Argentina: Student Tourism
Santiago Aramburu and
Gonzalo Casanova Ferro
For ever students
There are several theories that explain the origin of Tourism. Some of them spring from an anthropological fate, others speak about a psychic motivation and finally others try to impose a historical reading.
From this last trend other variants also spring; two great lines run through the theoretical frame of those who dare throw a hypothesis in this sense: there are those who identify the first tourists among the ancient pilgrims that sought to contemplate some of the world’s seven wonders, those who identify the medieval peoples that sought to visit sacred places and, finally, those who state that actually, presently, we should consider that the first tourists were students. Strictly speaking: “graduates”. They meant, thus, XVII century upper-middle-class London people who, once they finished their studies, they began an initiate trip round the most important capitals of Europe, an antecedent of the “Grand Tour” . It was not about a leisure or fun related activity, but about a means to complete their formation; it consisted of knowing the people and the markets their would later deal with professionally in a better way.
No matter how, here and throughout the world, Tourism, as we know it nowadays, emerged in the XX century.
At the beginning, tourist travels might have been a product of some wealthy man’s eccentricity. An elite’s privilege connected with the need for adventure, free time or a mere means to alleviate the upper classes boredom. But from the 30s on, it did not take long to get into a period which spread it as a working class right, right assisted by the so-called Well Being State y focused on the “sun and beach” products (season and rigid packages, aimed ill-informed people). And so it finally became the NTE (New Tourism Era) which combines and surpasses both stages (great market segmentation, specialized products, tourist protection systems, sustainability conscience, etc).
The paradox implies that in recovering Tourism antecedents, the ancient European habit will revive as a juridical and market category, in such southern a scenery, that we could even say that in more fair conditions, it would not be exempt from light and shade.
We propose ourselves, then, to analyze what is meant by Student Tourism in Argentina, who its actors are and what its role is, going through the most difficult cases and their possible solutions.
Unlike our country, in the rest of the world expressions as “student tourism” or “student travel” may represent:
A) Any student trip lead by teachers and with an educational character ;
B) Certain organizations services for a university segment (also including teachers) ready to travel anywhere, normally abroad and generally for study reasons ;
C) the one made by student groups, organized by specialized people, when they decide to visit historical places, museums, parks, monuments, important natural environments, beaches, mountains, prairies, etc. and which allows them to closely know places and activities which they have barely known through lecture explanations ;
D) the one organized by learned youngsters, who obtain information via internet, who are motivated for life in a globalized society and combine their travel experiences with adventure, study, work and rest. They travel to become part of a traveling international community ;
What is meant by “Student Tourism” in Argentina?
According to the hasty dictation of the 25.599 law, it shall be understood as such the one arising from art. 2º holding that:
“To the effects of the current law, student tourism shall be understood as:
a) Study travels: Formative activities integrated to the schools curricular proposal, which are organized and supervised by authorities and teachers from the respective institution;
b) Graduate travels: Tourist activities aimed at celebrating the finalization of an educational level or career, which are organized with the parents or student tutors participation, aimed at recreation and amusement, independent from the schools curricular proposal and without detriment of the fulfillment of the minimum days attendance according to the school calendar of each educative jurisdiction.”
Needless to say the previous definition has been subject to severe criticism. On the one hand, it seems excessive to include without any warning study travels, since a more strict interpretation of the norm would imply school trip should be mediated by a travel agent no matter its length or distance. One the other hand, when analyzing the second clause, it says that the formula “parents participation or pupils tutors” turns out too open, giving rise to confusions or ambiguities. Anyhow, it is not our intention to solve it here, but only to set forth that maybe this norm in particular requires certain reconsidering.
Anyway, the “Student Tourism” category is a legislative creation fit for Argentina, that in other countries can be mistaken either for “youth tourism”, destined to cover vacations for that segment, or for “interchange student tourism”, that is to say pupils of different nationalities who shift from one place to another to get the experience of a foreign langauge or different educational system. What we call “student tourism”, on the other hand,involves a very unusual phenomenon which, although it includes study as well as graduate travels, is very associated wiht the latter category, with winter season and focused on one destination: Bariloche.
For decades the destiny of “Student Tourism” has been San Carlos de Bariloche in Rio Negro province. Nowadays nobody doubts its position as regards to student travels; mainly for the second cycle (polimodal or secondary) of our educational system. This, without detriment of,in the future for market economy or currency reasons,losing its leadership if new destinations appear for this present segment.
The offers the same attractions as any other urban centre: good lodging, gastronimy options varieties, dancing places, etc; but combined with a privileged natural scenery. Founded in 1902 and with a design imporved by architect Alejandro Bustillo in the 30s, the city grew surrounded by the beauty of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, its mountain range geography covered with natural lakes and woods which make it the ideal place for skiing, climbing, trecking, and like activities.
At the beginings of the 60s the city abandoned its Bavarian alpine styleimprinted on it by the German architect Hacker, and its vertical development began7. The 70s and the 80s were in charge of placing this sports variety at the middle class reach aided by big carriers who saw there the chance for graduate travels. Its leadership reamins since then, in spite of intervals due to rising economy periods where we had to compete with international destinations (especially Brazil) or in crisis periods, like the present times, where second options such as Cordoba´s Villa Carlos Paz are considered. In spite of it, Bariloche is now overflowed during winter (june/july) which coincides with school vacations in most of the country.
Claimants and their roles
There exist five claimants who take part in the hire of “student travel” development services:
Schools
Students (and their legal representatives -parents or tutors-)
Service rendors/renderers
Agencies allowed to operate with “Student tourism”
National Tourism Secretary
Local Tourism authorities
Schools in general deal with the graduate travel issue as with a problem which requires a special treatment.
On one extreme and in order not to share responsibilities,promoters not only are not allowed enter the facilities, but also are parents and pupuils informed that service rendering is their own responsibility and risk; even more,teacher participation is discouraged and if travel coincides with working days (outside winter vacations period) absenteeism is registered.
Moderate positions try not to intervene in negotiation, but to supervise the the trajectory of the agency/ies who place offers. They suggest not only teacher participation but also parents or supervisors, as well as assistance to the students group who are travelling.
Finally, and as an exception, there are institutions who contradicting art.1 from 18.829 Travel Agents Law and art.18 from 118/05 Resolution, organize their own graduate travels, generally by underhand methods or by some intermediary teacher who “covers” forthe institutional infringement. 118/05 Reslution only contemplates an exception in its art.17 and it is that the offered travel must take only one day and it does not include to spend the night.
Since payment modalities of these sort of travels is made by installments throughout a year, students start probing into agencies to cantract during this period. In this sense, the experience of the same year´s graduates preceding them is usually important but not determinig. Some groups say yes and others reach a consensus with their parents. In Argentina the age of consent is 21 and only
