Foreigners Cannot Buy Travel In Pesos??

[kellrobinson]

With this measure and what is going on in Cordoba, phones are ringing off the hook to book travel TO Argentina.

I was in Cordoba yesterday when the police went on strike. I had a ticket to take the train this morning into BA but there was no train, so I had to go buy a bus ticket, there goes another 400 pesos.
Downtown Cordoba was very quiet this morning. On the way out of town we did come upon one of those neighborhood barricades, and the bus driver had to turn around and find another way to get on the highway.
If they enforce this new mandate requiring tourists to exchange dollars at the official rate every time they so much as peer in a shop window, I doubt I'll come back. This is a big world with lots of other places to go adventuring.

 

[lucha54]

http://www.bcra.gov....exord/A5499.pdf

Read the Central Bank Regulation, Item a) covers all kinds of transport,, Item b ) reads: all touristic services in the country must be paid via foreign CC or currency...!

But how can they enforce this? Can they make the bus companies at Retiro check DNIs to accept pesos? Can they make hotels only accept dollars? What if the hotel/hostel doesn't take CCs... something is not adding up.

 

[lucha54]

Does this apply to car rentals?

 

[jackbower]

This isnt going to affect real tourists. They have dollars or foreign CCs. The only people up in arms seem to be the permatourists. Its rather simple, if you want to be treated like a legal resident and recieve all the benefits that entails, then become a legal resident. There is no reason why Argentinian tax payers need to subsidize your travel and lodging expenses. I have a DNI, so this doesnt affect me one iota. If anything, hopefully this will push more permatourists into becoming legal residents. NFL.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Does this apply to car rentals?

Does it apply to gasoline purchases? Especially in remote Patagonian stops like Bajo Caracoles?

 

[John.St]

This does not affect their visiting or spending here. ...

The one thing this may affect is inter-Argentine travel. Trips for foreigners to multiple destinations in Argentina will be more expensive. Also, expect the Buquebus to cost a lot more now too.

Which do you mean?

Tourists travel around in a country, sleeping in hotels, that is what tourism is about.

If the tourists have to pay airplane and bus tickets and hotel bills in foreign currency it becomes more expensive to be a tourist in Argentina, which today is very expensive. Right now I am spending a couple of months in Scandinavia, one of the most expensive areas in the world, and only 10-20 percent more expensive than Argentina at the official exchange rate.

The Argentine tourism figures for December to February will make very interesting reading.

 

[John.St]

This isnt going to affect real tourists. They have dollars or foreign CCs. The only people up in arms seem to be the permatourists. Its rather simple, if you want to be treated like a legal resident and recieve all the benefits that entails, then become a legal resident. There is no reason why Argentinian tax payers need to subsidize your travel and lodging expenses. I have a DNI, so this doesnt affect me one iota. If anything, hopefully this will push more permatourists into becoming legal residents. NFL.

The real tourists exchanged their foreign currency at arbolito rates. Thus tourism will become considerably more expensive.

As for the permatourists, how much do they travel around in the country compared to real tourists? do the permatourists live in tourist lodgings?

Answers: Very little and No, resp.

 

[John.St]

But how can they enforce this? Can they make the bus companies at Retiro check DNIs to accept pesos? Can they make hotels only accept dollars? What if the hotel/hostel doesn't take CCs... something is not adding up.

Estamos en la Argentina. If you expect something to add up, search elsewhere.

 

[jackbower]

I see no point or value in what you have just typed. Have a nice time in Scandinavia.

The real tourists exchanged their foreign currency at arbolito rates. Thus tourism will become considerably more expensive.

As for the permatourists, how much do they travel around in the country compared to real tourists? do the permatourists live in tourist lodgings?

Answers: Very little and No, resp.

 

[Sleuth]

This isnt going to affect real tourists. They have dollars or foreign CCs. The only people up in arms seem to be the permatourists. Its rather simple, if you want to be treated like a legal resident and recieve all the benefits that entails, then become a legal resident. There is no reason why Argentinian tax payers need to subsidize your travel and lodging expenses. I have a DNI, so this doesnt affect me one iota. If anything, hopefully this will push more permatourists into becoming legal residents. NFL.

This is not aimed at the (relatively small) permatourist community, even though we all think that is the whole world here. It is aimed at the visitors from neighboring countries (Uruguay and Chile) who are buying travel packages and airfare in pesos at the blue rate - even with the 20% tax it was still a deal. "Come to Argentina and buy your trip to Disneyworld, you'll save 30%!"

This is also not going to affect local tour companies, bus services, car rentals, etc. This is for the travel businesses who need to get their money outside of the country and have to convert to USD or other currency through the central bank in order to pay suppliers (foreign airlines, hotels, etc). Those who do not need money outside of the country will be happy to accept pesos without ever having to go to the central bank.

This is why I said I had doubts that hotels are affected. The smaller local hotels never deal with the central bank. Larger chain hotels may be a different story, especially if they want to take profits out of Argentina.