Tag Archives: Argentina

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has finalised preparations to start five weekly flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina from March 8, 2018. The flights will be operated on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. This will be Ethiopian Airlines sixth gateway to the Americas and will help provide efficient connections to its network in Asia, Middle East, Africa. Tadesse Tilahun, Regional Director – India Sub Continent, Ethiopian Airlines, said, “The new flight services will be operated five times a week with Dreamliner 787 aircraft. This will be the shortest connection from India to Argentina connecting the three continents in the shortest possible time. To promote the new destination, we are offering attractive promotional Business and Economy class fares which will be valid for the coming three months. We are also on the final process of approving additional commission and incentives for travel agents as well.” Set to launch on International Women’s Day, the inaugural flight will be an all-women operated flight marking the airlines’ commitment of mainstreaming gender into its core business.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has elected Christopher J. Nassetta, President, and CEO of Hilton, as the Council’s next Chairman. Nassetta joined Hilton in 2007 and since assuming the role of CEO he has brought Hilton hospitality to 27 new countries by adding 2,200 hotels to a network of more than 5,000 properties in 103 countries and territories. He has been a Member of WTTC’s Executive Committee since 2011 and Vice Chairman for North America since 2014. Nassetta will take over from current Chairman, Gerald Lawless, following the Council’s Annual General Meeting, which will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 17, 2018. Lawless said, “It has been an honour to serve as Chairman of WTTC for the past two years and I am delighted to be handing over to Chris Nassetta to steer the Council into its next phase of development. I am sure that he and Gloria Guevara, WTTC’s President and CEO, will form a strong team to advocate for the economic and social benefits of Travel & Tourism.” Nassetta said, “I would like to thank Gerald for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the global travel and tourism industry. I am also honoured to accept the role as WTTC Chair at a time of amazing opportunity and growth. I believe the Council can play an important role to bring governments and the industry together to deliver smart plans that support both security and international travel. I also believe that the unique scale and reach of WTTC members can be used to tackle significant global issues, including climate change and global youth unemployment.”

The Q Experiences, a luxury travel company in India, has launched an exclusive 11 day trip for only 200 people to Antarctica. The expedition, which is a part of their Curated Journeys segment, will start from Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina on December 9, 2017. Travellers would be on board ‘The Great Majestic Explorer’, which is a sleek yacht with 132 staterooms and suites. Speaking about the unique expedition, Vasim Shaikh, Founder, Q Experiences, said, “Curated Journeys are constant endeavour at the Q. With the launch of the White Continent, we aspire luxury travel to unsurpassed heights and focus on rare destinations that Indians are yet to explore.” Also, the ship would have on board Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar to curate Indian delicacies for guests on board.

Starting January 2, 2017, Argentina will refund VAT to foreign tourists for lodging. This measure seeks greater flow of visitors, greater incomes of foreign exchange and the creation of new jobs. This policy reaches the services of lodging and breakfast. Other services that the guest takes at the hotel must be invoiced separately with “A” or “B” vouchers. The estimated impact of this measure, in a year of application, is the arrival of 95,000 new tourists, with an income of more than 70 million dollars, and it is expected to generate almost 8,000 new jobs. “The national government listened to a proposal made by the tourism sector in the last fifteen years. The reimbursement of VAT for accommodation to foreign visitors is already a fact, after a decade and a half of postponements, “said the Minister of Tourism of the Nation, Gustavo Santos. “The norm we promote includes all contracting in the area of accommodation of non-resident tourists and includes direct purchase as the one made through travel agencies. We seek that the entire chain of Argentine tourist value is competitive and of good quality, “said Santos. The return of VAT to accommodation services will be made to people who through their passport or ID card prove their residence abroad and pay by credit card issued abroad or bank transfer originated outside the boundaries of Argentina. The requirements are: accomodation must be registered in the AFIP. Likewise, the agencies must also be registered with VAT and be qualified by the Ministry of Tourism of the Nation. The VAT rebate proposes to regulate a system that improves competitiveness, since foreign tourists will automatically pay a lower rate for the accommodation service …

Argentina has seen an encouraging growth in Indian travellers of 18.3% in 2015 and 22% in the first months in 2016. INPROTUR (National Institute of Tourism Promotion in Argentina) recently conducted a multi-city roadshow to promote Argentina in India. The roadshow was held in the three major Indian cities which include Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The roadshow, entitled ‘Has it all’ did bring the Argentine suppliers and India’s travel buyers closer to each other. It offered a platform for the suppliers to provide information and interact directly with India’s leading tour operators, key decisions-makers from the industry, airline representatives and travel agents. Also present at the event were H.E. Maria Cristina Ueltschi – Ambassador of Argentina, Georgina Fernández Destéfano-Deputy Chief of Mission-Embassy of Argentina at the Delhi roadshow and H.E. Alejandro Zothner Meyer –Acting Consul General of Argentina, Andrea Alba Gonzalez – Deputy Consul – Argentina at the Mumbai roadshow. The top ten cities of Argentina have been showcased along with over two hundred unique experiences have been developed to tempt, motivate and cater to needs of the Indian traveller.