URUGUAY RECEIVED 2.4 MILLION TOURISTS LAST YEAR

MONTEVIDEO, March 25 (BERNAMA-NNN-MERCOPRESS) - Uruguay received 2.4 million

tourists last year - 34% came to the capital Montevideo.

And if the cruise visitors are added the final number jumps to 930,000, Luis

Polakof, head of the the capital city’s Economic Development Department said.

Overseas tourism last year for Uruguay generated US$1.5 billion equivalent to 4%

of the country’s GDP, while the industry represents 125,000 direct and indirect

jobs.

“Montevideo contributed with US$430 million and attracted 34% of tourists, which

added to the cruise visitors (113,000) totals 930,000 tourists”, said Polakof.

He added that the number represents an 18% increase over the previous (2009)

season.

Domestic tourism is estimated to have generated US$355 million with seven

million domestic trips. For people leaving Montevideo, the main destination was

Maldonado, followed by Rocha, both provinces well known for their sea resorts.

Polakof revealed that Montevideo in 2009 had 9,700 hotel beds and with the

current construction, capacity will expand an additional 1,200 beds. Ten new

hotels and apartment-hotels are being built in Montevideo with an overall

investment of US$130 million.

He said that the Montevideo City council target was to have a million tourists

annually by 2014, however given the rate of increase “we expect that this year

we will be surpassing that number”. -- BERNAMA-NNN-MERCOPRESS

MHS