The Commercial and Industrial Union of Mendoza (UCIM) expressed its concern about the "dramatic" situation of the tourism sector in the province during January 2025, contradicting the statements of the Mendoza Tourism Entity (Emetur) regarding the recovery of tourists compared to the previous year.
The president of UCIM, Daniel Ariosto, pointed out the low hotel occupancy and the transformation of Mendoza into a transit place, criticizing the lack of "complementary efforts" by the government to counteract this situation. "The city of Mendoza has ended up as a transit place. Furthermore, the average stay of visitors was 4.2 days, and the average hotel occupancy reached 62%," said Ariosto.
For her part, Gabriela Testa, head of Emetur, mentioned the extended summer season in Mendoza, which lasts until Easter thanks to events such as the XXL Carnival holiday, the Grape Harvest Festival, the Grape Harvest Festival for All, and Classical Music along the Wine Roads. Testa emphasized the importance of joint work and fluid communication to address the challenges of the tourism sector.
UCIM has stated that there has been no dialogue with the provincial government so far, but they hope to establish communication channels soon to address the issues of the tourism sector in Mendoza. According to Ariosto, reservation percentages are very low, and tourists usually stay only one or two nights in the province, which concerns the sector.
In response to UCIM's criticisms, Gabriela Testa defended the data from the Emetur Tourism Observatory, which indicates a 2% increase in tourist arrivals in Mendoza in January 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. The official questioned the position of UCIM and emphasized the need for continuous dialogue and public-private coordination to strengthen the tourism sector.
