Numbers of Argentines travelling abroad declines after devaluation

The recent devaluation of the peso has not only led to higher food and public transportation prices but also to a drop on the number of Argentine citizens travelling abroad. A 2.6-percent decline was registered in June compared to the same month last year, ending a three-year streak of positive numbers.

According to INDEC national statistics bureau, the number of people that left the country on flights last month was 335.900, a decline in the interannual comparison. Nonetheless, figures remained positive in the first six months of the year, registering a 11-percent hike overall with 2,555,400 people travelling abroad.

The main destinations for citizens travelling abroad in June were Europe (22.7 percent) and United States and Canada (22.1 percent). The average stay of the trip were 15 days, spending an average of US$99.8 per day. Most travelled for leasure.

In contrast, a total 175,400 visitors arrived in Argentina in June, which represented a 0.8-percent drop compared to the same month last year.

Nevertheless, in the first six months of the year, a 4.9-percent increase was registered in overall numbers, thanks to the 1,265,800 foreign tourists that visited Argentina.

Brazil remained the country from which the largest number of people arrived in June, totalling 57,100 tourists, representing a 2.2-percent decline from the same month last year.

European travellers were the second-largest group, with 27,100 entering the country.

Tourists arriving in Argentina stayed an average 16.2 nights, with European citizens staying the longest (27.1 nights).