
Uruguay last season, Liberoff said.
There is also a 6% increase in the amount
of arriving Brazilian tourists, which is also promising since their numbers had
declined by 20% at the end of last season, he added.