I have to agree with Gaucho . . . I wasn't going to enter this discussion, since I certainly understand the "fairness" of reciprocity; but, based on my own behavior, I believe that it will have some overall negative impact (just as our visa fees are having on travel to the U.S.).

My wife and I will be coming to Argentina in January; that decision was reached months ago. However, here's a bit of my own response regarding visa fees.

We thought, since we're flying as far as Argentina, why not spent a bit of time in Chile and/or Rio? When I discovered Chile's $100 fee per person, I nearly cancelled that side trip; I also played around with flying to Mendoza for a few days and taking a "luxury" bus over the Andes, since the $100 visa applies only to those flying into Chile, but ultimately discarded that idea due to aging and tender backs (smile).

I then looked at Rio. I can obtain very good hotels at excellent prices, so that's not a problem. However, when I looked at the $100 pp visa costs, coupled with what seemed like high airfares (c. $600 US rt pp from BsAs), we ultimately discarded that idea. In other words, the $200 for visas was the straw, or at least one of the straws, that broke the camel's back. Maybe we'll come back in another lifetime.

If I were traveling on essential business, and/or had an employer who would pay the cost, the visa fee would be no problem. However, I'm sensing a world economy where nonessential travel is about to shrink significantly; and the visa fee will become one more negative factor in that equation.

As Gaucho says, a fee of $30 or $35 (US) wouldn't seem like a significant barrier. Alternatively, if the "ABC" countries (Argentina, Brazil and Chile) could reach an agreement where a person flying between/among these countries is not required to pay a visa fee (i.e., only a fee for entrance into the first country for citizens from outside those three countries), that might even become a tool to use as an incentive to encourage more tourism.

Just my thoughts . . . . I think tourism is going to feel a need for more incentives, and fewer disincentives, in the 24 or so months immediately ahead of us.