Argentina

The business environment of Argentina offers a range of clear advantages over other emerging markets. Its time zone (GMT-3) is highly valued by companies, especially those requiring real time communications with clients or headquarters in North America and Europe. It has the highest rates of broadband penetration in the region, with modern telecommunications system ensuring access to a technological platform needed to compete on a global level. The public sector is playing an active role to stimulate the development of this industry with new funding and promotion efforts, while working towards greater productivity and integrity, a commitment reflected by the country’s forefront position in areas like data protection legislation.

Software and IT service companies located in Argentina’s large urban centers enjoy the benefits of the ongoing synergy and collaboration between leading international firms, local companies and universities. There are diverse IT poles and technology clusters that offer an ideal scenario for the development of profitable high-potential projects. The IT Pole in Buenos Aires and the clusters in Cordoba and Rosario are the largest but opportunities in the sector have led to the development of new initiatives throughout the country, such as the Information District in Greater La Plata, the technology poles in Bahía Blanca, Corrientes, Junín, La Punta, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Resistencia, Rafaela, San Miguel de Tucumán and San Salvador de Jujuy, as well as the science-technology parks in Tandil and in the province of Santa Fe.

In recent years, Argentina has made ​​a significant and sustained development of its software industry and services. The sector was able to respond to the growing demands for products and services of the information age and the knowledge economy, defining exportable offers that were cometitive in a highly productive global market.

Currently, domestic production of IT, like other competitive industries, is one of the sectors of the economy that shows higher levels of dynamism and, therefore, is regarded by the government as an factor of strategic importance for the development of the country as a whole.

 
The main features of the IT industry in Argentina are:

• Highly qualified human resources.
• Academic excellence.
• Management of the English language.
• Empathy.
• Innovation and creativity.
• Proper telecommunications and computing infrastructure.
• Competitive costs and prices.
• Increased entry into new foreign markets and increase in exports.
• Joint work between government, academia and the business sector.
• Strong domestic market recovery.
• Legal framework that encourages the development of the sector.

This is an industry that is heavily concentrated in the City of Buenos Aires, but there are also important conglomerates grouped into different poles, clusters and regional institutions in the provinces throughout the country, such as: Buenos Aires (Greater Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Tandil, Bahia Blanca) Santa Fe (Rosario, Santa Fe City, Rafaela, Sunchales), Córdoba (Córdoba City, Villa Maria), Mendoza, San Luis, San Juan, Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán, Chaco, Corrientes , Entre Ríos, Neuquén, Río Negro. These conglomerates have in common the availability of skilled human resources, the importance of the university as a “breeder” of entrepreneurs in technology and a strong vocation for business cooperation and innovation.

 As relevant industry data, (i) Turnover increased steadily; (ii)• Employment continued to grow; (iii)The export fold, representing more than 25% of the total turnover of the sector, has the highest value added; (iv)• It is currently the “most qualified job creator.”

One of the latest projects launched is the 2020 Project

The latest programme launched to further the growth and advancement of the industry is the  The 2020 Project.  The initiative is a combined effort of the academic community, the public sector and the IT industry community, with the main goal of identifying new technologies that would have a greater impact in the Argentinean ICT sector in 2020. The prescribed timeframe was created in order to describe the education talent needed to enable the development of the ICT sector and also the relationship between the public-private and the academic sector. The initiative is focused in the sectors software engineering, image technologies embedded software etc, including the application and related areas.

Argentina is located below the equator and experiences the reverse placement of seasons from the order of seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, such as the United States.  Because of the reversed seasons and the varying climates, Argentina has something to offer tourists from each of its regions in whatever season it is. The year starts with summer in the months of December through February (with temperatures ranging from 90 to more than 100°F (35°C-40°C)  then fall season folows in March through May, winter from June through August and spring in September to November.

Buenos Aires is ideal in fall (March-May) and spring (September-November), when temperatures are mild. The beaches and resort towns are packed with vacationing Argentines in summer (December-March) while Buenos Aires becomes somewhat deserted of locals. Patagonia in the southern Andes is an ideal place in summer when days are longer and warmer. Best time to visit Iguazu and the Northwest during Winter (June-August) when the rains and heat have subsided; but spring (August-October) is also pleasant, as temperatures are mild and the crowds have cleared out.

Holidays: Public holidays are January 1 (New Year’s Day), Good Friday, March 24 (Truth and Justice Day) May 1 (Labor Day), May 25 (First Argentine Government), June 10 (National Sovereignty Day), June 20 (Flag Day), July 9 (Independence Day), August 17 (Anniversary of the Death of General San Martín), October 12 (Día de la Raza), December 8 (Immaculate Conception Day), and December 25 (Christmas) but Christmas is usually celebrated on December 24 and is called Noche Buena. Many stores and other services close this day.

Festivals & Special Events:

Carnaval (Mardi Gras): the week before the start of Lent, is celebrated in many towns in Argentina. The main area for celebration is in Gualeguaychú, about 3 hours north of Buenos Aires in Entre Rios Province. In Salta, citizens organize a large parade carrying caricatures of public officials; “water bomb” fights are also held.

Gaucho Parade is held in Salta on June 16, with music by folk artists and gauchos dressed in traditional red ponchos with black stripes, leather chaps, black boots, belts, and knives. More gaucho madness is held at San Antonio de Areco,

Día de la Tradición is celebrated around November 10, when gauchos and tourists flock to the picturesque town.

Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) takes place the night before summer solstice (June 10) in towns in the Northwest to give thanks for the year’s harvest. 

Día de Independencia (Independence Day) is celebrated in Tucumán on July 9. 

Exodo Jujeño (Jujuy Exodus) takes place August 23 and 24 when locals reenact the exodus of 1812.

Batalla de Tucumán (Battle of Tucumán) celebrates Belgrano’s victory over the Spanish on September 24.

Fiesta Provincial del Turismo (Provincial Tourist Festival) takes place in December in Puerto Iguazú.

Fiesta de las Murgas, celebrated every weekend of February, are the version of carnaval inBuenos Aires, but it is not as colorful as the celebrations in Rio de Janeiro or even the one in Gualeguaychú. Competitions are held for costumed street-bands playing loud music, drums, and dancing.

World Tango Festival held in early to mid-October is celebrated with various events mostly concentrated in the tango neighborhood of San Telmo.

Argentine Open Polo Championships held late November, is the world’s biggest polo event held in the polo grounds of Palermo near the Las Cañitas neighborhood; the event attracts moneyed crowds from around the world who get to mingle with visiting British royalty.

National Gay Pride parade of Comunidadd Homosexual de Argentina held in November, but dates switch at the last minute from the first Saturday to the third Saturday of the month

Octoberfest is a big regional feast held every second weekend of October in Villa Belgrano, Córdoba, and Mendoza Wine Harvest Festival every first weekend in March.

Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) held on December 24 at 10pm at the Metropolitan Cathedral, is a beautiful spectacle.

Stores in main cities of Argentina: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 8.00pm, and Saturday at 9.00am until 2.00pm

Shops open an hour earlier, close for lunch between 12.00 and 4.00pm and reopen until 8.00pm. 

Shops and Services are open between 9.00am-l 7.00pm, and 9.00am to 2.00pm on Saturdays. Shops usually close during midday to avoid the heat and open again much later, often until 8.00pm or even 10.00pm, and in the afternoon of Saturdays, especially during summer.

Large shopping malls don’t close before 10.00pm and their food and drink sections may stay open as late as midnight and, many shopping malls are open on Sundays.

Banks open from 10.00am – 3.00pm Mondays to Fridays; in the northeast, banks open from 7.00am until noon to avoid the hot afternoons.

Business offices open from 9.00am to 12.00pm and from 2.00pm to 7.00pm.

 Museums in Buenos Aires are open from Tuesdays to Sunday 2.00pm – 7.00pm.

Post Offices in Buenos Aires are open from Mondays to Fridays, 8.00am – 8.00pm and Saturdays from 8.00am to 2.00pm.

Government offices are generally open from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Mondays to Fridays.

Eating establishments (Cafes, cake shops, pizzerias) are open most of the time with the exception between 2.00am and 6.00am, fast food is served at all times, lunch is served from 12.30pm and dinner starts from 8.30pm.

UTC/GMT -3hours

**Changes in Daylight Saving Time (DST) do not necessarily occur on the same date of every year.

It is relatively easy to travel around the country due to its extensive bus system and  trains connecting cities. Bus trips between cities could be very long, usually overnight bus trips. Buses are convenient and efficient as well as more affordable than flying, but are not as cheap as they once were. Bus fare is about USD 4-5 for every hour of travel time. Still, this system is more affordable than flying and more far reaching than the train system.

Travelers may also rent a car for more flexibility in traveling or fly between most major cities, but during the peak seasons, it is recommended to book plane tickets well in advance as they are often sold out at this time.

Airport Entry Fees also known as “Reciprocity” was implemented in 2009. Visitors arriving at the airport from certain countries are charged a fee based on their country of citizenship. This is collected at the two Buenos Aires Airports for incoming international flights, but is not collected at other airports in Argentina and on those arriving by land or sea. Citizens from the United States are charged US$160, Australia US$140, and Canada US$75.

Travel Requirements

Passports: required on all nationals and must be a valid for the duration of stay in Argentina.

Visas:  A visa is not required on nationals referred to in the chart (below) for visits of up to 90 days. Some nationals may require a visa if visiting for business purposes; it is advised to check with the nearest embassy of the particular nationality. Nationals not referred to in the chart below are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.

Reciprocity Fee: Travelers from the USA, Canada and Australia entering Argentina via any port of entry are required to pay a fee online before travelling and must show proof of payment upon arrival in Argentina. This fee can be paid on the website of Provincial NET. The reciprocity fee is waived for travelers who are in transit for less than 12 hours, or have an onward connecting flight and do not leave the international area of the airport (i.e. do not pass through immigration).

Currency: Argentine peso

Currency code: ARS

Exchange rate: 1US$= 4 ARS peso

1 British Pound = ARS 6 pesos

1 Euro = ARS 5 pesos

Foreign currencies may be exchanged for pesos in banks and “cambios” (exchange houses) or at the border.

ATMs (cajeros automaticos) can be found at majority of small or big towns. Due to ATM scams and robberies, the country set a limit of $100 USD per ATM transaction, but has been increased to $250 USD per transaction.  Fee per transaction costs 16 pesos (($3.80 USD). Most ATMs that accept International cards have the LINK logo displayed; otherwise the machine will only accept cards issued by an Argentine bank.

Credit Cards

Visa, MasterCard and American Express are the most widely accepted cards – often an establishment will accept only one type of card, not all three. With credit-card purchases a 5-10 percent surcharge (recargo) may or may not be added on to the cost.

Travelers Checks

Travelers checks may by accepted by some high-end tourist businesses (restaurants, hotels, tour companies in Buenos Aires) but most likely they will want cash or a credit card. You can exchange the checks at banks and cambios

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You Need To Carry Small Change

Travelers are advised to carry smaller denominations as very few taxis or shop owners will have change for large denomination bills, If possible ,AR$ 100 and AR$ 50 bills must be change at the bank.

The official language is Spanish which differs from the Spanish language of Spain. Argentine Spanish has a strong Italian accent and body language due to the influence of millions of Italians who migrated to Argentina, and while learning the Spanish language, added their own words and pronunciation. The Spanish language was brought to Argentina by the explorers and immigrants who arrived in the country from Spain.

There are several secondary languages used,: English which is widely spoken, Italian,  French, German, and the languages of the Native Argentineans, Quechua, Guaraní and Mapuche, and the Indian language which is spoken in a few remote areas.