Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
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Tomas Ferrari
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In last five years, Argentina has emerged as a new destination for high-end Indian tourists. “Argentina is a new frontier for Indian tourists. The number of tourist visas issued by the consulate in Mumbai have been growing at a rate of 10 to 20 per cent.
The most important development from the Indian market has been the increase in number of Indians going for Antarctica cruises from the south of Argentina. This development has happened in the last three years,” said Tomas Ferrari, consul general of Argentina in Mumbai. He pointed out that in fact it is not only Argentina but most Indian tourists opt for a combined two-week package with Brazil or Peru.
Indian tourists going to Argentina comprise the premium segment. “When they go for the tour it is at least for two weeks to 20 days. Then the Antarctica cruise is also a high-end product,” mentioned Ferrari. The cruises depart from Ushuaia, which is considered as the southern most city in the world. The duration of the cruise is normally one week.
The consulate in Mumbai takes care of west and south India. Growth in tourism to Argentina, remarked Ferrari, is not just from Mumbai but also from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa. “For Antarctica cruises the growth has mainly been from Mumbai and Pune. There are many tour operators selling these cruises from Pune. These cruises operate in our summer, mostly December to February,” stated Ferrari. People fly from Mumbai to Buenos Aires, then to the port where the cruise starts, which is three more hours of flight to south of Argentina.
The other places of interest for Indian tourists in Argentina are – the capital city of Buenos Aires, the glaciers down south, the wine country of Mendoza, the northern region that comprise the mountains and places of Spanish heritage, and of course the Iguassu Falls in the north. Ferrari however remarked that as a destination there is more awareness regarding India in Argentina than about Argentina in India. “Tourist arrivals from Argentina have also increased. Indians going to Argentina is the high-end segment, while those coming to India from Argentina are more diversified – high-end, mid market as well as the regular backpackers,” added Ferrari.
The consulate also engages with the travel trade community here. “As a consulate we promote trade, tourism and we have a representative of the tourism ministry of Argentina here. We organise seminars, meetings and workshops with travel agents. Mumbai is a big market in terms of travel agents and tour operators,” he stated.
