Argentina Is Putting More Tourism than Beef on the Market

In the course of last year, the Argentinean travel industry panned out to be the country’s third-largest hard currency maker, chiefly driven by record highs in the number of foreign trippers.

According to official stats, the cash flow raked in by the leisure industry in 2003 was second only to the sales of soybean flour and fuel oil, but it did beat soybean oil and flakes, metals, manufactures and beef to a frazzle.

An article published in La Nacion newspaper indicates that Argentina posted the best travel season in the history of the country with 3.3 million foreign travelers, up 18 percent from the year before.

Moreover, the country’s Tourism Department states that foreign sunbathers spent over $2 billion in hotels, restaurants, transportation and tours for a whopping 37 percent increase compared to the year 2002.

In keeping with Argentina’s 2003 export ranking –issued by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses- tourism was only bested by the sales of soybean four ($3.3 billion) and fuel oil ($2.2 billion).

Trailing behind the nation’s travel industry were several staples that once made up the grounds of the Argentinean economy –formerly called the Barnyard of the World- such as oleaginous plants, cereals and beef.