Argentina to promote itself to the world as a safe destination for health this year at FITUR

‘Because of its global reach and the historical affinity between Argentina and Spain, the FITUR trade fair offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our tourism prospects’

Organised by IFEMA, the FITUR ‘Special Tourism Recovery’ event will take place from 19^th to 23^rd May at Feria de Madrid

At FITUR this year, Argentina will promote itself to the world of tourism as a safe destination, according to Ricardo Sosa, Executive Secretary of the National Institute of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR). Sosa reports that Argentina is working on a presentation that will have ‘a big impact on Europe’ at the International Tourism Fair in Madrid, which is holding its ’Special Tourism Recovery’ event from 19^th to 23^rd May.

Primarily, and in keeping with the global context, ‘our idea is to show the world of tourism that Argentina is a safe destination for health. With this aim, intensive preparations are under way in all the country’s provinces and municipalities, working together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport to design crucial health protocols, which can be viewed online at our Content Hub.

‘In addition, in 2020 we had the honour of being awarded the Safe Travels seal from the WTTC, a label that distinguishes us and allows us to convey a message of trust and safety to the tourist community. We also had a successful experience with domestic tourism during our summer season, with 12 million tourists travelling around Argentina during January and February 2021 without any significant outbreaks.

‘This shows the experience of both entrepreneurs and the public sector in the management of tourists in light of the current pandemic. We know that this is a fundamental element to promote at FITUR. We’re working on a presentation that will have a big impact on Europe’.

The relationship between Argentina and Spain

INPROTUR’s Executive Secretary affirms that FITUR has always been an icon in the tourism industry. ‘Because of its global reach and the historical affinity between Argentina and Spain, it offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our tourism prospects. Attending FITUR is a chance to spend time with the leading players in the sector. This allows us to arrange meetings, close important deals, publicise Argentina’s image, build relationships for the future to achieve long-term results and so many other opportunities.’

Spain, the main source of European outbound tourism

Argentina’s main outbound tourism markets are its nearest neighbours, which account for almost 60% of all tourists welcomed into the country. Next (in order), come the United States, Spain (the second most important non-bordering outbound tourism market), Peru, Colombia, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Canada.

These 15 countries make up 89% of all tourists who arrive from abroad each year. ‘If we’re just talking about Europe, Spain is the biggest source of outbound tourism to our country, in seventh place in the overall rankings, with more than 215,000 arrivals before the pandemic. There are also significant numbers coming in from France, Italy, Germany and the UK. New trends are focused on biosecurity and nature, aspects that place us in an excellent position’.

A benchmark for global tourism

Ricardo Sosa, who was appointed Executive Secretary of INPROTUR in 2020, says that the goal is to position Argentina as a benchmark for global tourism. ‘We know we have infinite potential and it’s our mission to be able to realise it. With this in mind, we’ve planned some significant areas of work, such as the creation of the Product Department.

‘Here’, continues Sosa, ‘we’re focusing on a number of our most valuable inbound tourism segments and, despite the difficulties imposed by the pandemic, we’re already seeing positive results, including our leading position in Latin American MICE Tourism, the boost to Sports Tourism from heavy promotion of the PGA Latin America Tour and the unflagging interest of travellers in our LGBT travel products. Our main goal is to ensure that tourism recovers to pre-pandemic levels, with increased spending from foreign tourists in Argentina’. 

España, principal emisor europeo

Los principales mercados emisores para Argentina, por cuestiones de cercanía, son sus países limítrofes, que contabilizan casi el 60% de todos los turistas que recibe el país. A continuación, le siguen, en este orden, Estados Unidos, España (el segundo emisor de turistas de países no limítrofes), Perú, Colombia, Francia, Italia, Alemania, el Reino Unido, México y Canadá.

Estos 15 países conforman el 89% de todos los turistas que anualmente recibe Argentina desde el exterior.  “Si hablamos netamente de Europa, España es el principal emisor hacia nuestro país, ocupando el séptimo lugar en el ranking general de llegadas, con más de 215.000 antes de la pandemia. A su vez, Francia, Italia, Alemania y Reino Unido también presentan buenos números. Las nuevas tendencias tienen que ver con la bioseguridad y la naturaleza, aspectos que nos colocan en muy buena posición”.

Referente turístico mundial

Ricardo Sosa, que fue designado Secretario Ejecutivo de INPROTUR en 2020, se ha propuesto el objetivo es posicionar a Argentina como el referente mundial turístico que es. “Sabemos que tenemos un potencial infinito y es nuestra misión poder desarrollarlo. En este sentido, desde que asumimos nos propusimos importantes líneas de trabajo, como la creación de la Dirección de Productos”.

“Aquí –continúa Sosa- pusimos en valor una serie de segmentos notables para nuestro receptivo y, a pesar de las dificultades que presentó la pandemia, ya vemos resultados positivos, como el liderazgo en América Latina en Turismo de Reuniones, el impulso al Turismo Deportivo con una fuerte promoción en el PGA Golf Latinoamérica o el incesante interés de los viajeros y viajeras por nuestra oferta LGBT, entre muchos aspectos. El principal objetivo es recuperar la cantidad de turistas pre-pandemia e incrementar el gasto de turistas extranjeros en Argentina”.