This was stated by Carol da Rosa, manager of Iguazú Argentina S.A, concessionaire of the services of the Cataratas area within the Iguazú National Park. Who assured that since 2008, when the campaign began to make the Iguazu Falls one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the destination maintained a sustained growth of between 7 and 8% until 2019, when there was a stoppage in world tourism due to the pandemic.
He also highlighted that the entire offer of the city of Puerto Iguazú has improved since then, since many investments were made in more attractions, more hotel and gastronomic offer, and training for better care, among other services.
Regarding the work done after the pandemic, the manager of Iguazú Argentina S.A. said that in 2021 all the measures were implemented so that tourists feel safe to travel again, “it was a difficult year but we started, and in that sense Misiones had in its favor that it is a wonderful nature and outdoor destination,” she said.
Thus, after the pandemic, the destination gradually recovers the splendor of the good times, and in that framework 2023 closed with more than 1,500,000 visitors.
The head of the concessionaire of the services of the Cataratas area within the Iguazú National Park commented in that sense that they closed a very good winter season, with the plus that it was enabled in the month of July, again, the most visited circuit of the Iguazú Falls: “Devil’s Throat”.
It should be remembered that the main circuit of the Cataratas area remained disabled since October 2023, after the greatest flood in history, in which the Iguazú River reached extraordinary levels and destroyed 90% of the walkways and the Devil’s Throat balcony.
According to the National Parks report, the natural phenomenon also swept away the gastronomic area, the sanitary facilities of the Garganta Station and a section of the railways where the Jungle Ecological Train circulates.
In reference to the hard work done in the place, Carol Da Rosa, detailed that “there was a whole work team affected, more than 80 people working in the place. The effect that the flood had was important and that is why it required an exhaustive work plan, we had several work teams, a great logistics with engineers, workers, company staff, many people devoted to this task. That is why we are very happy to have achieved that everything that was affected has been better than before in so few months.”
And he recalled that in this last growth more than 900 meters of the 1,100 that the circuit of walkways to Garganta has were affected, “so it was almost entirely had to be replaced, and each section of the walkways weighs about 4,500 kilos, so special equipment is required with all the safety that that that implies is required. We had a security team, nurses, doctors, a whole large group of people as I said, devoted to this task. That everything goes well and is better than before, it was a joint commitment between all of us who were involved in this task, so that the tourist can fully enjoy everything that the Iguazú Falls offer.”
In this way, it can be said that the reopening of the Garganta circuit in July has been a success, and contributed to the closure of a good winter season in the destination, since the month of July ended with 155,411 visitors. While the accumulated in the year, from January 1 to August 27 was 835,640 tourists. And the projection according to what the manager of Iguazú Argentina S.A. advanced is to close 2024 with approximately one and a half million visits again, as happened in 2023.
“We accompany the promotion in different fairs and events in the country and other places to publicize our destination and we also strive within the Cataratas area to provide the best services to those who visit us, from they arrive at the entrance of the Park, until when they take the train, walk along a path, walk the walk the walkways or require some service in any sector,” Carol Da Rosa detailed in reference to the work they carry out to position the destination.
And he stressed that the challenge they pursue is that the tourist takes the Iguazú Falls, a memorable experience and that he can enjoy his visit to the Iguazú destination as something integral, “we work in Iguazú Argentina so that the tourist can see his visit as something integral, that he does not only take his moment in the Park, but that the visit begins when the tourist chooses this destination at home. That is why I also understand that in recent years teamwork has been encouraged with the different Chambers and Associations, to integrate that visit and that the tourist takes the best experience from Iguazú. And we are all involved in that, from the one who takes the tourist to the Park for his visit, the accommodation he has chosen, the place where he is going to eat, the attention he receives at the different information points, and what lives in the Iguazú Falls, there we enter the service, throughout the day, trying to make the visitor take a memorable experience of the place,” he said.
Iguazu Falls, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature
The manager of Iguazú Argentina SA also referred to what it means for them to be the concessionaire of the services of one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in the World, “it is an honor and a huge responsibility to provide the services in an excellent way, it is a constant and planned work, with a destination that is open 365 days a year, for 10 hours each day. A whole trained team is required, because today 40% of our visitors are foreigners. We have more than 300 employees affected to provide this service, from receiving the visitor in the access portal to accompanying him throughout the day on his visit with the different services, so that he enjoys and is something special, taking into account that perhaps the tourist arrives excited to know this place or made his maximum effort to come to know the Iguazú Falls, and we are the hosts and those who have to give him everything so that he can enjoy his visit with The best services and security.”
He also said that “touring Cataratas requires time, one or two days if you want to go well and enjoy, where the tourist finds various offers, circuits and services within the area. And being the providers of those services, the hosts, requires a lot of responsibility, work, taking action plans and improvements with the team of the consectionary in conjunction with National Parks. Because we are a concessionaire within a National Park and our framework of action is governed by the Administration of National Parks, supervised, accompanied, and this speaks of that public-private fusion that can occur and is very positive, that in conjunction with private investment and state accompaniment it can be achieved that a destination like Cataratas grows and develops, is prepared to receive visitors, has the necessary infrastructure for the visitor to come and spend a wonderful day with all the services available, from the reception of the visitor, to the toilets and circuits Accessible, with an ecological train that takes them through the Paraná jungle that is wonderful, the maintenance of the walkways, having walkways that are safe and high quality standards.”
In that sense, he added “our services are certified by ISO Standards, we certify the 9001 quality standard and 14.001 which is the environmental standard, that frames us in a service scheme that is up to providing memorable experiences of safety and quality obviously, without neglecting the care of the environment.”
As for the upcoming projects, the manager of Iguazú Argentina, said that they plan to expand the balcony of Garganta, improve the railway circulation of the train and continue to improve the current facilities, giving continuity to the same line of work by which a few months ago the capacity of the sanitary modules was tripled, among other things.
Finally, Carol Da Rosa thanked the visitors who choose Iguazú Falls and those who return repeatedly because they fall in love with the destination, she also invited all those who do not know the Iguazú Falls to make the time to know them, “you have to come to the Iguazú Falls, get to know them and enjoy them, it is a unique place in the world that offers a wonderful experience that you will not regret”.