Tourism to Buenos Aires grew 5 percent last year, with the destination welcoming an estimated 2 million air arrivals, Travel Buenos Aires reports. The destination marketing organization has released a look at the full-year 2018 tourism numbers for the city.
In a written statement Gonzalo Robredo, president of the Tourism Entity of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, said that international tourism generated over $2 billion for the city in 2018, with new hosted events, additional promotional efforts in key markets and increased air connectivity from the West Coast boosting the destination’s tourism.
Buenos Aires hosted a number of important events last year, including the G20 and U20 Summits, as well as Art Basel, as Buenos Aires became the first partner in the Art Basel Cities initiative. The city also hosted the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Zooming in on travelers from the United States, 253,500 of the 2 million tourism arrivals to Buenos Aires in 2018 hailed from the U.S., with more than half of them opting to stay in the city’s hotels. Top accommodation choices were luxury four- and five-star hotels, which saw a 9 percent annual increase in nights by U.S. travelers.
Looking ahead to 2019, officials project that the city could receive an additional 430,000 more international tourists per year than in 2016 due to an increase in air connectivity that kicked off in late 2017 with the launch of United Airlines’ daily nonstop flight from Newark. In 2018, additional routes from Los Angeles and Zurich began, bringing approximately 38,700 more tourists per year.
In terms of hotels, the government of Buenos Aires has promised to support growth via a new bill that would offer tax incentives to the city’s hospitality industry. Also in 2019, a number of notable events will take place, including b, the largest contemporary art fair in Latin America, and Semana del Arte, in partnership with Art Basel happening in April; Caminos y Sabores Festival, showcasing the country’s cultural and culinary scene taking place in July; the Tango Festival and World Cup in August; and the 126th Argentine Open Polo Championship happening from November to December.
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