Misiones Province
Yerba mate heartland + Iguazu Falls (UNESCO, Seven Natural Wonders). 1,200km Mate Route links 200+ businesses. By 2026: balancing tourism growth with conservation and agricultural heritage.
Misiones Province demonstrates how unique agricultural heritage combined with world-class natural attractions can create diversified economic resilience. The isolated territory—surrounded by Paraguay to the west, Brazil to the north and east, and Corrientes to the southwest—developed the yerba mate cultivation that defines Argentine identity as much as beef or wine, alongside the Iguazu Falls that draw global tourism.
Yerba mate production anchors agricultural employment. Misiones and northeastern Corrientes constitute Argentina's Ilex paraguariensis heartland, producing the leaves for the national beverage consumed by millions daily. The 1,200-kilometer Yerba Mate Route connects 200+ businesses from plantations through processing to tasting, integrating agricultural tourism that distinguishes Misiones from pure commodity production.
Iguazu Falls—300 cascades including the majestic Devil's Throat—generates the tourism engine. Recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the falls attract visitors year-round. The National Parks Administration has announced infrastructure enhancement plans to manage growing popularity while preserving natural heritage and avoiding overcrowding.
The Jesuit ruins of Santa María la Mayor (also UNESCO-listed) and Moconá Falls add cultural and natural attractions extending visitor stays beyond the falls themselves. Timber, tea, and cassava round out the agricultural base, leveraging subtropical climate unavailable elsewhere in Argentina.
By 2026, Misiones tests whether tourism infrastructure investment can capture growing visitor flows without environmental degradation, while yerba mate production maintains its cultural and economic significance as Argentina modernizes.