Uruguay will top 3 million tourists this year, a number approaching its population. (Click image to enlarge)
For the first time in the country’s history, Uruguay will break the three million mark for visiting tourists. The record-breaking numbers were shared earlier today by Minitud, the Uruguay Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The milestone will represent a 24% increase in inbound tourists over 2010 (2.40 million) and a 64% increase over 2006 (1.82 million).
In terms of revenue, Uruguay broke the 2010 tourism record of US$1.5 billion by August, a number that could easily top $2 billion with summer vacations and waves of Argentine, Brazilian and North American tourists ready to descend for year-end celebrations along the Uruguay coast.
And while Uruguay is today a case study for tourism growth, the climb to 3 million has been a long process. Back in the 1950′s, there were years when Uruguay received fewer than 40,000 tourists. 1959 was the first year the country topped 500,000 visitors, and it would be another two decades before it topped 1 million (1.27 million in 1979).
The 80′s were a steady decade with the country averaging 1.03 million tourists, and the 2 million milestone was first reached in 1993. Uruguay welcomed well over 2 million tourists a year from 1994-2001; however, the Argentine financial crisis resulted in a painful one-year drop from 2.13 million (2001) to 1.35 million (2002). The fact that Uruguay tourism has rebounded 121% in nine years is probably the most impressive statistic of all and testament to the country’s pro-tourism, pro-foreign investment policies. (Full Story in Spanish)
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