AGRICULTURE-ARGENTINA: Rural Tourism Saving Country Estates

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Jan 12 2000 (IPS) - Thousands of landowners in Argentina could not have imagined until a few years ago that tourism would pull them out of one of the worst crises to hit farms in the history of this Southern Cone country, whose economy is largely dependent on agriculture.

“Many of these landowners have no idea about the tourism business, but they learn by practice, as they have the key element on their side – demand,” a tour operator who lists 10 rural establishments told IPS.

Although the extensive treeless flatlands and pampas that stretch out as far as the eye can see might not look like much to some, they are a relaxing alternative for people living in large cities with views cluttered by high rises.

Some farmers who not long ago found themselves on the verge of bankruptcy, and who knew nothing about the tourism business, are today charging as much as 250 dollars a person per night spent in a room in the big ranchhouse, which presents the feel of a traditional ranchhouse but with all the modern creature comforts.

Carlos Liciardi, who owns a 250-hectare ranch in the province of Buenos Aires, near the capital, told IPS how he moved from farming activity to farming activity until hitting upon a much more profitable solution.

Dividing his “Don Carlos” estate into two, he left 38 hectares for his new rural tourism venture, and leased the rest to a dairy farmer.

It was Liciardi’s son, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in tourism studies, who came up with the idea back in 1997.

“On Fridays we receive foreign tourists, on Saturdays we host seminars, business meetings, weddings and birthday parties, and Sundays are usually a day when families from the city of Buenos Aires come out to visit,” said Liciardi’s son.

Rural estates, basically large stretches of countryside dedicated mainly to ranching, and to a lesser extent agriculture, with a ranchhouse and outbuildings, date back to the Spanish colonial era in Argentina and neighbouring Uruguay.

The rural estate, especially in the pampas of central Argentina, was a key part of this country’s economy from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. But since then, the business has been plagued by ups and downs.

With the slump of international commodity prices over the past few years and the disappearance of government subsidies and support, many ranches and country estates stopped functioning as such, and the value of the land dwindled.

Some were divided up into small and medium-sized farms, which fared no better.

Just when the crisis seemed to have hit bottom, many landowners leasing out their land and barely cutting even realised that they could preserve the rural charm of their estates and earn a profit by marketing it to visitors before it was lost forever.

Hence the idea of drawing tourists – especially foreigners – to estates for a day in the countryside complete with horseback riding, cart rides, hunting, fishing, folk dancing and the typical Rio de la Plata meal of beef roasted over a wood fire.

Some packages include guided tours demonstrating how the latest farm equipment operates – in the case of working farms – while the children are given rides on tractors and other farm vehicles.

Another rancher, Joaquín Fasel, the owner of the “Molino Viejo” estate, told IPS that his land had been used for agribusiness, but today the old 19th century water mill serves as one of the chief attractions for visitors.

“We kept around 20 hectares and the old mill, and started receiving visitors with an eco-tourism focus, since we don’t want to return to farming but are trying to revert the place to wilderness again,” said Fasel, who took tourism courses before setting out on his new venture.

The heavy demand for visits to the remote ranches, with their mystique of another era, added to the need of landowners of a means to preserve their large extensions of land gave rise to a government project to support 500 ranchers interested in reconverting their businesses.

The programme, put into effect three years ago by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, grants credits, provides training and secures benefits like collective insurance for farmers-cum-tourism entrepreneurs.

According to the Secretariat of Tourism, the offer is growing at a rate of 15 percent a year, due to the heavy demand and the fact that the only investment needed is sprucing up the ranchhouse a bit. The staff is often made up of the workers already employed on the estate in agricultural activities.

Rural workers, the heirs of the old-time “gauchos” – Rio de la Plata cowboys – take the visitors on cart rides, cook the traditional “asados” or roasts, hold “jineteadas” or rodeos in which horses are broken in, and even make and sell craftwork, another aspect of the new business.

The thousands of silversmiths and leather-workers in rural Argentina until recently had to take their products to the cities.

But today the “mates” (gourds) and metal tubes used in drinking the traditional “yerba mate” tea in the Rio de la Plata area – Argentina and neighbouring Uruguay – ponchos and homemade jams are on sale in the same place they are produced.

Rural tourist establishments, which are increasingly forming part of the travel plans of many foreign visitors to Argentina, not only offer their services in the province of Buenos Aires, but also in Córdoba and Entre Ríos in central Argentina, and in the southern provinces of Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego.

Rural tourism is also gaining strength in Uruguay, Argentina’s neighbour across the Rio de la Plata. The two countries share a common history, culture and traditions.