Buquebus Airlines

Air Buquebus provides convenient, short-haul service to underserved markets like Punta del Este (pictured).

The summer season is upon us, so it’s a good thing Aeroparque Jorge Newberry is back to full strength with a newly-paved runway and more terminal enhancements to come. The most welcome addition to the International Terminal has to be Buquebus Airlines.

InvestBA shared the new airline announcement back in March, but this will be the first summer challenge for the company better known for ferry crossings between Argentina and Uruguay. If a flight this week to Punta del Este is any indication, the Montevideo-based company is more than up to the challenge.

The pre-flight reservation system is seamlessly integrated into the existing online platform making flight and ferry recommendations together based on your desired travel dates. (Pluna still has the cleanest, most JetBlue-like user interface, but BQB is a close second.) Fares are competitive, departure times are abundant and the list of destinations keeps growing. Buenos Aires-based passengers can fly direct to Punta del Este (PDP) or Montevideo where BQB offers connecting service to Salto, Rivera, Porto Alegre, Iguazu and Florianopolis.

Buquebus has a modern fleet of aircraft (twin-engine turboprop ATR 72-500′s), offers quality in-flight catering and allows passengers to check one 48-pound piece of luggage free of charge. Most importantly, Buquebus is bringing affordable, short-haul service to major markets like Rosario and Córdoba which will soon enjoy direct service to Punta del Este….welcome news for hotel and real estate developers in the balneario uruguayo.

For more information about flying to Uruguay and Punta del Este vacations, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Buenos Aires Photo 2010

Over 3,200 photos will be on display now through Sunday at the Palais de Glace.

Today the sixth edition of Buenos Aires Photo, Latin America’s most important photography show, opens to the public at Recoleta’s Palais de Glace. Between now and the 31st of October, the works of over 150 artists from Argentina, Canada, Chile, Spain, the United States, Perú and Uruguay will be on display and the forty participating galleries are exhibiting the photos by their artists throughout the two stories of the Palais de Glace.

Over 3,200 photographs,  ranging from landscapes to portraits and still lifes to abstract images, cover the walls of the venue. Their subjects evoke a wide range of emotion as they touch on poverty, sexuality, and nature, among others. Each night, the Programa Auditorio Fundación Deloitte will put on roundtable discussions where special guests will delve into some of the questions and pressing issues that affect the world of photography, such as photography and the art market and the reconciliation of history and contemporary art.

The American Express Foundation donated $20,000 USD to the Asociación Amigos de MALBA for the acquisition of works from BA Photo. Liliana Porter’s “Red with him” and Nicola Constantino’s “Autoretrato Nicola según Berni” were chosen by MALBA’s selection committee.

For more on Buenos Aires artists and Latin American art trends, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Uruguay in UK Press

The Love Parade: South America's best-kept secret? Maybe, but apparently not much longer.

Great Taste. Less Filling. MetroUK takes a twist on the classic Miller Lite ad campaign in describing the Uruguayan experience for the uninitiated. The “great taste” part of the equation is easily understandable given the country’s amazing beef , seafood and red wine, but it’s the “less filling” that deserves some clarification. While regional big brothers to the north (Brazil) and west (Argentina) receive the bulk of travel ink and international tourists, MetroUK explains how Uruguay is perhaps more suited to the foreign palate of a first-time visitor to the Southern Cone. “Uruguay combines the best of its neighbours in a far more easily digestible package that makes it irresistible,” says Metro adding, “If you want a short, sharp hit of the best of Latin America then you’ve come to the right place.” No less an authority than BBC News jumped on the bandwagon this week with a glowing review of South America’s “best kept secret.” (Not much longer if the international press keep stoking the flames of Carpe Uruguay curiosity). BBC’s Veronica Psetizki interviews a 64 year-old American who just retired in coastal Uruguay—a growing trend—because of the country’s “clean water, good and healthy food, a good educational system, and good infrastructure, both in terms of roads and of Internet access.” Michael Brown, a California transplant sums up the country’s appeal, “You get good food, good wine, nice people, plus there is no rush-hour traffic, and I can get by speaking almost no Spanish at all.” (MetroUK story, BBCNews story)

For more information about living in Uruguay, e-mail us and for real estate investment opportunities in Montevideo and Punta del Este, download the October issue of InvestBA Privada.

Argentina's Tourism Website

Seriously? Argentina's tourism website looks like it was an ambitious sixth-grade class project...in 1998.

An article appears on today’s Middle East Travel & Tourism website lauding the giant strides Argentina has made in promoting tourism in recent years. The article is full of self-congratulatory statements by officials saying how tourism is such a high priority, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the Ministry’s website.

If online first impressions are lasting, then Argentina is the last country you would want to visit: Flash-heavy, thumbnails, low resolution photographs blown out of proportion, horrible navigation, poor translations (What exactly are “Tourist Products”?), dead links and—yes—even an animated GIF airplane (pictured) that flies across the screen repeatedly with simulated engine noise.

Three minutes on turismo.gov.ar will leave you dazed, confused, grossly uninformed and, quite frankly, pretty amazed that anyone outside of Argentina learns anything about this beautiful country and decides to travel here.

So what’s a foreign traveler searching for information on South America to do? Go directly to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism site for starters. Behold, substance-over-style (i.e., no Flash), HTML, a blog format, RSS, microsites for Destinations and the 2014 World Cup, current tourism data in bar graph format, an event calendar, the list goes on.

Even tiny Uruguay has a better site than Argentina with social networking links (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), a Google Translate dropdown and tourism circuit recommendations presented as Google Maps.

Bottom line: The international tourism space is far too competitive and foreign travelers have far too many destination options for Argentina to let this website be an outsider’s first impression. If tourism is truly going to be an engine for growth in the 21st century, you can’t have a website that was relevant in the 20th.

Uruguay Estancia For Sale: US$1,500,000



InvestBA is pleased to feature this beautiful estancia in Canelones, just minutes from Montevideo and Carrasco International Airport. The 264-acre parcel presents a unique investment opportunity for potential buyers. The natural beauty of the Uruguay countryside is complemented by the 6,400-square foot main residence featuring six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, multiple fireplaces, swimming pool, parrilla, private courtyard and gardens. The property is sub-divided into 6 parcels including a 37-acre eucalyptus forest.

US$1,500,000 – Private Tours Available by Appointment Only.

Serious Inquiries Only: home@investba.com or 1.772.933.4663 (U.S.).

 

Bariloche

Mendoza

Uruguay

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