Argentina's southernmost outpost of Ushuaia fears hantavirus speculation will chill tourism

(18 May 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Ushuaia, Argentina - 15 May 2026 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Isabel Debre, The Associated Press: ++PART OVERLAID++ "I am at the end of the world. That is what the city of Ushuaia in Argentina proudly calls itself because it's so widely known as the southernmost city on earth. And it's here, at this port, that you see behind me that the Atlantic cruise ship that became stricken with the rare and deadly hantavirus actually first began its journey. Now, almost everybody that we speak to in town, residents and tour agents and people like that, are incredibly concerned about the hantavirus outbreak on that cruise ship, not because they're worried about contracting it or anything like that. They actually insist that the virus does not exist at all here in Ushuaia or the wider province of Tierra del Fuego. No, what they are concerned about is the impact that all of the international frenzy and anxiety over the hantavirus is having and will have on tourism which is just such an important source of income here. People come from all over the world, thousands of miles to this place to experience this amazing wilderness that you can see behind me, and to go on once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic cruises. Now, people tell us, tour operators and agents say that already American and European travelers are calling with questions and also already cancellations for the reservations next season because of what officials here insist is an unjustified connection between the dangerous hantavirus and Ushuaia." 2. Tourists posing in front of the Ushuaia sign 3. Two women sitting on a bench by the waterfront 4. Drone shots of Ushuaia ++PART SPLIT SCREEN WITH SOUNDBITE++ 5. Cars passing by buildings 6. Snow-capped mountains in horizon and people near waterfront 7. Snow-covered street 8. Storefront in Ushuaia promoting Antarctic tourism 9. Tourism kiosk empty ++PART SPLIT SCREEN WITH SOUNDBITE++ 10. Tourist posing by sign (Spanish) "Ushuaia end of the world." 11. Waterfront with snow-capped mountains 12. Various of Ushuaia landscape during a snowstorm STORYLINE: The Argentine wind-lashed city of Ushuaia that bills itself as the “end of the world” now fears for its future after it found itself at the center of speculation about the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The Associated Press' Isabel Debre explains. This is an area where travelers hoping to catch a glimpse of Magellanic penguins and humpback whales have journeyed in greater numbers every year, the main Antarctic cruise hub at the southernmost point of Argentina. In the last week, the remote outpost has found itself at the center of speculation about the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak on an Atlantic cruise after Argentina's Health Ministry said it was examining whether the outbreak’s first victims, a Dutch couple who died in April, contracted the rat-borne virus there. Authorities in Ushuaia — the capital of left-leaning Tierra del Fuego Province, which has frequently clashed with libertarian President Javier Milei — say they're victims of a smear campaign. The Argentine Health Ministry says it can't rule out any destination visited by the Dutch bird enthusiasts during their monthslong road trip through Argentina and Chile before boarding the ship in Ushuaia. Despite a lack of any evidence to suggest the outbreak started in Ushuaia, people here whose livelihoods depend on foreign visitors say they are feeling the effects. Some officials in Tierra del Fuego are subscribing to the philosophy that all press is good press. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...