Evening star., 1946-08-04
Montevideo's Charm
Captures Visitors
Development of Tourist Trade
Eagerly Sought by Uruguay
By John H. Cline.


On table in the unpretentious but
adequate waiting room at the Carrasco
airport in Montevideo were number
Of Pan American Always promotion
booklets, one of which contained the
rather bold pronouncement that in an
air-minded world international travel
should be as routine and simple as a
trip to your neighborhood theater"
To group of visiting newspaper and
radio people from the United States,
grounded for second overnight de-
lay in scheduled one-week trip, this
seemed bit on the exaggerated side,
even after due allowance for the eau
tious use of the word should" In
stead of Is.
Definitely, international air travel is
not as routine and simple as a trip to
neighborhood theater. But Just as
definitely modern air travel is robbing
distances of their old meaning ana
bringing within relatively easy reach
places which should be better known
but which only few years ago were
hopelessly beyond the range of the
average traveller. One of these is
Montevideo, the capital city of the
little republic Of Uruguay, now but So
hours out of New York on Pan Ameri-
cans new clipper service to Buenos
Aires.
To most Americans, familiar enough,
by reputation at least, with Rio de
Janerio and Buenos Aires, Montevideo
has been little more than the name of
remote city, remembered possibly as
the place where the German pocket
battleship Graf Spec was scuttled
early in the war after being trapped
and battered by three smaller British
warships. 1t Is city, however, which
ought to be, and which in all proba-
bility will come to be, well known to
many people in this country in the
future.
Unquestionably, despite the initial
disappointment, the visitors from the
States enjoyed the overnight stay in
Montevideo and the opportunity to
see something OF the beautiful city
a third of Uruguays 2,250,o00 people
In many respects Uruguay is more
like the United States than any other
Latin American country. Achieving
independence little more than a
century ago, the country for years was
torn and retarded by savage domestic
political strife. But gradually an &C
commodation was worked out between
the contending factions and condi-
tions within the country today seem
to be stable.
As in most other countries, the war
profoundly influenced the Uruguayan
economy. There have been recent at
tempts at industrialization, but the
country's economy remains largely pas
toral, wool, meat and meat products,
hides and skins averaging four-fifths
OF the export trade In money value
In 1888 the Uruguayan market was
dominated by Germany and Britain,
but, as a result of the war, the United
States has become Uruguay's best Gus
toner and principal supplier. This
has been one factor tending to stimu-
late Uruguayan interest in the United
States. Another has been the sim
ilarity in the political systems and
political thinking in the two countries.
1t is commonly said that Uruguay is
the most democratic country, in the
sense in which we use the term, in
South America, and the Uruguayans are
proud and jealous of their political
freedom. To the visitor it comes as
something Of surprise to learn that
Uruguay, despite its essentially ag1t-
cultural economy, preceded the United
States in the enactment of laws regu-
lating hours of work, minimum wages,
child labor, social security benefits,
etc, and that illiteracy has been
brought down to a very low level as
result of free compulsory primary
education and free facilities for higher
education.
Relatively few Americans will be at
tracted to Uruguay, however, because
of its political or economic conditions.
If there is to be substantial increase
in the number of visitors from the
North. it will be because Uruguay has
great deal to offer as vacation
spot. For years the Uruguayan beaches
have drawn thousands of yacationers
from the Argentine and many from
Brazil, but to North Americans these
resorts are almost unknown.
Carrasco probably is the most noted
Uruguayan resort center. 1t is but
one of many, however, others including
the popular Ramirez, Pocitos, the
country's first seaside resort; Punta
Gordia, Atlantida, Piriapolis and Punta
del Este.
In these and other spots the visitor
can find almost any type of resort
he desires-from the ultra formal to
those where simplicity and informality
are watchwords. Being far south of
the equator, Uruguay's best holiday
season is from December to March,
although the year-round climate is mild
and snow is almost unknown.
For economic reasons as well as an
inherent friendliness, the Uruguayans
are making a bid for American tourist
trade And as their relatively mex
pensive resorts, only an hour away from
Buenos Aires by air, become better
known, the chances are that they will
not be disappointed.