Tourism Minister José María Arrua presented on Monday morning to the House Budget Committee the actions carried out this year and projections for 2024.
First of all, he mentioned “what they think and offer for the next year,” he began.
In this spirit, Arrua addressed the issue of the Iguazu National Park. “This is the most visited place in Argentina and at the falls, one of the most popular places” both nationally and internationally, he said.
The minister explained that 1,065,623 tourists have entered this year so far this Sunday. “We plan to let through 600,000 tourists this year,” he added.
With regard to the Provincial Park, he stressed that the Jesuit missions had seen a marked increase. “This is the diversity of the tourist offer and the increase in the number of overnight stays in the southern zone,” he said. And he noted that visits to La Cruz de Santa Ana, Mocona, and Salto Encantado theme parks also stand out.
In addition, the provincial official mentioned that one of the problems is the growth of Yaboti Creek, which prevents Mokona Park from being open all year round. In this sense, he indicated that for this purpose it is planned to build a new bridge across this watercourse.
“The work is up for tender, which will allow us to open it,” he said.
Arrua also highlighted activities in other parks in the province “that contribute to the expansion of the whole offer that Misiones has.”
Meanwhile, he said that last year, from January to July, sales of Misiones rose by 49 percent; Plaza Iguazú is up 43 percent and Plaza Posadas is up 73 percent. “This is the direction that has grown the most on the entire Argentine coast,” he said.
The tourism budget for 2024 will be $1.931 million.
This figure is 154% more than last year. Continued positioning of the Misiones destination in the national and international market and improving the quality of services will be one of the main tasks for 2024.
“We are going to end this year with a score eight or nine points higher than last year before the pandemic, reflecting the hard work done by the provincial government in coordination with the municipalities, the nation and the private sector. Following this line, we want to continue planning and managing,” Tourism Minister José María Arrua said after the presentation of the 2024 budget this Monday in the provincial House of Representatives.
Misiones has had a successful year in terms of tourism, with about 30,000 people working in the sector. With a growth of 16%, tourism led the growth in employment registered in Argentina, which means that actions implemented at all levels have a positive impact on society and the economy.
To get these results, it is necessary to build alliances and investments. In terms of tourism infrastructure, more than 60 million pesos have been allocated to the Teiu Cuare Provincial Park, the Indian Grotto, the Araucarias Provincial Park in San Pedro, the Jaguarete Camp in Puerto Iguazu, the Uruguay Provincial Park and Puente Yaboti.
1,065,623 visitors to Iguazu National Park were registered and the number of tourists reached one million tourists a month earlier than last year, indicating the high tourist flow seen in this destination.
On the other hand, until July, air passenger traffic increased by 49%, air traffic – by 48%.
In turn, the occupancy of premises in the winter season is closed on average by 95%; over 544 thousand overnight stays, over 156 thousand arrivals, 5.2 nights of average stay and over 15 billion pesos in economic traffic.
As activities developed and planned for 2024, the following can be noted: recertification of ISO 9001/2015; funding training for entrepreneurs, CPR, leadership, digital tools and tourist hosts; Obtaining the FormAr quality mark for the team of the Ministry of Tourism, provincial tourism municipality strategic planning conferences; Puerto Iguazu Culinary Seal awarded to 15 companies; base for tourism municipalities and sustainability guidelines in 13 companies in Posadas. Of course also advertising campaigns aimed at identifying opportunities, strategies for digital promotion of supply and demand on viajapomisiones.com, accompanying new investments, development and creation of permanent pyenda.com data (yearbooks, profile studies, investment documents). measures, etc.), developing a “smart tourism destination” plan, “Journey Through Missions” program.
Everything that was presented in the Legislature was an example of the impact tourism had on missionary families and the side effect it had on the economy. The focus on tourism as a public policy allows it to be positioned as a reference sector for growth in the region.