1. THE Top 10 Trends,
Market Movers
& Headlines of 2011

2. 10 U2’s Permanent Vacation in Argentina
Date: March/April 2011
Story: They came, they rocked, they
never left. Bono and U2 bring the
world’s top-grossing 360° Tour to
Buenos Aires for 3 sold out shows
in La Plata. The band loves Argentina
so much, the Dublin quartet spend
two full weeks in country. After the
gigs, Bono and The Edge are spotted
vineyard hopping and shopping
in...where else...Mendoza.
Link: Under A Blood Red Malbec

3. 9 Quaint Colonia Continues to Seduce
Date: January to December
Story: Tiny Colonia del Sacramento
slept silently across the river from
BA for decades. Suddenly, a wave of
foreign investment is transforming
Colonia into Uruguay’s next major
tourist destination. New condos,
luxury resorts and golf courses are
all in the works. The quick Buquebus
ride to BA makes it a natural for the
ideal porteño live:work commute.
Link: Working in BA, Living in Colonia

4. 8 San Rafael on the World Stage
Date: June
Story: We fell in love with San
Rafael, Mendoza during this year’s
wine harvest. Exactly one month
later Fortune Magazine and
CNNMoney named this Mendoza
gem one of the World’s Best Places
to Retire. Pure coincidence, but the
word is officially out on what will
soon be one of the most sought
after destinations in South America.
Link: San Rafael: Best Places to Retire

5. 7 Will A Perfect Storm Impact Punta?
Date: October to December
Story: Will he or won’t he? That is
the billion-dollar question that could
severely impact the decades-long
wave of Argentine real estate
investment in Punta del Este. If
President Mujica and Uruguay cave
to external pressure and make tax
information more readily available
to Argentine authorities, look for
more Argentina staycations in 2012.
Link: Perfect Storm for Punta del Este

6. 6 Condo-Hotels Booming in Argentina
Date: January to December
Story: Luxury condo-hotels in
Argentina and Uruguay continue to
gain favor with foreign investors
looking for their own income-
producing pied-à-terre in the
Southern Cone. We launched
IncomeBA in May and both projects
sold out within months. The next
hotel is being built in Mendoza and
new destinations are coming in 2012.
Link: Condo-Hotel Sales Are Booming

7. 5 Copa America Was A Total Bust
Date: July
Story: Empty stadiums, bad weather,
scoreless matches made the much
hyped Copa America a complete
bust, especially for host Argentina
who played poorly and lost to
eventual champions and InvestBA
favorite, Uruguay. Two delicate
flowers from Peru grab most of the
headlines by dropping their tops for
anyone with a camera and a pulse.
Link: Copa America Was A Total Bust

8. 4 One Word: China
Date: January to December
Story: China’s love affair with both
Argentina and Uruguay got serious
in 2011. Financial Times began the
year by labeling Argentina, “China’s
Next Great Investment Frontier.”
Then the Chinese backed it up
bringing their 3-year DFI total up to
US$15 billion in everything from soy
to petrochemicals to mining and
now major infrastructure loans.
Link: Chinese Investment in Argentina

9. 3 The Brazilians Keep Coming, Spending
Date: January to December
Story: The French love Jerry Lewis,
Germans love David Hasselhoff. Add
to the list of universal truths, the
Brazilians love Argentina. Buenos
Aires reigns as the #1 preferred
travel destination for our real-toting
neighbors to the north, they love to
ski in “Brasiloche” and now they are
beginning to fall in love with Mendoza.
Look for more sedução in 2012.
Link: Brazil’s Impact Felt Daily in ARG

10. 2 Puyehue & The Impact on Bariloche
Date: June to December
Story: Definitely one of the hardest
stories to swallow in 2011, especially
when you consider the impact on the
families, hotels, restaurants and travel
operators who depend on tourism in
southern gems like Bariloche, San
Martín de los Andes & Villa La
Angostura. Better days are ahead and
we vow to do our part with more
coverage of the region in 2012.
Link: Puyehue Volcano & Bariloche

11. 1 Argentina & Uruguay’s Tourism Boom
Date: January to December
Story: The most important storyline of
the year hands down for anyone who
is long Argentina or Uruguay. If you
are, go ahead and double down. 2011
saw record numbers of airline arrivals,
cruise ship arrivals, foreign tourist
arrivals & hotel bookings for the two
countries with the highest Quality of
Living scores in all of Latin America.
2012 will bring more of the same.
Link: Argentina, Uruguay Tourism

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