Glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, deserts ... Argentina has such a wide variety of options for tourists that thousands of Americans already have succumbed to its charms. In fact, the demand for flights to that country has grown so much that the recently inaugurated direct air route between Chicago and Buenos Aires is only the tip of the iceberg.

According to the Argentina Tourism Office the number of U.S. visitors to Argentina grew more than 35 percent between 2005 and 2007, and it is estimated that close to 430,000 North Americans (from the United States and Canada) visited the country last year. But this is just the beginning of a trend that is on the rise, industry executives say.

"Due to a tourist offer that includes the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, the exclusivity of cruises to Antarctica, ski resorts and fishing, the number of U.S. tourists visiting our country will grow at an even faster rate during 2008," said Eduardo Piva, director of the Argentina Tourism Office serving the U.S., Canada and Mexico region.