Waiting for the next XL weekend that will begin this Thursday, with a occupancy projection that reaches 60% in Mendozafrom the tourism sector propose the resurgence of a new pre-pandemic modality, currently driven by the economic crisis: goodbye to “advance reservations” to make way for “spontaneous tourists.”
“It is a phenomenon that has been occurring more than anything with the issue of the crisis. We have been watching it since the summer. Many people do not make reservations, they wait until they travel, and when they arrive, they book directly“They assured Sunfrom the Mendoza Tourism Entity (Emetur).
“Today we no longer talk about reserves because it is no longer an accurate index., we talk about projections. To build the data we see in the search engines how Mendoza is doing. This information ends up coinciding much more than the hotel occupancy data“, they continued.
With year-on-year inflation that reached 276.4% in May, tourism industry leaders acknowledge that the number of travelers has decreased in recent months, and stated that today’s customer is much more “prudent.”
“There is an important change compared to last year. Today tourists are not desperate to book in advance. They know that there are more offers and they look for prices. They are more cautious“, said Diego Stortinimember of the Tunuyán Chamber of Tourism.
And I add: “Currently the demand is genuine. In 2023 with the Pre-trip You paid in advance and there were no price disputes. There was no elasticity“.
The market rules
Affected by the drop in demand, tourism providers were forced to cut prices in order to attract a greater number of visitors. After strong increases in the final months of last year, representatives of the sector assure that values have fallen considerably.
“There is a dramatic drop in prices. They are 30% less than the previous year“Guaranteed Stortini.
As an example, the vice president of the Mendoza Economic Federation (FEM) said that months ago a well-known restaurant in Valle de Uco He charged $200 for his menu, while today they are charging $90.
The same thing happens in San Rafael. Agreeing with Stortini, the Chamber of Tourism of the southern department reported that A cabin, which in November 2023 was around $140,000, in January cost $80,000.
“The market rules. If the accommodation does not have occupancy to cover its expenses, prices go down“he commented Fabio Sat, president of the entity.
“Modest” recovery
Although the data from recent months show a certain amount of optimism within the sector, the levels are far from those desired when compared to previous years.
“Our reflection must be 2019, the best tourist year without anabolics like Pre-Trip. Little by little, the tourism matrix is adjusting and We believe that from July there will be a modest recovery. Everything will depend on how the country’s economic situation progresses.“Stortini anticipated.
Meanwhile, in the short term, expectations are placed on the Winter Breakwhile inquiries grow and the first reservations begin to become effective.
“Reservations for the winter holidays are good. For now they are above 50%. There is a sign of recovery, but everything will improve as people’s situation improves. Winter holidays will be a thermometer for summer projections“Sat concluded.
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