The arrival of foreign tourists to the neighboring country is a historical record

The main visitors, a third of the total, were Argentines: 3.1 million, 82.1% more than last year. They had also topped the ranking in 2024.

The second place among the largest emitters corresponds to Chilewith 721,497 arrivals (and an increase of 24%), which moves the United States to third place, with 677,888 arrivals and a growth of just 5.8%. Uruguay, with 487,514 tourists and an increase of 37.2% compared to the January-November 2024 period, occupies fourth place and Paraguay is in fifth position, with 454,327 landings of foreigners, an increase of 14.4%.

The Argentine tourism boom is such that Brazil has already reached the goal it had set for 2027of 8.1 million people.

The dollars that Argentines leave for tourism went to add to the US$ 7.17 billion that the Brazilian economy received in the first 11 months of the year. The volume of foreign currency did not grow as much as the number of people: 8.5% compared to last year.

According to the Brazilian government, the improvement in tourism numbers helped add 1.5 million formal incorporations, with a positive balance of 90,000 new jobs.

Meanwhile, in Argentina, statistics on the number of tourists leaving and entering the country is the subject of controversy. As Clarín published, in disagreement with INDEC’s measurement of the entry of foreigners, the Ministry of Tourism headed by Daniel Scioli It cut funding to the statistical agency and will launch its own measurement.

This year the number of visitors fell by 22% and 2025 would end with a record tourism deficit.

The underlying issue in the confrontation between Tourism and INDEC is the international tourism survey, which among other issues measures how much foreign currency foreign visitors spend during their stay. The secretariat headed by Scioli considers that the number is distorted and that it does not reflect real consumption.

Since the beginning of the year, Tourism has sought, in conversations with INDEC, but also with the Central Bank, a change in the way in which data on international tourism is presented. It is an area that this year shows marked deficits: 2025 could close with a net dollar outflow of up to US$9 billion.