In Argentina and Brazil, the cities that host the Iguazú Falls have had unprecedented growth since the campaign that turned the Falls into one of the 7 Wonders of Nature in the World. Visits and investments increased from 40 to 80%, making these cities high-level destinations for both countries.
The Iguazu Falls (80% of Argentina and 20% of Brazil) were elected as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, on November 11, 2011, in a global contest organized by the New7Wonders Foundation, which audited that the global contest exceeded 1 billion votes accumulated through the internet and SMS text messages.
The global nomination process by the Swiss foundation started in December 2007 with more than 440 attractive candidates. After successive technical filters and preliminary votes that reduced the list to 77 and then to the 28 official finalists, the binational campaign of Argentina and Brazil under the slogan “Voto Cataratas” (strongly supported by figures such as Lionel Messi) gained its maximum intensity on November 11, 2011, the remembered day when the 7 winners were announced.
Since then Puerto Iguazú (Argentina) and Foz do Iguazu (Brazil), cities that house the Iguazú Falls, have had an exponential growth in both visits and investments, since they increased from 40 to 80%, turning these cities into high-level destinations for both countries.
In Argentina
The Iguazú National Park in Argentina received one million tourists for the first time on December 19, 2007 (the year in which the global voting campaign for the New 7 Wonders of Nature began). From that date until 2026, visits have increased by more than 50%, having its historical record (pre-pandemic) in 2019 with 1,635,237 visitors.
In the context of post-pandemic recovery, 2025 obtained a very good record, closing with 1,532,230 visitors and 2026 is positive, since it reached one million tourists in August (maintaining the strong pace of previous years) and despite the strong floods caused by the phenomenon “El niño”, it already exceeds 1.2 million so far in November.
The key growth factors are related to the constant promotion of the destination and its positioning as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in the world, which produced a large influx of foreign tourists (40%) from Mercosur (mainly Brazil and Paraguay) along with a record growth of European travelers (led by Spain, France and Germany) and American tourists, among others.
On the other hand, and in terms of investments in Puerto Iguazú, hotel spaces went from approximately 9,784 places in 2008 to more than 15,000 places today, which represents an increase of approximately 53%.
According to the reports of the Municipal Tourism Office of Iguazú (ITUREM), the city today has more than 15,000 places distributed in traditional hotels, jungle lodges, cabins, inns and tourist departments. This increase of more than 5,200 places responds to the development of tourist projects in the area (such as the area of the 600 Hectares “Selva Iryapú”) and the constant arrival of private hotel investments over the past few years.
The city currently has 7 five-star hotels, a figure that places it above provinces such as Tierra del Fuego, Santa Fe, San Juan and Tucumán. This consolidates the city of Puerto Iguazú as one of the most dynamic destinations within the luxury hotel segment in Argentina.
The growth of the high-end offer is directly related to the international projection of the Iguazu Falls, the increase in tourist demand and the air connectivity that the destination maintains with the main urban centers of the country.
At least 5 new hotel developments will be added to the establishments that already operate in the city. Among the confirmed projects are a five-star Marriott hotel, a Sheraton, a new Jungle Lodge proposal, an O2 Hotels venture within 600 hectares and a luxury glamping complex.
And to the hotel places are also added the investments in enterprises of tourist attractions and gastronomic premises, which also increased significantly, “not only the premises that have always been shown off, but also important national and international brands, have made a foothold in Puerto Iguazú in recent years,” said the president of Iturem Leopoldo Lucas.
In Brazil
The Iguaçu National Park received a total of 1,154,046 visitors in 2008. To date, the tourist flow has experienced a massive increase, breaking historical records thanks to its international positioning.
2025 closed with a historic peak of 2,058,539 visitors. This represents an increase of slightly higher than 78% compared to 2008. And the current projection of 2026 is very good, taking into account that in the middle of the year the barrier of one million tourists was exceeded, also registering the best month of July in its entire history with more than 263,000 incomes.
In the Iguaçu National Park, there is also a large influx of foreign tourists (40%) from Mercosur (mainly Argentina and Paraguay), European travelers (Spain, France and Germany) and American and Canadian tourists, among others. But the greater flow corresponds to Brazilian tourists, a large number considering that we are talking about a country with more than 214 million inhabitants.
As for the hotel places, according to the historical records of the hotel union of the region (Sindhotéis), the city had in 2008 a park of about 20,000 active places.
But currently, driven by the appointment of the Iguazu Falls, as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in the world, the offer is between 27 and 29 thousand places, due to strong investments from large chains of urban resorts and executive hotels. This marks a greater increase of 40% compared to 2008.
This increase not only implies that there is more space, but that the profile of the properties has changed. Foz do Iguaçu stands out today for its mega resorts with its own thermal parks, luxury complexes and high connectivity for international events, which has allowed to sustain historical occupations of more than 80% in peak seasons without saturating the destination.
In this context, Foz do Iguaçu has approximately 14 hotels categorized as 5 stars or luxury establishments, consolidating the city as one of the highest level hotel centers in all of Brazil.