Q. 'How do you lose Tourists?' A. 'Charge them $US135 to enter.'
 

What a crock.

Arrive this morning to be greeted by a huge banner

CASH FEE PAYABLE AS FOLLOWS:

1. USA Passport - $US135
2. Australian Passport - $US100
3. Canadian Passport - $US85

I've been to Argentina 10 times in 10 years .. main reason as they were free of fees EXCEPT for the $US40 or whatever deparutre tax. I can live with that.

Last time we were in EZE was October 2009.

Most times we spend $1000s on internal flights, hotels, food, souvenir etc.

No longer.

UA charges the same to fly to Brazil as it does to Argy.

A five year Brazil Visa for me is about $100 or so. Most Sth American countries charge zero.

Even a 4th World country like Venezuela I visited a few months back charges no entry fee.

Better still this evening we fly to Peru and Ecuador - guess what ZERO entry fees for both, so we go or other places there next time, and treat EZE as transit.

Bye Bye Argy. Been nice knowing you, but you really shot yourself in the foot on this one.

The Americans in the line were going Ballistic about the $US135. :mad:

WORST is we arrived today at 9am, and out flight out to Lima/Quito is 6pm. So are truly in "transit" - HOWEVER still need to be gouged $200 now, and $200 when we come back = $US400.

No big deal .. sitting in lounge catching up with emails.

The TACA check in will not open until 4pm for the 6.30pm flight.

Plan 'A' was to sit in lounge to 4pm, go downstairs, collect our bags from UA, and take it to TACA check in, and go upstairs again.

NOW we need to pay $200 to do just that I can bet, as no way will TACA issue boarding passes up in departures "transit" area that we are now in, as I can bet the departure tax has not been paid on our ticket.

Even if I knew about this stupid charge, and had UA interline the bags SYD-Quito I can bet TACA want me at check-in in person? i.e. a $200 fee to be able to do that.

BAD move Argentina. This will cost you a TON more dollars that it raises. And we are the living proof. :(

Glen
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I think this is about reciprocity.

No.

It is about short sighted stupidity.

I am sure Ecuador and Peru and Venezuela citizens pay to enter USA or OZ but they have the BRAINS not to try and gouge that back.

Lets see .. Americans visiting Ecuador for Galapagos cruises etc will be 50 times the number Ecuadorian visiting the USA.

You do not have to be a Harvard MBA to work out you do not want to stop THEM coming, as each cruise and airfare runs $4,000 a person minimum.

Same with Macchu Picchu and Cuzco.

Glen

Definitely annoying, but I'm told that it's good for 10 years for US passports... so at least the cost per trip becomes a lot more reasonable over time.

....assuming that one wants to go back to Argentina, and actually does so.

It sucks but blame the US (Or Canada or whomever else) for starting the fees. Argentina is simply retaliating oops Repricocating.

It's good for 10 years in my Aussie passport (as of a few weeks ago). US$10 per year? I can handle it.

For now at least the fee is avoidable by Americans, Australians and Canadians. How so? Enter Argentina via airports other than EZE (and sooner or later, if not already, AEP); or enter Argentina by surface transport.

Glen... I can see you are not happy with the fee, but, Im not sure I understand after reading your various posts.... were you in transit or did you enter the Country...??

Indeed......an eye for an eye.

Why should Argentine citizens be fleeced for entering the above countries? I do think it a bit of a over reaction to think that Argentinas tourism industry will collapse because of it.
I'm sure you have enjoyed some great value holidays during your ten years of coming here so the charge is nothing compared to what you have saved.

I agree that it is going to be annoying as hell to Argentinos to have to pay a visa fee to visit the US, but that at least paid for something, i.e., the time it took someone to do the backgrounding for the visa. For Argentina to charge the fee, basically out of spite, for no services at all, is "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Tourism by Yanks, Canucks, and Aussies is likely to be a big money maker for Argentina as a whole, so this big disincentive only hurts the people. I have avoided flying into Santiago to avoid their fee....

Having said that, I am appalled at the new $10 fee that the US Congress is now charging Europeans, and which is supposed to pay for "tourism marketing." I expect many countries to institute a reciprocal fee countering this, as well.

P.S. Are you enjoying your trip, Morphius?

The cost for Argentines to get a visa to the US generally exceeds $135 and involves having to actually go to the US embassy compound for a visit or more. Even if approved for a visa, some Argentines get rejected at passport control on arrival in the US. I have yet to hear of any US citizens getting rejected at passport control on arrival in Argentina after paying the visa reciprocity fee.

$135 on arrival is a lot better than having to apply for a visa in advance and gamble on government approval like the US demands of Argentine passport users. And there are still legitimate ways for ordinary US passport users to avoid the fee and still visit Argentina.

WHERE does it say that?

We were told by THREE senior Argentino immigration folks yesterday that for ozzies and Canadians it is a PER ENTRY charge.

i.e. we pay $400 within a week or so. Absurd.

For AMERICANS it is good for 10 years.

Unless the rules have changed there are different rules for USA nationals.........

I enjoy heading from Canada down to EZE on Mileage Runs when the prices are right. A couple of trips and I'm within spitting distance of Elite.
Now I'm going to be looking hard at that $85US and casting about for another destination.
Perhaps my individual spending in-country is not that significant to overall tourism but it's Argentina's loss of yet another traveler.

CB