With tourism on the rise, the Falkland Islands are attracting more and more Argentineans

PUERTO ARGENTINO. – In high season, from October to March, the capital of

the Malouines

to live a transformation In a city of 2460 inhabitants, the arrival of hundreds or even thousands of people in one day changes pace. Many residents turn to full-time tourism and become conductors, guides and interpreters. Some leave Puerto Argentino to work during the summer and a large number of foreigners arrive in the city as temporary workers. The tourism industry is growing steadily in the archipelago, with a growing presence of Argentineans, and visitor arrivals are expected to increase exponentially compared to next season, when a second flight commercial between continent and the islands.

Over the past eight years, the number of tourists arriving in Malvinas on cruises has increased by 42% to 57,496 pbadengers in 2017. In the case of visitors arriving by plane or private boat, this number has increased by 48%. 5178 in the last season. These figures do not include visits to friends and family or business trips. In addition, the number of visitors to Argentina quadrupled between 2010 and 2017: it increased by 279%, almost five times more than the total number of tourists during this period.

The Malvinois tourism generates 10 million pounds a year and constitutes the second largest sector of the local economy. According to the latest information available, it accounts for 6.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). In 2017, the 57,496 cruise pbadengers – most of whom stayed only a few hours in Malvinas territory – spent nearly 3.5 million pounds on Puerto Argentino.

"I really wanted to know: the badociation that we did with the war [de Malvinas] This has inevitably led me to believe that it would be a very sad place. I imagined arid, dry and gray landscapes. I realized how wrong I was: I found colors, vegetation, animals, beaches with blue waters, white sand. It's a place that has a special magic, even mystical, "he said.
THE NATION Paula Kreitz, a Bahian teacher who spent a week in Isla Soledad, between Puerto Argentino and Darwin.

During the 2017-2018 summer season, 57,496 cruise pbadengers and 5,178 tourists arrived by plane or private boat.

The impact of tourism

Not counting the military endowments, the Malvinas do not live more than 3,200 people of 60 nationalities. The vast majority – almost 80% – live in Puerto Argentino and the rest, in the
campwhich is what they call the field. Both in the city and in
camp, tourism generates an impact. "They look like ants, they get off the boats at the public wharf and disperse in the center," he said.
THE NATION a neighbor of Puerto Argentino with regard to the cruise lines, which are transferred from the big ships anchored in Port Groussac in smaller boats.

Gustavo Zanelli, a medical pathologist from Olavarría, traveled for a cruise in Antarctica and Cape Horn, was a day in Malvinas and coincided with this idea of ​​a mbad mbad concentrated on short periods: he spoke of "tide" and "herd". "people arriving in Puerto Argentino.

On cruising days and at rush hour, the two cafes and two downtown restaurants are usually full. Waiters and cooks work tirelessly to cope. The most popular food is
fish & chips, fried fish with potatoes, typical dish of

United Kingdom

, and beer thrown, although squid are also in great demand. Something similar happens in local handicrafts, souvenirs and postcards: before and after lunch, attract tourists.

"Here it is easier to know how many people will leave a cruise on a given day than the weather forecast," said a Puerto Argentino resident who works in the food industry. In the Malvinas, the weather is very changeable and is the subject of conversation almost every day, but the impact of tourism is intensifying and that is why it has become a central issue of life in the city.

The Tourism Chamber is responsible for promoting the "strategic development" of the tourism industry in the islands (
FITB, for his acronyms in English). The long-term strategy is "to encourage the growth of tourism opportunities" and "to ensure that there is effective marketing around the world". It also aims to promote visits in the "off-season" months. This year, the FITB celebrated with enthusiasm the newspaper
The New York Times will include the islands as
one of the "52 places to visit in 2019".

According to the FITB, more than 40 boats regularly stop over in the Falklands during their summer itineraries in the South Atlantic. "It's a great way to get to know the islands as part of a trip to South America or an Antarctic adventure," she says.

43% of the Malvinese population was born on the islands and 27% in the United Kingdom.

What to do in the islands

The islands are a paradise for wildlife lovers: there are 171 native plant species, five species of penguins, hundreds of species of birds, elephant seals, sea lions, dolphins and killer whales. And a lot of sheep, about half a million. For those who visit a day, the typical excursions are a tour of the city and its surroundings (sunken ships, white sand beaches and transparent waters, Cabo San Felipe lighthouse, and in Gypsy cove, Magellanic penguins) or go to Punta Voluntario, two and a half hours from
off road, where thousands of king penguins, Magellan and Papua; and many other sheep coexist between the beaches and the countryside.

Although he arrived in the morning and left in the afternoon, Zanelli had time to go to Gypsy Cove, a cove located seven kilometers from Puerto Argentino, where there is an important Magellan penguin colony. He also toured the city and visited several tourist sites: the Anglican Cathedral, the museum, the Globe Tavern pub. "It's very interesting and very nice, the Patagonian beauty of nothingness and the landscape that does not end," he summed up.

Tourists who stay longer usually take advantage of it to visit other islands: Borbón, Rodario, Maria or the sea lions. The only way to get there is in the airplanes of the government air service, known as the symbol FIGAS for its acronym in English. Climb aboard the Britten twin-engine Norman Islander is an experience in itself: the only paved track is that of the Puerto Argentino aerodrome and the others are dirt or grbad. The only exception to this mode of transportation is the island of Gran Malvina, accessible by ferry.

"I stayed a week: one night in Darwin, two nights at Bleaker Island [Isla María] and the rest in Puerto Argentino. I wanted to see penguin colonies, make orc observations, sea lions. I wanted to know the Falklands and not just the combat sites [de 1982], do not look at it only as a sad place where there has been a war, "said Gustavo Príncipe, director of a group of PyMe companies from the city of Buenos Aires, with a local travel agency, s & # He flew with the FIGAS service, he drove in 4×4 and when he got home, he felt he was out of time. "Two weeks seemed like a lot, but in the end a week was small, I would like to come back. It's recommended, it's worth it, "he added.

The 1982 war and the
Question of the Malvinas, understood as the conflict of sovereignty between

Argentina

and the United Kingdom for the surrounding islands and maritime areas, summon hundreds of people each year. You can visit the places of the Argentine and British landings of 1982, the battlefields, the old trenches, the remains of planes and arms, as well as the cemeteries where are buried the Argentines fallen, in Darwin, and the British, in San Carlos. It is almost impossible not to cross minefields, properly described as dangerous places.

Kreitz went to Malvinas with her husband,
Alejandro Scompariwhich in December 2016
he had traveled 280 kilometers on the islands to pay tribute to the soldiers, as a message of peace. "I wanted to know where he had run and pay tribute to the missing and veterans of both countries," he said. They stayed three days in Puerto Argentino and four in Darwin (they went to the Argentine cemetery every day), they rented a car and traveled about 1500 kilometers. They also went to the British cemetery and took offerings from the relatives of the deceased who had been sent from Ireland. "We would go back and recommend going to anyone who asks us for it," he added.

Juan Díaz from Orieux was raised to

Ushuaia

and always wanted to know the Malvinas. "I understand it, I have seen that the climate is hostile, that its landscape is low and pleasant and that its inhabitants are friendly and warm," he said. He spent two nights in Puerto Argentino with a group of friends, with whom he arrived on a sailing boat. "The war made me worse when I visited the Argentine cemetery: I was invaded by anguish mixed with anger, helplessness and that I do not understand why", did he declare.

How to arrive

There are four ways to reach the Malvinas Islands as a tourist: by cruise, by boat, from the United Kingdom or with the only flight connecting the mainland to the islands, operated by Latam. Three Saturdays a month, the flight starts from

Santiago, Chile

and stop in Punta Arenas. One Saturday a month, the flight calls for

Río Gallegos

, in the province of

Holy Cross

, going out and coming back. This limited air connectivity means that those arriving by plane must stay on the islands for at least a week.

The prospect is that the arrival of visitors will grow exponentially with a second flight, also operated by Latam, which should begin operations in October this year, with the peak of the 2019/2020 season. He will leave once a week from

St.Paul

, Brazil, to the archipelago, and will make a monthly stopover on the way to and from the city of

Córdoba

.

The only international airport on the island is located on the military base of Mount Pleasant on the island of Soledad, about 60 kilometers from Puerto Argentino. In the Arrivals Hall, a poster in English and another in Spanish indicate that it is forbidden to take pictures. In Migrations, they manually add to the input buffer the time that the visitor will stay. Upon return from the pbadport, the agent gives a bilingual brochure containing "information for the visitor" about the "zones of combat and security".

"We believe that you know that some of the people who have crossed the war on the Falkland Islands, on both sides, continue to be sensitive to certain things related to their experiences of 1982, and we ask you to respect the feelings of inhabitants of the island as we will respect theirs ", explains the leaflet on the Falklands war.

In the Malvinas, there are five types of accommodation: hotel or "lodge", pension (Guest House), Bed and Breakfast, refuge with catering service and without (Self-Catering). Almost all are served by their owners and have limited capacity. In addition, there is no accommodation on all islands. The FITB recommends to those who plan a trip to the archipelago to check in advance – and by phone – availability, because in most places there is no "plan B ".

Conditions for traveling in the islands

• Round trip plane ticket
• Health insurance covering US $ 250,000 and evacuation by air
• Housing and sufficient funds for the whole stay
• Boarding fee of £ 25. It is paid on departure only in cash (pounds, euros or US dollars)

Useful information

• The currency is the Malvinas pound and has the same value as the pound sterling. In some places accept dollars and euros
• In the Malvinas, there are no ATMs. In Puerto Argentino, there is a bank, Standard Chartered, where you can exchange money (do not accept Argentine pesos)
• The weather in the Falklands is very variable. The temperature in summer varies between 9 ° C and 15 ° C. The FITB recommends to dress in layers and to use sunscreen at all times
• Many attractions / many destinations in the
  camp they are distant: tour operators suggest visitors to bring food and drink
• A company,
  Of course, he has the monopoly of communication in the Falklands. In Puerto Argentino, there is 4G, but there is no signal in the rest of the islands. The internet connection is limited: there are hotspots or Wi-Fi zones in some places of Puerto Argentino (hotels and restaurants) and in some accommodations in
  camp and on the other islands
• The most spoken language is English and is followed by Spanish