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Hotelga 2025 began with the presence of national and sectoral authorities and leaders

27 Aug 2025

Buenos Aires, August 2025 – On its first day, the meeting that brings together the main leaders of the HORECA sector was attended by prominent figures in politics, economics, technology, gastronomy and hospitality. Among them, the Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of the Argentine Republic, Daniel Scioli, who announced that the approval of the decree that seeks to move the holiday of October 12 for tourism reasons is underway.

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Hotelga 2025 surpasses itself edition after edition and this year it has an area of 15,000 m2, 35% larger than the previous edition; the participation of 35 new companies and a growth of 20% in the gastronomic sector. National, provincial, regional and sectoral authorities were present at the opening ceremony.

In this context, the Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of the Argentine Republic, Daniel Scioli, congratulated the organizers of Hotelga 2025 for the growth of the exhibition, where the entire value chain is reflected. Then, he mentioned the different measures carried out by his secretary for the development and promotion of the sector, while highlighting gastronomy and tourism as strategic activities for the country because they are the engine of other economic activities: "Argentina has all the necessary conditions to be a tourism power."

In this sense, the Secretary announced that the Central Bank will differentiate between the dollars that come from tourism and those that come from e-commerce. This measure was celebrated by those present as well as the reference to the future approval of the decree that plans to move the holiday of October 12 for tourism reasons.

In his turn, the President of the Tourism Board of the city of Buenos Aires, Visit Bue and the Federal Tourism Council, Valentín Díaz Gilligan, said: "We strive to improve the tourist offer every day, we are very clear that it is an activity that generates more than 16 thousand jobs in the city." Then, echoing the needs of the sector, he said that they will continue with the policy of regulating temporary accommodation with new tax measures and fines for platforms that do not comply with current regulations.

For her part, the President of AHT, Gabriela Ferrucci, referred to the situation of the sector and the need for measures to accompany the sector. "In a complex global context, with external restrictions and an urgent need to strengthen our reserves, there is a sector that stands as one of the most dynamic, clean and sustainable solutions for the national economy: inbound tourism. Looking to the future, we must focus our efforts on capturing the immense potential of the Asian giant China." In this sense, he added: "Without a doubt, one of the fundamental pillars that we must also consolidate is domestic or national tourism. We are aware of the challenges we face. We are sure that the tools can be found and work together to strengthen and empower the country."

For his part, the President of FEHGRA, Fernando Desbots, said: "We always seek to promote with conviction the structural transformations that our activity needs to be more competitive. For this reason, we understand that the only way to move forward is with real, formal, trained entrepreneurs, active protagonists of change and authentically representative." Following this line, he continued: "Today, more than ever, we must recognize the true protagonist of this transformation: the entrepreneur, who every day opens the doors of his business, generates employment, fulfills his obligations, adapts to new rules and continues to bet even in the most challenging contexts. We are part of the solution, synonymous with genuine labor that is not replaced by machines. Our sector is rooted, identity and future".

Meanwhile, the President of Messe Frankfurt Argentina, Fernando Gorbarán, referred to the importance of events such as Hotelga 2025 to boost the sector: "Last year we took on the enormous challenge of renewing and relaunching Hotelga's image. We set out to make this exhibition a unique experience. Today we confirm that we have achieved that goal and we are ready to set new records." "In complex times, exchange, the construction of business links and professional updating are key to promoting a solid market that needs to grow again. This is how we conceive this edition of Hotelga: as a strategic space for the industry to meet, debate, strengthen its network of suppliers and draw up its roadmap in the medium and long term. We are convinced that this sector, a great generator of employment and an engine of development, has enormous potential ahead of it".

Among the activities, the Hotelga Summit 2025 panel stood out, under the #HotelgaPerspectives axis. Political analyst Jorge Giacobbe and economist Esteban Domecq spoke there. The talk "Federal Investment Incentive Program", by the Bank of Investment and Foreign Trade (BICE), also stood out.

This Thursday, the Grand Final of the Sustainable Hospitality Contest will take place, organized by Hoteles Más Verdes with the support of AHT, AIHPY (Hotel Industrial Association of Paraguay), AHRU (Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Uruguay) and Hoteliers of Chile, where tourism establishments and the best innovative ideas that best integrate the principles of sustainability in the hotel value chain of the region will be recognized.

In addition, the TASTE CULINARY SUMMIT 2025, organized by AHRCC, will take place. There will be a meeting of the leading figures in the kitchen together with experts from different fields, with the aim of exploring ways of collaborating in hospitality and projecting the future of the activity. With the moderation of Maia Chacra, the following will speak: Gonzalo Aramburu, Juan Ventureyra, Walter Leal, Jorge Monopoli, Damián Shiizu, Delky Gutierrez and Gabriel Oggero.

This Friday, on its last day, the Grand Final of the Federal Chefs Tournament, organized by FEHGRA, where chefs from all over Argentina will share their talent and value regional gastronomy; and the master lecture by Santiago Bilinkis on artificial intelligence.

These and other activities show the importance of Hotelga 2025, organized by FEHGRA, AHT and Messe Frankfurt Argentina, for the development of the entire value chain of the sector. You can find the schedule for the next few days at: https://hotelga.ar.messefrankfurt.com/buenos-aires/es/eventos/cronograma.html