On Thursday, Governor Maximiliano Pullaro attended the 175th Assembly of the Federal Tourism Council (CFT), held at the Rosario River Terminal, where he highlighted the city’s recovery and the growth of tourism as a strategic pillar of provincial development.
Speaking before national authorities – such as the National Secretary for Tourism and the Environment, Daniel Scioli – provincial officials and representatives from the private sector, Pullaro highlighted the contrast between Rosario’s recent past and its present. “This city and this province have suffered greatly. For years we had a very hard time, and conferences, meetings and events did not come to Rosario because people were afraid,” he stated. He added: “Today we feel that Rosario is making a comeback and is returning to its former status amongst the cities of the Argentine Republic.”
The governor linked this change to the security policies implemented in the province. “We are waging a very tough battle; we cannot say we have won it, but we have certainly contained it,” he said. In this regard, he noted: “Today, in Rosario and in the province of Santa Fe, we have violence and crime statistics that are similar to or lower than the national average for Argentina.”
As an example of this new phase, Pullaro highlighted the successful staging of large-scale events without incident. “More than 300,000 people attended a music concert at the Flag Monument and there was not a single report of a mobile phone being stolen. For us, that is crucial,” he said.
In this context, the governor outlined the move towards a comprehensive tourism policy. “Santa Fe is a productive province, with agriculture, industry, commerce, rivers and ports, but also tourism,” he stated, explaining that the decision to incorporate the sector into the Ministry of Productive Development was based on a strategic vision: “We realised that tourism in the province of Santa Fe was a viable option.”
Pullaro highlighted the coordinated work with the national government and the private sector to develop a sustainable tourism agenda. “We began working on a tourism programme, first by telling the people of Santa Fe what we had to offer, In this vein, he explained that the province has nine tourist routes and that a joint strategy is being promoted with the private sector to strengthen regional economies. “We’re setting out to showcase what the River Paraná represents, our lakes, our holiday cottages, but also the history of Argentina that unfolded in Santa Fe: Belgrano’s passage through the region, the Battle of San Lorenzo,” he listed.
The governor also highlighted the growth of religious tourism, gastronomy and popular festivals. “That has been a tremendous success over the past year and has allowed us not only to be a province of steel or of the countryside, but also a province that is committed to and constantly promoting tourism,” he stated.
He also highlighted the sector’s impact on economic activity. “We saw how the gastronomy and hospitality sectors grew, particularly in Rosario, and how that had a positive impact on employment,” he said. And then the rest of the country and the world,” he said.
Growth in figures
For his part, the Minister for Productive Development, Gustavo Puccini, highlighted the infrastructure investments supporting this process. “$150 million was invested in Rosario International Airport, leading to a 38% increase in passenger numbers compared to last year, 41% of whom are international travellers,” he said.
The minister added that the terminal’s weekly flight frequency has risen from 17 to 50, consolidating Rosario’s position as the gateway to the province and strengthening its standing as a tourist destination.
Also taking part in the event were the president of the Federal Tourism Council, Valentín Díaz Gilligan; the Secretary for Tourism of Santa Fe, Marcela Aeberhard; mayors Pablo Javkin and Juan Pablo Poletti; and representatives of business chambers and organisations linked to the sector.
During the meeting, national statistics and federal programmes were presented, as part of an agenda that reaffirms tourism as a key policy for economic development and territorial integration.
