The change, which comes into force immediately, applies to bed and breakfast accommodation and reimbursement is made at the point of payment. To qualify, payments must be made with a foreign credit or debit card. Tourists will need to provide name, nationality, residency and passport or ID number. If bookings are made by travel agencies or tour operators, they will need to provide information on behalf of clients.

It is estimated that the change will cost Argentina £30 million in lost revenue but it is hoped that within a year, an extra 95,000 tourists will visit the country, generating more than £56 million extra. It comes after 15 years of lobbying by the industry and at the start of a year in which Norwegian Air looks set to begin flying to Buenos Aires from the UK.

Tourism minister Gustavo Santos said the measure followed “similar policies implemented by other countries and reflects a growing understanding of the importance of tourism to the global economy, as well as a renewed drive by Argentina’s government to attract trade and investments from around the world”.