Argentinais a large country, the 8^th largest in the world, with very different geographic regions, home to a high biodiversity of species, and a great variety of landscapes and climates.

Native people have been influenced by the Spanish culture inherited during colonialism, as well as major migration waves that took place by the end of the 19^th Century.  They helped develop a very European social profile with many of the traditions from the Old Continent –especially of Mediterranean countries.  The Spanish, Italian, and French culture have left their legacy in areas such as education, art, architecture and gastronomy. However, there are wide native populations living in rural areas in some provinces in the country, where local traditions and folklore remain intact.  The native and European traditions merge giving birth to a melting pot of cultures and races, where people are very opened to the rest of the world and to cultural diversity, producing a unique identity.

Visitors can enjoy an endless array of options: soccer, tango, folklore, polo, golf, trekking, horse riding, rafting, recreational fishing, skiing, hunting, thermal springs, spas, archaeological ruins, wines, beef, and more.  The virgin tropical rainforests and impressive national parks, the endless nightlife, the delicious food, the shopping areas, the art, the shows, the casinos, and above all, the people make this country an ideal destination for any kind of tourist activity and a unique destination for a one-of-a-kind successful business trip.

Tradition, professionalism, and hospitality combine to provide visitors the best possible assistance. Argentina offers an excellent and varied range of accommodation options, including qualified additional services.  These characteristics identify Argentina as an internationally developed country in terms of facilities, technology, and infrastructure, which explains the large growth and diversification of tourist activities, especially in the field of the meeting industry.

Year after year, Argentina has become one of the top host countries in the world for conferences, conventions, trade fairs, sports events and incentive trips, a market that has been growing strong over the last few years due to the diversification of destinations and products. Actually, in the 6 tourist regions, travelers can find more than 30 destinations suitable for holding all types of international events and incentive trips, each with their own characteristics, but with a common denominator: the excellence in their service.

Everything you can imagine and much more is waiting for you in Argentina, a unique and passionate experience.

Connectivity
Argentinahas an advanced infrastructure and transportation system: more than 38,700 kilometers (24,047 mi) of national roads, one of the longest railroad networks in the world (35,753 Km –22,216 mi), 25 sea ports, 38 river ports, and 58 airports –23 of which are international airports.

Over 20 airlines offer direct flights to the country from more than 40 destinations in the five continents. Also, a wide network of roads and domestic flight connections allow visitors to quickly travel from Buenos Aires to any tourist spot in the country.

Not for nothing Argentina ranks second in Latin America in terms of Logistics Performance, which reflects the country’s logistics capacity based on the efficiency of the customs clearance process, the transport and business related infrastructure quality, our competitive prices for shipments, the service quality and the shipment frequency (source: World Bank, 2009).

The country’s connectivity is not just a relevant detail, it also represents added value for PCO´s and Incentive Houses, since it allows them to offer their clients a wide array of experiences with little travel time, by interconnecting regions with contrasting landscapes, and different cultures.

ARGENTINA AS A DESTINATION FOR CONFERENCES, CONVENTIONS, TRADE FAIRS, SPORTS EVENTS AND INCENTIVE TRIPS
Argentinais currently enjoying political and economic stability, with a significant development of infrastructure and new technologies, as well as a noticeable growth in foreign trade. All this has transformed the country in an ideal place for investments, mainly in the agricultural industry, but also in various production sectors, such as the oil, mining, fishing, wine, and metallurgical industries.  Over the past few years, due to the growth of the service industry, other non-traditional sectors became highly capitalized by Argentina, especially IT, communications, agricultural, bio-fuel production, creative industries, professional service providers, and the tourism industry, an activity which is showing one of the highest growth rates.

The consolidation of an integrated services global market, a time zone similar to that of developed countries, the quality of its human resources, the affinity with Western culture, and the high competitiveness of the currency’s exchange rate, all this complemented by an expanding infrastructure, stand as some of the reasons why Argentina has had a significant economic growth over the last few years. And for those reasons it is an ideal destination for the meeting industry: not only because of its natural, cultural and historical attractions, but also because of the quality of the services provided.

Year after year, Argentina is chosen to host all kinds of conferences, exhibitions, festivals, sports events, corporate meetings, and incentive trips, and receives thousands of travelers from around the world. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, convention and exhibition centers and conference halls multiply across the main cities and tourist centers of the country, located in fantastic places.  The hotel capacity has also been incremented in the last years to meet the space needs, allowing for the organization of medical, industrial, political, economic and entertainment industry conferences, as well as major sport events and festivals with large audiences.

Tourists, and especially businessmen, will find in Argentina all the comforts necessary to turn their trip into a unique, exciting and pleasant experience.

A DESTINATION WITH A TOURIST QUALITY SYSTEM
Argentinahas adopted a sustainable development model based on product quality, tourist services, andenvironmental conditions seeking to ensure a competitive tourist development capable of positioning Argentina as a quality destination in the International Market.

To that end, the National Public Administration (Administración Pública Nacional) has become an innovative and proactive player in designing and providing the tools for applying the culture of quality to the tourism industry, as established in the guidelines convened in the Strategic Federal Plan for Sustainable Tourism (PFETS) and to which purpose the Argentina Tourism Quality System (SACT) has been created.

This system is an operational level strategy that aims to promoting the culture of quality and continuous improvement to all the players that are part of the value chain of the national tourism industry.Thus a modernization process begins, with a focus on professionalism that will allow strengthening the integrated management of tourist destinations within a sustainable development model based on socio-cultural, environmental, and economic responsibility criteria.

Argentina´s Ministry of Tourism and the National Institute of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR) –created by a National Act for tourism promotion abroad- in strategic alliance with the national authority on the subject, the Argentine Association of PCO´s and Meeting Suppliers (AOCA, as per its acronym in Spanish), have created a plan for the Meeting Industry in Argentina.  The plan includes, among other points, the sustainability and internationalization of the different tourist options, as well updating services to high quality, and the harmonious growth of the space infrastructure the industry requires.

The plan aims to position Argentina among the top 15 countries in the world as an ideal destination for hosting conferences, conventions, fairs, sports events, incentive trips, and international events. Within this context, the National Tourism Act and the Strategic Federal Plan for Sustainable Tourism serve as reference points to determining the paths to follow and the many promotion actions that the INPROTUR is taking around the world.

Additionally, there is an Act that exempts foreigners who participate in conferences, conventions, and international trade fairs in Argentina from paying the value-added tax (IVA). Also, we have the AOCA, which is the association formed by important professionals in the conference, trade fair, exhibit, and event organization industry, and finally, there are more than 20 Conventions & Visitors Bureaux inover 30 destinations prepared to host international events.

That way, the synergy between the public and private sectors ensures the successful organization of all events, with the support and cooperation of all the Argentine destinations, as well as that of InProTur.

BUENOS AIRES REGION
“Political, financial and cultural center of Latin America, in the vastness of the wet Pampa”
This region comprises several cities, among them the capital city of the country, Buenos Aires. These cities share similar traditions and feature a harmonic combination of natural and urban elements.

The City of Buenos Aires is the most elegant and active metropolis in South America and the one that best summarizes the heterogeneous Argentine essence. It dazzles visitors with its atmosphere, the distinct personality of each one of its quarters, the warmth of its people and the wide array of cultural, entertainment and shopping opportunities. Tango, literature, cuisine, music, film, theatre, shopping tours, giant soccer stadiums, and an endless nightlife can all be found in this cosmopolitan city.

The significant infrastructural growth the city experienced over the last years, together with its highly-trained PCO´s and the success of highly renowned international events, make Buenos Aires the most important business meeting point in Latin America.

Just a few kilometers away from the national capital city, visitors can discover the vast Province of Buenos Aires, a breathtaking view of endless fields and its worldly renowned cattle.There are tours to different ranches where visitors can taste a delicious tender Argentine beef “asado” and enjoy the endless Pampa. This is the land of gauchos and their horses, where local customs coexist with European influences.

A destination that invites you to enjoy multiple experiences: the plains, the hill ranges, the delta, the beaches, and the diverse urban cities. The vast Atlantic coast offers sunny beaches and cities as the wonderful Mar del Plata, which combines business, relax and sports activities.

Likewise, the province presents the ideal sceneries to practice all kinds of tourism: historical-cultural, adventure, rural and, of course, business tourism. There are all sort of interesting business programs within a very short distance from the City of Buenos Aires.

CITY OF BUENOS AIRES
Often called "la Reina del Plata” (“the Queen of La Plata River"), Buenos Aires is one of the most important cities in the world, South America’s major cultural capital, and one of the political and economical centers of the region. Buenos Aires dazzles visitors with its unique beauty, which results from the combination of its history, traditions, culture and people.  This vibrant city is active 24 hours a day –people call it “the city that never sleeps”- with its countless restaurants, bars, theatres, tanguerías, pubs, night clubs, museums, shopping centers, art galleries, and even a floating casino on the river. Buenos Aires combines modern and historical places; European culture with Latin American spirit, which results in a very unique and magical identity.

Thanks to its highly diverse offer of cuisine, entertainment, hotels and tourism, and to the presence of professionals who specialize in organizing events of all kinds and sizes, Buenos Aires is nowadays the ultimate business meeting point in Latin America, offering all that is needed to make visitors’ stays unforgettable.Moreover, the city has many possibilities for combining business and relaxation:Visitors can go golfing or sailing through the Delta, attend a polo match or experience our passion for soccer. Buenos Aires will seduce you.

The city hosts many exhibits, conventions, congresses, trade fairs, and international events for many industries and on different subjects. The trade fair, conference, convention, and corporate tourism industry is growing year after year, both in size and quality. Among the most important events are the Tango World Championship, the ATP Tour (International tennis circuit), the Book Fair, the Independent Film Festival, the Livestock Fair, the Automechanika Fair, the Open Polo Championship, the International Tourism Trade Fair of Latin America (FIT), Fashion Buenos Aires, ArteBA, as well as the lyrical season at the Teatro Colón, one of the most prestigious in the world.

Its infrastructure, cultural, historical, heritage and tourist attractions, together with its favorable business climate, the professionalism of its inhabitants, and the convenient exchange rate for visitors and PCO´s, position Buenos Aires as one of the booming event destinations in the hemisphere: it is at the top of the ICCA World City Ranking for the Americas (years 2009 and 2010).

SIGHTS
Around the historical Plaza de Mayo are the Presidential House or Casa Rosada (the Pink House), the Cathedral, the Cabildo –currently a history museum-, the Banco Nación and the De Mayo Avenue, which integrate the historical center of the city.  The Obelisk, the city’s most recognizable icon, is on the mythical Corrientes Avenue, only a few steps away from the Teatro Colón, which is known all over the world for its amazing acoustics.

Another singular quarter is San Telmo, where the most famous tanguerías -ideal venues for hosting social or incentive events to the rhythm of tango- can be found. Every weekend there is a fair in Plaza Dorrego that shows many objects, antiques and curiosities.

La Bocais located in the south part of the city, next to the port that gave it its name. There visitors can stroll down Caminito, an internationally renowned street museum with a singular architecture and full of bright colors. In that quarter there is also a museum devoted to the great Argentine painter Benito Quinquela Martín, who portrayed life in the docks in all his works. Another attraction is the famous Boca Juniors Stadium (known as ‘La Bombonera’, which translates as "the candy box"), in the heart of La Boca.

The most aristocratic quarter of Buenos Aires is Recoleta, which is also where the city’s oldest cemetery is located. There visitors can see the tombs of many of Argentina’s national heroes and historical characters. French architecture predominates in this quarter, with petit-hotels and mansions.  Another must-see spots include the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the Palais de Glace, the National Museum of Fine Arts, the interior design shopping center Buenos Aires Design, and the National Library. Alvear Avenue, with its exclusive designer stores, crowns the quarter as the Parisian corner of the city.

The woods of Palermo fill Buenos Aires with fresh air.  There are two artificial lakes surrounded by trees, and wonderful gardens, including a very romantic rose garden designed by the famous architect Charles Thays.Palermo is ideal for shopping, since it is the home of the most up-and-coming and avant-garde fashion designers. In that same area, Palermo “Soho” and Palermo “Hollywood” have become the places to meet with friends after a business meeting, with an intense nightlife, and its many restaurants, clubs, bars, and pubs. This quarter is also home to the racetrack, the city’s most prestigious tennis courts, golf courts, and the polo field where the world’s most important Polo Open takes place (Campo Argentino de Polo).

Finally, visitors cannot leave the city without visiting Puerto Madero, where recycled docks have become the most exclusive office buildings and apartments in the city. With an endless array of restaurants, bars, a floating casino, 4 and 5 star hotels, and movie theaters, this quarter ensures entertainment by one of the most attractive landscapes of the city: La Plata River.

EVENT VENUES
Buenos Airesis a trendy city and it offers visitors a wide array of attractions and opportunities, with its fine hotels, exhibitions and convention centers equipped with the latest in technology, and experienced professionals to successfully organize any type of meeting, trade fair, conference or convention.

More than 5 million tourists arrive in Buenos Aires every year.  The city has capacity for over 36,000 visitors in 3 to 5 star hotels and features more than 500 conference halls and 3 modern exhibition centers suitable for all kinds of events that can accommodate 50 to 20,000 people.In fact, the growth of tourism over the past years has also marked the opening of accommodation facilities of different categories, especially belonging to international hotel chains, and also new and original boutique and design hotels.

With a total exhibit area of more than 150,000 m² (1,614,586.56 ft²), the city has important convention centers, conference rooms, and fairgrounds that have the latest technology. Among them are the Centro Costa Salguero, the Centro Municipal de Exposiciones and La Rural-Exhibition Center.  Several complexes, soccer stadiums and other outdoor arenas also allow hosting large events. For those interested in organizing smaller events, there are centers especially designed to that end, which feature comprehensive services and are distributed all around the city.

HOW TO GET THERE
The City of Buenos Aires has two airports: the Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini International Airport, located 45 minutes from the downtown area, connecting Buenos Aires with the rest of the world, and the Jorge Newbery International Airport, only 15 minutes from the downtown area, connecting Buenos Aires with all the cities in the country, as well as some Latin American destinations. There are taxis, limousines, and rental cars available 24 hours a day. Visitors can also access taxis, buses and a comprehensive subway network in virtually every corner of the city.

USEFUL INFORMATION
City of Buenos Aires Tourism Information Center
Communications and Marketing Strategy Administration
Phone/Fax: +5411 - 41145787
E-mail: feriasycongresos_turismo@buenosaires.gob.ar
www.bue.gov.ar

Buenos AiresConvention & Visitors Bureau
Phone/Fax: +5411 – 47775930/31
E-mail: presidencia@buenosairesbureau.com / bureau@buenosairesbureau.com
www.buenosairesbureau.com