The Mar del Plata Municipal Tourism and Culture Entity (Emturyc) reported on Tuesday that during the summer season from December 1 to February 28, 3,141,427 tourists arrived in the "Happy City", which is 130,000 fewer than the previous year. According to a survey conducted by the Argentine News Agency, tourists rarely went to restaurants and bars, causing a significant drop in gastronomic areas. The data for this summer are the lowest since the 2020/2021 season, when tourist activity was heavily conditioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, 2,231,660 arrivals were recorded. The report also details the types of accommodation chosen by visitors to the city during the summer: Own home: 41.3%; Rented home: 32.6%; Hotels: 25.9%; Others: 0.2%. Regarding the means of transport used, private vehicles were again the predominant option for traveling to the coastal city. Private car: 81.4%; Bus: 13.8%; Train: 3.4%; Plane: 1.5%. With these figures, the balance of the season shows a slight decrease in the number of visitors, although the city maintained a tourist flow of over three million arrivals during the summer period.
