Last week, the Argentine government announced that Teniente Luis Candelaria Airport, in San Carlos de Bariloche, will be part of the safe corridor for foreign tourists to enter the province of Rio Negro.
Classified as an option to enter Argentina, Bariloche will now be able to directly receive flights from abroad, including from Brazil, depending on agreements with airlines to expand the transport offer.
There are currently no flights between Brazil and Bariloche Airport. THE Aerolíneas Argentinas operates connecting flights in Buenos Aires. With the new classification, the expectation is that airlines will resume their direct operations between Brazil and Bariloche.
“The permission allows us to think about strategies to bring direct flights. We are in negotiations with the airlines that operate these flights from Brazil. The intention is to have advances in air connectivity for the winter season”, emphasizes the Secretary of Tourism of Bariloche, Gastón Burlón.
With the authorization for the airport to receive direct flights from abroad, Bariloche now s Misiones, Salta, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Ushuaia and Córdoba as options for safe entry into Argentina.
Current scenario of flights to Bariloche
Currently, Bariloche is featured in Aerolíneas Argentinas flight statistics. According to data ed on by the Company to Emprotur, an entity that promotes tourism in Bariloche, almost 550 engers boarded flights between Buenos Aires and Bariloche in 2021. The number represents 72% of that ed in 2019, the period prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. .
In the first half of January, the line from Buenos Aires to Bariloche had the highest demand among those operated by the Company. There were 40,7 engers transported, which denotes an increase of 134% from that recorded in 2020, in the same period.
“Companies do not offer flights without demand. This number of engers is the result of the promotions that the tourist sector of Bariloche carries out and the attractions of the city’s destinations”, points out the Secretary of Tourism of the Argentine city.
Today, Aerolíneas Argentinas offers 63 weekly flights to and from Bariloche. The tourist city is the destination with the highest number of flights across the country, followed by Ushuaia, with 38.
The expressive number of tourists who disembarked in Bariloche conditioned a high movement in the hotels, shops, tours and parks of the city. According to Emprotur, hotel occupancy reached 97% in January. The agency's expectation is that, with the qualification of the airport as a safe corridor, the number of visitors will be even greater in the coming months.
“We are enjoying and celebrating a wonderful summer season. The occupancy is almost full and the climate is conducive to enjoying outdoor activities. Our tours and open spaces are so wide that, even with the city being very busy, there is no crowding on traditional tours”, maintains Burlon.
Recently, Argentina stopped demanding the test that indicates the presence of the Coronavirus for tourists from neighboring countries, such as Brazil. To enter the neighboring country, Brazilians must have the complete vaccination against the disease and present health insurance for Covid-19.
