Foreign visits to Argentina grow 8.8% year-on-year in first half

Argentina experienced a notable increase in foreign tourism during the first half of 2026, with visitor numbers rising by 8.8% compared to the same period last year. A total of 4.79 million foreigners entered the country during this six-month span, according to an official report released by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec).

The data indicates that 2.89 million of these visitors were tourists who stayed overnight, marking a 7.4% increase from the first half of 2025. In addition to overnight stays, Argentina also saw a significant rise in day visitors, referred to as "excursionistas." This category includes individuals who entered Argentina without spending a night, often for day trips to border cities or brief visits to Buenos Aires via air, land, or river transport. Their numbers grew by 11.1% compared to the previous year.

Looking at outbound tourism, the Indec report shows that approximately 9.29 million Argentine residents traveled abroad during the first semester, a 15% decrease from the previous year. Of these outbound travelers, 6.38 million were tourists and 2.9 million were excursionistas.

In June alone, Argentina welcomed 612,800 foreign visitors, representing a 13% year-on-year increase. Of this monthly total, 329,200 were tourists, a 3.3% rise compared to June 2025. The number of day-trippers in June also saw a substantial increase of 26.9%, reaching 283,600 visitors. Conversely, outbound travel by Argentine residents in June decreased by 24.9% compared to the previous year, with 501,900 tourists and 424,000 excursionistas leaving the country.