Ushuaia as a cruise destination: an approach to its territorial configuration from the perspective of key actors

Abstract

Ushuaia, capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, has established itself as one of the cruise destinations in South America. It has been incorporated into the cruise circuit in different tours: Antarctic, Regional and International. The territory is positioned as a social product and, as such, is configured and defined by the articulation of various factors: material, discursive and perceptual. This characteristic does not escape tourism practice and in this context the actors are positioned as key elements of the territorial configuration, giving it meaning according to their interests, values, and attitudes. They are intertwined in the territory generating particular configurations based on the interests they have, determined by the role they occupy within the territorial dynamics. It is in this complexity, with particular roles, with certain degrees of power and influence, and determined relationships, that decision-making processes are driven. In this sense, the objective of the article is to analyze the territorial configuration that characterizes Ushuaia’s port and hinterland in relation to cruise activity from the perspective of key actors and to investigate the roles, functions and articulation of local key actors in connection to Ushuaia as a cruise destination. The study was carried out during the period 2023-2024 through a qualitative methodology based on in-depth interviews with local key actors directly and indirectly linked to cruise tourism in Ushuaia.