British Tourism Eyes Argentina as the Next Big Thing

Caribbean News Digital sat down with Ricardo Sosa, executive secretary of Argentina’s INPROTUR within the framework of WTM London 2022

By Veronica de Santiago

How important has this edition of WTM London been for INPROTUR and how is Argentina viewed in the UK market?

It has been a very important edition. We are accompanied here by six destinations of Argentina and 20 businessmen who have come to attend the fair. We have made a tour with the authorities of the Argentine Chamber of Tourism and we have verified that, in fact, they have held and are holding numerous meetings. There is great eagerness on the part of the UK market to travel to Argentina. During this year, over 30,000 British tourists have visited the country, and that is important. 

Over the past six months, there has been a 50% recovery in the number of tourists we had in pre-pandemic times, and this clearly shows how attractive Argentina is for the British market. Besides, the UK has announced that from next year on, it will have direct flights between Buenos Aires and London. At present, the flights are between Buenos Aires and London via Sao Paulo; next year, there will be direct flights between both cities. This is very important because it will chip in to the improvement in the supply of seats. 

We have also met with other airlines that have hubs in Rome, Madrid, Paris, and that use these cities as distribution or generation of passenger traffic, from different countries and in this case also from England.

WTM is one of the most important and representative fairs of the sector in this country, it concentrates the largest number of professionals, the professionals with whom we want to meet. So far the meetings we have held have been very positive with both tour operators and airlines. So we consider that the first balance of Argentina's presence has been very positive in a market that is very important for us because in the pre-pandemic it was among the five main European tourism issuers.

What does Argentina have to offer to the UK market that the rest of the countries in the region don’t?

This is a very interesting question because Argentina has the End of the World, which no other country has. Argentina has the best Malbec in the world, which no other country has, it has the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is also one of the attractions that foreign tourists should know. It has the Iguazú Falls, one of the seven wonders of the world, it has pre-Columbian art and a very important history in the north of Argentina, in the Puna, and it has the city of Buenos Aires, which is the most renowned city in Latin America for its nightlife, for its tango. It also has something important, the Argentinian roasting that is desired by the whole world. There are several reasons why British tourists visit our country. 

Talking about roasting, and gastronomy in general, what does that mean for the tourist when they decide to travel to Argentina?

It is one of the most important points worldwide. Gastronomy and wine are the products that perhaps have a greater influence on the tourist when it comes to inspire them to make a trip. The Argentine Republic not only has the typical asado (roast), the traditional barbecued meat offered by restaurants around the world, but also many other products. In the north, the offer of empanadas, the offer of tamales, have an important value; in the south the Patagonian lamb; and I could mention an endless array of gastronomic products that our country has to offer. I consider that it is perhaps the most important product that Argentina has.

Argentina is focusing a lot on MICE tourism in terms of attracting congresses and incentives, both in the region and internationally. This year you have had many congresses and many more are expected next year.

Of course, at the moment while we are here in London, in Krakow in Poland, we have a representative of Inprotur who is participating in the ICCA World Congress, which is the International Congress and Convention Association, that speaks of the importance we have. This year we have participated in two IMEX fairs, one in Frankfurt and the other in Las Vegas. Argentine representatives of the private sector have been at the BTM in Mexico, we have been at the Latin American congress of Cocal, it is a constant work, of constant presence that our country must have.

"So far, we have logged over 2 million foreign tourists entering our country in 2022, and this accounts for nearly 50% of the tourists we had in pre-pandemic times"

Last week, we carried out a training course in Argentina to continue training professional associations of different sciences in the attraction of international congresses. That is to say, we have continued training the associations of veterinarians, doctors, engineers, on the importance of attracting international congresses. The Association of Congress and Convention Organizers (AOCA) is holding its national congress next week in the north of Argentina, where it will also continue with this promotion. This is the symbol of the importance that the meetings tourism field has for us, taking into account that Argentina in 2019 was among the 10 countries that captured the highest number of world congresses and Buenos Aires is the first city in Latin America that received the highest number of congresses during that year.

We are talking about business, but thermalism is also important in Argentina. What projects are in store for 2023 in that niche?

The attendance of Argentine destinations in different fairs, there is one that is logically the most recognized, which is Termatalia, but there are destinations that have developed their thermal product, such as the province of La Rioja, which has attended that fair this year for the first time. There are other provinces like Catamarca that have made a strategic plan of thermal tourism, and there are provinces like Santiago del Estero that have the thermal city of Río Hondo as consolidated at national level and very well positioned at international level. 

That gives us the guideline to work intensively in 2023 actively participating in international congresses related to thermalism and looking for the way to position this segment in different fairs where we are going to be next year.

Argentina has products for all segments, also for LGBT tourism.

Exactly. Last week we also took part in the International Conference and Congress of LGBT Tourism, called GNetwork, in the city of Buenos Aires, together with the Chamber of Gay and Lesbian Trade of the Argentine Republic (CCGLAR). We have carried out this event with the participation of more than 200 referents from Argentina and the rest of the world. 

During this 2022 we have carried out numerous actions with CCGLAR in different points of our country, to strengthen the federal network of LGBT tourism. This is very important and we are talking today with the city of Buenos Aires to strengthen this segment in the different fairs where we will be participating together.

Within Latin America, which are your target countries?

Our top outbound market is Brazil; it is our main commercial partner. The second market is Chile, followed by Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and besides that, these three very important countries in general: Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. 

With Ecuador, starting this year, we have direct flights, which improves the supply of seats. With Peru we have the decision of Aerolíneas Argentinas to move its operations to Aeroparque instead of Ezeiza, which improves the arrival of tourists. With Colombia we are going through a very satisfactory situation because since this year, beyond the flights of Aerolíneas Argentinas and Avianca, for the first time in history we are linking Medellín with the city of Buenos Aires with the operation of Viva Air, which is a Colombian low-cost airline.

What is the outlook for the end of this year and the first half of 2023?

So far, we have logged over 2 million foreign tourists entering our country in 2022, and this accounts for nearly 50% of the tourists we had in pre-pandemic times. If we make an analysis of the past six months, May 2022 to October 2022, stacked up against May 2019 to October 2019, we see that we have a recovery of 64% of tourists.

We believe that until April or May of next year we can already have a 100% normalized tourist movement and we also project that by the end of 2023 we will not only have recovered 100% of the tourists we had in the pre-pandemic, but a growth within 8 or 10 percent of the amount of tourists we had at that time. 

"Over the past six months, there has been a 50% recovery in the number of tourists we had in pre-pandemic times, and this clearly shows how attractive Argentina is for the British market"

All statistical values are giving us a very accelerated recovery and that is why what we do is to work intensively on the five factors of promotion, the international press media with influencers, a joint work with airlines, activations on public roads, a lot of programmatic advertising on the Internet and a very strong work with the Trade through participation in international fairs, workshops, business rounds, roadshows that we do with entities around the world.

What do you make of trade fairs? Do you think they are back to staying 100% in person or do you think they will evolve to digital attendance?

Fairs are back to staying 100% in person and in fact, virtual fairs that have been held during the pandemic in recent times have not had the expected success. The interpersonal relationship of the stakeholders and attendees from the tourism industry is crucial, and so is the need to meet again. But above all, we realize that business deals are made person to person and fairs are crucial for that. Fairs are going to stay and are returning stronger than before the pre-pandemic. Virtuality will not replace tourism and neither will the business tourism community.