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Two tango dancers move awkwardly across the floor, laughing as they try to avoid stepping on one another's toes. As tango classics waft out of the sound system and a disco ball casts its refracted light, the pair are like any other learning a new dance -- except they're both men.

It's Wednesday night in Buenos Aires, and the country's only gay milonga is in full swing.

Goddess, a local gay club, began offering the milonga -- a tango dance party -- five months ago, around the time that organizers Roxana Gargano and Augusto Balizano began to notice an influx of gay tourists into Buenos Aires. It's the latest offering in a city that is fast becoming the hottest gay destination in South America.

Buenos Aires is in the midst of a tourism boom. The Argentine peso lost two-thirds of its value shortly after the country's 2001 economic collapse. Though bad for Argentines, that drop has been good for tourists, who are now flooding what was once the most expensive city in South America.

"Buenos Aires is New York or London at one-quarter of the price," said Ray de la Pena, who visited the city from Hawaii three times in 2003.

Indeed, more than 6.5 million tourists visited Buenos Aires in the first 11 months of 2003, a 38-per-cent increase over the same period in 2002, according to figures compiled by the Secretary of Economic Development.

In November, the most recent month for which figures are available, tourists spent more than $300-million in the city.

No figures exist on how many of those tourists are gay, but several signs point to a significant growth in their numbers.

In May, Carlos Melia opened Pride Travel, the first and only agency in Buenos Aires dedicated exclusively to gay travel. Seven months later, he has six employees, and Melia said the agency was immediately profitable. It puts out The Ronda, a gay guide to Buenos Aires, and is expanding to become an information centre for local gays and lesbians.

Other travel agencies are adding gay-oriented offshoots. And five months ago, Friendly Apartments opened its doors, renting upscale city apartments to gay travellers. The agency currently maintains 15 apartments and will be adding 11, said Matias Pico, the agency's co-ordinator.

Buenos Aires, a city of three million, is often called the Paris of South America for its café culture, French-style architecture and sophistication of its residents, most of whom are descendants of Spanish and Italian immigrants.

Juan Carlos Campillo, of Mexico City, visited Buenos Aires in July and found the city measured up to its cosmopolitan reputation.

"I chose Buenos Aires because many people had told me how beautiful the city was, that the people were friendly and cultured," he said. "My friends were right -- it was like being in Europe."

The city boasts a lively gay scene. Buenos Aires is famed for its nightlife, with dozens of bars and discos open every night and portenos -- as the multinational denizens of Buenos Aires are known -- dancing until the sun comes up. Numerous gay bars and dance clubs have opened recently, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to party like the locals.

There are also gay-only bed and breakfasts, gay-run restaurants, a nearby gay-only beach, and shops and hotels that advertise as "gay-friendly."

Gay travel is a major business worldwide. In 2002, it generated about $80-billion in receipts in North America alone, according to Robert Wilson, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.

That Buenos Aires is viewed as one of the most progressive cities in South America fuels its appeal to the gay community. Though there is no exact information on the number of gays and lesbians living in Buenos Aires, the community is one of the most open and vibrant in the region. The Argentina Homosexual Community, the country's first gay-rights organization, was created in 1984. And in 2002 the city became the first in Latin America to pass a civil union law, giving gays and lesbians most of the rights enjoyed by married couples.

Wilson said of the law that there is "no doubt whatsoever that it contributes to a sense of the city as progressive."

Some neighbourhoods, like fashionable Palermo and Recoleta, are known for being safe and accepting places for gays and lesbians. Though gay visitors may need to be circumspect in some parts of the city, a live-and-let-live attitude generally prevails.

"If you want to walk with your partner holding hands, no one will say anything," Melia said.

The city's sophistication, riverside location and proximity to Chile and Brazil combine to make Buenos Aires "one of the major gay destinations in the world," Wilson said.

Traditionally, gay tourists have had few South American destination options. The heavily Catholic region tends to be conservative and inhospitable to gays and lesbians.

It also has few large, cosmopolitan cities. Santiago prohibits any physical affection between members of the same sex in public. Rio de Janeiro, traditionally the major South American gay destination, is falling out of favour as its crime rate spirals.

As they look for a new destination, Buenos Aires's rich cultural life, progressive attitude and bargain prices are appealing, Melia said.

Pico said the city's thriving culture, fascinating history and sumptuous dining will lure him back again.

"I loved the friendliness of the people, the food," he said. "I'm dying to return."

If you go

GETTING THERE

Pride Travel: Paraguay 523, 2nd floor, Ste. E; phone: 54 (11) 5218 6556; http://www.pride-travel.com.

WHEN TO GO

Spring in North America is fall in Argentina, a good time of year to visit, both in terms of weather and prices.

WHERE TO STAY

Friendly Apartments: Paraguay 1446, 9th floor, Ste. A;

http://www.friendlyapartments.com; phone: 54 (11) 4816 9032.

THINGS TO DO

Goddess: Av. Cordoba 4185; phone: 54 (11) 4861 2961. A milonga known as La Marshall is held here Wednesdays at 10 p.m. (classes begin at 8:30 p.m.). It costs about $3 ($4 with the class). For more information, call 54 (15) 5406 9784.

INFORMATION

Bleu Cards puts out a map called Gay Map Buenos Aires; visit http://www.bleucards.com.ar for more information or pick up a copy at Pride Travel. The Ronda, another pocket guide, can also be picked up at Pride Travel.