A road that runs along the paths of Formosa and reaches the “Field of Heaven” of Chaco, and then continues along the Wellness Village from Entre Ríos and go down to the magical field of tulips in Trevelin, Chubut, are part of the more than 150 towns and emerging destinations that joined Google Maps, as part of an initiative in collaboration with the National Ministry of Tourism and Sports, to help people discover the wealth natural and cultural heritage of Argentina, focused on towns with no more than 14,000 inhabitants.
The initiative is part of the government program “Argentine Experiences to Live”whose objective is to make national destinations visible and promote value-generating proposals from the country’s emerging-potential tourist destinations for the development of a sustainable local supply.
The idea of the project was to accompany more than 150 tourism providers from all Argentine provinces in the growth of their digital presence through various training sessions and the creation of a business profile on Google Maps that allows them to provide key information for all types of visitors.
“It is an incredible opportunity to support public-private partnerships and help the digitalization of small businesses, and especially with the process of economic reactivation”Sebastián Hiernaux, manager of Strategic Alliances for Google Maps in Latin America, told Télam during the launch of the project. It took place this week in Trevelin, Chubut, within the framework of the 15th anniversary of the technological giant in the country.
In addition to the incorporation of the providers, more than 80 new locations were presented in Street View of Argentina, a tool to see various places in 360°, such as the Mar del Plata International Airportthe Mendoza Civic Park and the Heroes of the Malvinas Square.
In addition, the extension of traffic information and the status of public transport services in the cities of Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Rosario, Bariloche, and Bahía Blanca. silver It is in process and in the coming months people who circulate in said city will be able to use this function.
Argentine experiences to live
The Argentine Experiences to Live program is a tool that seeks to capitalize on an opportunity for Argentine destinations “with inclusion and equity,” Sergio Castro, national director of Tourism Planning and Development, explained during the presentation. It is a way of making visible and valuing the tourist offer of our localities and small towns.
The basic components of these experiences that can already be consulted on Google Maps and will be offered by local tourism providers include two nights of accommodation, two gastronomic experiences (representative dishes of the local gastronomy are promoted), a cultural experience with local artists and an activity that includes local guides. The duration of the itinerary is a minimum of three days and two nights. There is a section in the official portal Argentina.gob.ar.
In addition, with the business profile on Google Maps, local providers will be able to highlight the main information that they want to bring to the public, as well as share photos and images of facilities and products, news, offers and open communication channels, so that people leave your own reviews, among other options.
“It is important to understand where the day of the decision process of the modern tourist, which is often in the digital world: they see a video on YouTube that inspires them, then it becomes looking for where that place is on the map, and right there they can see what hotels there are, how many hours away they are, in what places you can eat. These are tools that are already available on Google so that more merchants and providers continue to join,” Hiernaux explained.
Trevelin: a Patagonian gem with a field of tulips
One of the experiences within the initiative is that of Trevelin: “A little jewel that we Argentines have in Patagonia, in the Andes Mountains,” Juan Peralta, Secretary of Tourism of Trevelin, described to Télam.
This town belongs to the Andean Patagonian forest region and is the gateway to the Los Alerces National Park, cultural heritage of humanity.
“We have fields of tulips that bloom in spring, a very important cultural idiosyncrasy marked by the influx of Welsh people, who arrived back in 1885, with the original peoples who were already in the place, the Mapuche Tehuelches. And then a multiculturalism that is expressed also in the Chilean culture, and of all the immigration currents that came from Europe,” said Peralta.
Its estimated population is 12,000 inhabitants and was qualified to be one of the most beautiful tourist towns in the worlda distinction that will be defined in December at the UNWTO Annual Assembly.
“Trevelin represents walking down the street and feeling the smell of bread coming out of the houses, plus the people are very friendly and love to receive tourists, because they understand how important tourism is for the local economy. to culture, to young people so that they can stay in the place,” he concluded.
