News of tourism

Government extends border closures until end of February

01-02-2021 23:04 Argentina’s government has extended the closure of its borders, extending a decree that prohibits non-resident foreigners from entering the country until the end of this month without special dispensation.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Argentina limits entry to country amid new strains, rising infections

26-12-2020 09:17 Government moves to restrict entry to Argentines and citizens who reside in country, with limited exceptions for foreigners, diplomats and travellers who have previously authorised travel planned. Measures to remain in place until January 8.

BUENOS AIRES

The Gibraltar: The British-style boozer where everyone is welcome

19-12-2020 09:29 The Gibraltar, a British-style pub in the heart of San Telmo, has been a favourite of porteños, tourists and expats for two decades. The secret to its success? A warm, friendly atmosphere that ensures many first-time visitors instantly feel like – and become – regulars.

by Reporting by Jonah Shrock. All photos by Pablo Cuarterolo for the Buenos Aires Times.

Solar eclipse

Solar eclipse plunges southern Chile, Argentina into darkness

14-12-2020 20:36 Despite Covid-19 restrictions on movement, almost 300,000 tourists arrived in the Araucania region of Chile on Monday to witness the solar eclipse.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Verano Certificate: Travelers need certificate for summer holidays

03-12-2020 15:06 National Tourism Ministry launches an online registration system for tourists ahead of summer vacation season. Pre-booked details obligatory in several provinces.

by Clara Fernández Escudero

Bloomberg

AA2000 plans key investment as concession extended 10 years

01-12-2020 22:03 Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, the country's largest airport operator, has pledged to invest US$2.5 billion after receiving a 10-year extension for its local airport concession.

Global pandemic

Peru's Machu Picchu reopening Sunday after pandemic closure

28-10-2020 08:05 Currently open to maintenance workers only, the world-renown Incan citadel of Machu Picchu will reopen to the public on November 1.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

South America’s posh summer spot to stay shut on Covid

25-10-2020 14:37 Uruguay, home to luxury beach resort Punta del Este, will keep its international borders closed this summer, President Luis Lacalle Pou confirmed last week.

Coronavirus pandemic

Covid-19 hits Mar del Plata, as pandemic surges in Argentina

19-10-2020 07:00 Mar del Plata has become an epicentre in a coronavirus surge through Argentina's interior that has given the country the fifth-highest confirmed case total in the world.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Commercial flights to and from Argentina could restart in October

05-09-2020 10:17 Transport Minister Mario Meoni says health and safety protocols are ready, but that final decision will be taken by President Alberto Fernández in coming days.

GUEST VOICE

Tourists will return, but how many of us will be left?

29-08-2020 09:14 In Salta Province, we are one of 164 travel agencies; there are 530 hotels and more than 1,200 bars and restaurants, many of whom rely on free-spending holidaymakers to improve their profit margins.

by Nick Evans

Global pandemic

Brazil reopens to foreign visitors arriving by air, despite virus crisis

30-07-2020 11:04 Move comes even as Brazil registered record numbers of daily infections and deaths, bringing the overall figures past 2.5 million and 90,000, respectively.

TOURISM & TRAVEL

Neuquén the first province to kick off plans to revive tourism

25-07-2020 08:07 Officials begin to roll out schemes to boost sector, especially in Argentina’s inland provinces.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Pandemic deals brutal blow to Argentina’s tourism industry

25-07-2020 07:51 Tourism chambers and agencies call for emergency legislation to protect businesses, with slump in activity expected to shave between one and four percent off Argentina’s GDP this year. More than 80,000 job losses anticipated across sector.

by Fermin Koop

BLOOMBERG

Jobs are being wiped out at airlines – and there’s worse to come

24-07-2020 15:34 About 400,000 airline workers have been fired, furloughed or told they may lose their jobs due to the coronavirus.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Once-bustling La Boca struggles without tourists

23-07-2020 02:00 Legendary neighborhood, normally filled to the brim with tourists and shops, now appears deserted due to quarantine and travel regulations. Shopkeepers and residents struggle to cope with economic contraction and loneliness.

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Pandemic to deliver 'unprecedented' blow to tourism in Latin America, Caribbean

02-07-2020 03:21 Coronavirus pandemic to deliver "unprecedented blow" to tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank warns.

Coronavirus in Patagonia

Bariloche covered in snow but stripped of tourists, thanks to Covid-19

30-06-2020 17:37 Snow has fallen in Bariloche, but the streets and slopes are quiet in the famed tourist destination. Local businesses estimate that losses this month alone will be around 3.6 billion pesos (about US$48 million).

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Latin America's stricken airlines facing long haul to recovery

31-05-2020 08:11 IATA aviation body estimates it will take at least that time for the region's airlines to inch back to their pre-pandemic level for domestic and regional flights. Long-haul services to the United States and Europe will take until 2024 to come back, it predicts.

Bloomberg

Latam Air files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, stymied by lockdowns

26-05-2020 09:15 Latam has already eliminated more than 1,850 jobs in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru in recent weeks from its global workforce of about 40,000 people, after cutting 95% of its passenger operations.

Bloomberg

Flybondi bets on flights in Argentina to survive virus crisis

18-05-2020 17:23 Low-cost carrier will focus on domestic flights as long as demand for international travel remains subdued due to the coronavirus pandemic, says executive.

Global uncertainty

Almost 500 French tourists struck in Argentina await repatriation

03-04-2020 20:07 French tourists who have been stranded in Argentina since commercial flights were suspended are scheduled to take a humanitarian flight home home on Saturday – a return trip that for many has become an ordeal.

Coronavirus pandemic

Football in Argentina finally set to be suspended after days of debate

17-03-2020 15:09 Copa de Superliga postponed after intervention after Tourism and Sports Minister Matías Lammens calls for AFA and Superliga chiefs to stop "all categories" of football in Argentina.

Tourism

Buenos Aires Bus, City's sightseeing bus for tourists, gets a reboot

05-03-2020 12:00 Renewed 'Bus Turístico' service began on March 1. Buses now have wifi and cell phone charging systems. Rides will be available every 20 minutes.

by Claudio Corsalini

FOOD & DRINK

Doing things Properly

15-02-2020 09:54 They don’t have a sign outside their entrance and do not take reservations, but four years after opening, Proper is still shaking up Buenos Aires’ restaurant scene with their forward-thinking creations.

by Bruna Fontevecchia

TOURISM

Lammens eyes European, Chinese tourists in bid to boost economy

23-01-2020 07:19 The government is keen to attract foreign tourism, says new Tourism & Sports minister in interview, who hopes overseas visitors will be bringing more than US$6 billion into the economy by end of 2020.

Machu Picchu scandal

Argentine who damaged Machu Picchu spared jail time

22-01-2020 09:57 Nahuel Gómez pleads guilty to damaging the Peruvian cultural site. Because he has no prior record, he will only face fine and extended deportation, despite being sentenced to more than three years in prison.

Scandal at the citadel

Machu Picchu scandal: Five deported, Argentine faces potential jail time

17-01-2020 13:58 Five tourists have been deported from Peru while a sixth, Nahuel Gómez, faces up to four years in jail for damaging nation's "cultural heritage."

TOURIST

Argentine tourists face trial, deportation over Machu Picchu damage

15-01-2020 12:54 Six Latin American tourists face deportation after causing damage to historical sites at Peru's Machu Picchu. Members of the group are accused of taking rocks and defecting at a sacred temple.

NEW PM IN HAVANA

Cuba names tourism minister as first prime minister since 1976

22-12-2019 17:04 Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel names Manuel Marrero Cruz as the country's first prime minister since 1976.

CRIME & SECURITY

Arrests after two British tourists shot, one killed, in Puerto Madero

16-12-2019 07:00 50-year-old dies, hours after being shot by robbers while resisting attack. His 28-year-old stepson in serious condition after being shot in leg. Police make four arrests, with more suspects still at large.

Travel & tourism

Antarctica tourism: the quest for Earth's vulnerable extremes

13-12-2019 07:03 New luxurious adventure excursions give their guests an opportunity to get up close and personal with quickly-eroding natural beauty, but is the very presence of humans there contributing to the destruction of this frozen wondrous landscape?

Annual celebration

True gaucho tradition celebrated in San Antonio de Areco

16-11-2019 10:36 Dia de la Tradición brings out the crowds as locals celebrate the country’s traditional economic and cultural bedrock.

by Carly Graf

INTERVIEW

Uruguayan frontrunner Martínez on Alberto Fernández and bilateral relations

25-10-2019 13:36 Frente Amplio candidate, who leads polls ahead of Uruguay's October 27 election, recently met with Alberto Fernández, who he calls a friend. "If we both win, we’ll look to work together," he says.

JAPANESE TOURIST

Japanese tourist found dead in Quebrada de Humahuaca after 4-day search

02-09-2019 12:36 Toshiko Kikegawa was discovered by police in a canyon after an apparent fall from a hiking trail.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

INDEC data indicates tourism grew in June

23-08-2019 07:00 Overnight stays in hotels up 13.1% year-on-year, with most visiting Buenos Aires City, the Litoral and Patagonia.

MAMET INTERVIEW

Opportunity awaits in Argentina, ex-US ambassador tells investors, big brands

02-08-2019 15:00 Former US ambassador Noah Mamet sits down with the Times to discuss his hopes for Argentina's tech, beef, tourism, wine and renewable energy industries.

by Lucas Robinson