Tourism slightly up through Sept., cruise ship arrivals to jump 36% this season

Our business thermometer translates pretty well the overall activity in the Uruguayan economy and in Punta del Este in general. We knew the winter was ghastly and most indicators are down through July and August, but thanks to the notorious spike seen in September, the total number of tourist arrivals is already up 2% for the first nine months, and we can expect it to rise even further before year end.

Another encouraging bit of news buried in El País today is that the number of cruise ships expected to make a stop in Punta del Este this season has jumped to 114, almost 36% higher than in the 2008-2009 season. In Montevideo, conversely, cruise ship stops will fall 17% over last season´s arrivals, to a total of 81.

Admittedly, everything written in this blog comes from the perspective of "economic and financial health of the country and Punta del Este = good" although this viewpoint may not be necessarily shared by all.