Uruguay's tourism industry has shown promising signs of recovery during the first half of 2023, generating revenues of 1,000 million dollars. The sector's rebound can be attributed to the arrival of over 2 million visitors, who spent an average of 500 dollars per head during their visit.
These figures indicate a notable increase in tourism activity, surpassing levels recorded in 2019 before the pandemic struck.
The tourism industry in Uruguay started recovering during the third quarter of 2022. The figures recorded in the first half of 2023 suggest that the industry is on the path to full recovery. The positive trend could indicate industry resilience to the pandemic.
Out of the total number of tourists, nearly 1 million were Argentine citizens. This indicates that despite the price gap and the exchange rate difference, they still consider Uruguay one of their top tourist destinations. Additionally, during the same period, there was a record-breaking number of tourists from Brazil, with over 260,000 visitors, which is about 40,000 more than the previous year.
Also, the 2022-2023 Uruguay’s tourism season saw a remarkable increase in cruise ship arrivals, reaching record levels. Compared to 2019, there was a substantial 13% increase in cruise ships. During the first half of the year, 187 cruise ships carrying 320,000 tourists docked in the port, generating a revenue of $16 million. Cruise tourists were 60% Brazilians.