Established at the end of the 19th century, Mar del Plata has become the leading seaside resort in Buenos Aires if not in the whole of Argentina in the intervening hundred years. Thanks to its beach culture it has evolved from an elitist form of tourism to a more popular one, resulting in the building of accomodations and leisure facilities for almost three million people a year. Its growing-highly segregated-urban sector means that the shoreline is subjected to intensive human presence, resulting in continual erosion and water pollution. The current social and economic crisis in the country has brought about the collapse of the tourist industry and the future of Mar del Plata is uncertain.