Argentina was included in the 2010 and 2011 lists of “The Developing World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations.” This is an annual ranking produced by Ethical Traveler magazine, which is based on a study of developing nations from around the world to identify the best tourism destinations among them. The benchmarking uses categories such as environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights.
Overview
The World Economic Forum estimated that, in 2008, tourism generated around US$25 billion in economic turnover, and employed 1.8 million. Domestic tourism amounted to over 80 % of this and tourism from abroad contributed US$ 4.3 billion, having become the third largest source of foreign exchange in 2004. Around 4.6 million foreign visitors arrived in 2007, yielding a positive balance vis-à-vis the number of Argentines traveling abroad.
Argentina has been increasing its worldwide presence with plenty of advertising for tourism in the country. The latest push can be seen by Aerolineas Argentinas, the country’s national airline, add international routes from the United States and Europe. There are also rumors that they will join a major airline alliance soon.
INDEC recorded 2.3 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2007 (a 12% increase), at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport, alone (around half the total); of these, 26 % arrived from Brazil, 25 % from Europe, 14 % from the United States and Canada, 8 % from Chile, 19 % from the rest of the Western Hemisphere and 8 % from the rest of the World.
Tourist regions
Tourism in Argentina can be divided into six regions:
- Buenos Aires (consisting of Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province)
- Córdoba
- Cuyo
- The North
- Litoral
- Patagonia
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, sometimes regarded as the “Paris of South America,” offers elegant architecture, exquisite cuisine, a legendary nightlife and fashionable shopping. Argentina has become famous for being rich in European flavor. The most popular tourist sites are found in the historic city core, comprising Montserrat and San Telmo.
The city was originally constructed around the Plaza de Mayo, the administrative center of the Colony.
To the east of the square is the Casa Rosada, the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina. To the north, the Catedral Metropolitana which has stood in the same location since colonial times, and the Banco de la Nación Argentina building, a parcel of land originally owned by Juan de Garay.
Other important colonial institutions were Cabildo, to the west, which was renovated during the construction of Avenida de Mayo and Julio A. Roca. To the south is the Congreso de la Nación (National Congress), which currently houses the Academia Nacional de la Historia (National Academy of History). Lastly, to the northwest, is City Hall.
Avenida de Mayo links the Casa Rosada with the Argentine National Congress. On this avenue there are several buildings of cultural, architectural and historical importance, such as Casa de la Cultura, the Palacio Barolo and Café Tortoni. Underneath the avenue, the first subte (metro) line in South America, was opened in 1913. The avenue ends at Plaza del Congreso, which features a number of monuments and sculptures, including one of Auguste Rodin’s few surviving original casts of “The Thinker.”
The Manzana de las Luces (“Illuminated Block”) area features the San Ignacio church, the Colegio Nacional Buenos Aires, and the old city council building (1894 to 1931). This area features tunnels and catacombs, which crossed underneath the Plaza de Mayo during colonial times.
In the neighbourhood of San Telmo, Plaza Dorrego hosts an antiques fair on Sundays, complete with tango shows. They also have tango shows daily at the famous plaza.
Frequent tours and activities are also available at the Church of Nuestra Señora de Bethlehem, the San Pedro Telmo Parish and the Antonio Ballvé Penintetiary Museum. The National Historical Museum in Parque Lezama is a few blocks south.
The Ayres Porteños Hostel is a very famous hostel as it is also a tourist attraction, it is decorated and painted by artists from La Boca and possesses a unique collection of local paintings among its walls.
The borough of Recoleta is home to a number of places of interest including the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Biblioteca Nacional, the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, the Basílica Nuestra Señora de Pilar, the Palais de Glace, the Café La Biela and the Cementerio de la Recoleta — where Eva Perón’s crypt can be visited among those of many other Argentine historical and cultural figures.
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the most populous and largest province of Argentina (if territorial claims in the Antarctica and South Atlantic islands are not taken into account). The nation’s rail and road network fans out from Buenos Aires and into the province, the temperate area centered around the Pampas.
This region is characterized by its estancias (large cattle ranches) featuring a great deal of architectural styles, located in the middle of the Pampas, where tourist can learn about history and Creole customs. The province is also known by its many beaches in the coast of the Atlantic Ocean (the most visited being Mar del Plata), some lonely and others very crowded.
The hilly region of Tandil and Ventana offers peaceful golf courses, paragliding rides and trekking. They are very different landscapes from each other and distant from the mouth of the Paraná River, where islands also invite tourists.
Córdoba
The Córdoba Province is one of the most important economic centers in the country. Vineyards abound in Mendoza, the heart of the winemaking industry in Argentina.
Córdoba is both a cultural and tourist destination — a traditional and modern city, with an industrialized as well as a home-made production. A hilly landscape and favorable weather conditions are distinctive in Córdoba, a place where natural scenery is mixed with colonial monuments.
Sierras de Córdoba rise toward the northwestern Pampas plains. They are part of the Sierras Pampeanas mountain range, reaching 2,790 m high in the Champaqui hill. The hills feature fertile valleys, deserts and salt mines. All along the way northward, many 17th and 18th century chapels and farmhouses inherited from the Jesuits can be found.
The Jesuit estancias (large cattle ranches) in Córdoba are a singular sample of the productive organization of the religious members of Compañía de Jesús in the country, and this is still evident in its preserved architecture. Though history demonstrated that the farms were acquired for economic purposes in order to support schools and universities, the estancias were of course used for missionary purposes, thus turning into religious centers.
Estancias in Jesús María, Caroya, Santa Catalina, La Candelaria and Alta Gracia can be visited along a 250 km circuit of picturesque undulating roads. These farms that date back to the 17th century — together with the Jesuit Block in the City of Córdoba — are all national historical monuments that were declared World Cultural Heritage in 2000.
Cuyo
The Cuyo region consists of the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza and San Luis. Cuyo is the region of high peaks, snow-covered volcanoes, and a large wilderness spreading from the Andes mountain range and foothills to the steppe.
The visit to Ischigualasto (Talampaya Natural Parks) is a journey to the dinosaurs era. Ischigualasto, also known as “Valle de la Luna” (Moon Valley) because of the diversity of forms and colours of its landscape shaped by erosion, is one of the world’s most important paleontologic sites.
The Talampaya River Canyon reveals multi-shaped layers in its high red walls. The region displays the full splendour of the Central Andean Range. The Aconcagua (6.959 m) is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, and its steep slopes are renown and respected by mountain climbers from all over the world.
This region also contains Pucará de Tilcara & a pre-Inca fortification strategically located to provide good views over a long stretch of the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
The North
The North (Spanish: El Norte) consists of the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero. It also features Iguazú Falls, part of the Iguazú National Park and an UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Brazil.
Northern provinces feature traces of pre-Columbian cultures, mingled with ruins of natives’ villages, as well as forts and constructions dating back to the time of the Conquest and Colonization.
In the high plateau of the Puna, a land full of mountain ranges, steep mountain paths, and gorges. Villages have been built in the small valleys. This region offers landscapes full of contrast — from the high peaks to the plains, the salt pans, and the subtropical rain forests.
An ample diversity of natural landscapes and dramatic contrasts such as the densely vegetated Yunga forests, or the serenity of mountains, hills and brooks of the Calchaquí Valleys, provide great conditions for sport fishing.
The rivers Juramento, Lipeo, Iruya and Bermejo are home to the dorado, and the mountain river rapids support trout. The whole region combines natural attractions with suitable areas for diverse activities such as mountaineering, trekking, horseback riding, mountain biking, ecotourism, bird-watching, rural tourism, and archeological trips. Sailing, canoeing and windsurfing are other sports that may be practiced in this region.
Destinations of interest in this region are the Train to the Clouds, which offers a view to the stark contrasts of the province of Salta; the Quebrada de Humahuaca, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003; the Calchaquí Valleys, that ranges from the mountain desert to the subtropical forest; Pucará de Tilcara, a fort built by the humahuacas; Cafayate; Iruya; and Tafí del Valle, among others.
Litoral
The “Litoral” (Spanish for littoral) consists of the provinces of Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Misiones and Santa Fe. This is a region of large rivers, humid tropics, red earth and a virgin forest full of huge trees and important flora and fauna.
The Iguazú Falls on the border with Brazil are one of the world’s natural wonders. Lined with dense forests, the Iguazú river flows into 275 waterfalls, plunging more than 70 meters. The frontier with Brazil goes through the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat).
Lying on the bluffs of the Paraná river, Posadas, capital city of Misiones and bordering with Encarnación (Paraguay), has colourful trees in its Plaza 9 de Julio, as well as interesting museums and artisan markets. If the course of the river is followed in a south-west direction, the Yacyretá hydroelectric plant, which is one of the biggest in the world, can be reached.
Many ruins of the ancient Jesuit missions, some of which have been covered by the jungle, are located near Posadas. The most well-known ruins are in San Ignacio Miní, 56 Km away from the province’s capital. These Jesuit reductions were declared World Heritage by the UNESCO.
Fifty kilometers to the north of Colón lies El Palmar National Park, housing the last samples of Yatay palm trees, which are almost eight centuries old. The city of Concordia is connected to the city of Salto (Uruguay) through the Salto Grande hydroelectric plant.
The Esteros del Iberá, a humid zone of 700.000 hectares can be reached from Posadas, Concepción or Mercedes. In Guaraní, Iberá means “Shining water”. Its lagoons cover 31,500 hectares, its marshlands 52,000, and its inlands 260,000. This eco-system which gives life to turtles, yacarés (caimans), monkeys, swamp deer, capybaras — the largest rodent in the world — and up to 400 bird species.
The city of Rosario lies on the banks of the Paraná River in the Province of Santa Fe. It has developed into an industrial and commercial center and destination for a significant number of people on business.
On its riverside promenade stands the Monumento Nacional a la Bandera (National Monument to the Flag), where the Argentine National Flag was raised for the first time. Parque Independencia hosts an artificial lake, statues, a racecourse, and the Provincial History Museum.
Patagonia
The patagonic region consists of the provinces of La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is located in the World Heritage Los Glaciares National Park, where glaciers that drain the Southern Patagonian Ice Field end in the Lago Argentino, blocking one of its bays until the pressure of the water blows the ice dam. Access to the park can be made via the city of Calafate. One of the most popular attractions is the Perito Moreno Glacier.
Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world (located in Tierra del Fuego), is a typical destination in southern Patagonia.
San Carlos de Bariloche is a city in the Río Negro Province, situated on the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing, sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.
Punta Tombo is a coastal location where abundant wildlife congregates-specifically the seasonal breeding ground of large numbers of Magellanic penguins.
Peninsula Valdés is widely considered to be one of the best places in the world for the observation of wildlife, mainly sea mammals. Although Southern Right Whales are the main attraction elephant seals, sea lions, Magellanic penguins and orcas are also well represented.
Santa Cruz Province is known for its remoteness and for landmarks such as the Perito Moreno Glacier, Laguna del Carbon (the lowest geographical point in the Americas), Mount Fitz Roy (shared with Chile) and the Petrified Forests National Monument, as well as the vast patagonian plateau and pebble beaches.
Other destinations in the region include seaside Las Grutas (in Río Negro), Rada Tilly; The Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere and nearby Las Leñas ski resort; Villa La Angostura, San Martín de los Andes, Junín de los Andes, El Bolsón, Esquel, Trevelin, Los Antiguos, Copahue, Caviahue, and San Rafael
Tourism centering around fauna is also popular, particularly whale-watching in Puerto Madryn.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance.
The program catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Argentina include:
- Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands)
- Río Pinturas — has prehistoric cave paintings
- Iguazú National Park — home of Iguazu Falls
- Ischigualasto / Talampaya National Parks and its paleontologic formations
- Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba in Córdoba Province (Cultural Heritage)
- Jesuit missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor
- Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito Moreno Glacier
- Península Valdés — a marine wildlife preserve
- Quebrada de Humahuaca — World Cultural Landscape for its scenic natural beauty and historical sights