The holiday that begins with Flag Day is greeted by a marked disparity between the tourist areas of Argentina: while in the interior of the province of Buenos Aires and Tucuman register an occupation of 40%the south reaches up to 85% of reserves. In any case, the sector confirms rooms “at the last minute” and warns of declines in domestic consumption.
Another long weekend arrived in the middle of a recession economic that only finds timidly auspicious data and on a sectoral basis, but not generalized. The same happens with registered salaries, which marked an improvement during May, but accumulate a drop of 7.7% since November, according to CP Consultora.
So far, the last holiday, which commemorates the life and struggle of General Güemes, marked a number of travelers 64.3% lower than last year, according to the Argentine Chamber of Medium Enterprises (CAME). It is also true that, on that occasion, the weekend was 4 days long. However, this time the tourists spent less, $50,788 daily3.4% down in real terms.
XL Tourism: what are the expectations in the different locations
For this next holiday, expectations are divided according to the region of the country. According to Tourism Hotel Association (AHT), the weekend that ended had a lower estimated demand than that which will develop until 6/22.
Among the most chosen destinations are those linked to snow: Bariloche and Villa la Angostura For this first weekend they had an average occupancy of between 70% and the 85% respectively and a similar percentage is estimated for the incoming.
In the case of UshuaiaAccording to AHT, the occupancy for last weekend was 65% and at the moment the projected for the next one is in 75%.
Caulkfor example, closed the June 17 holiday with a demand close to fifty% and now, the estimates are close to the 70%.
However, not the entire sector registers similar occupancy levels. The AHT data shows that on the last holiday the interior of Buenos Aireshe Coast, Cordoba capital, Tucuman, Mendoza and the Buenos aires city They maintained an occupation close to 40%.
Javier Muñozdirector of Tourism of the Municipality of Santa Fe, tells this medium that for this weekend the city is at 70% of reserves.
However, when reviewing the numbers corresponding to the Güemes holiday in previous years, he assures that in 2023 and 2021years where the date coincided with the Flag Day holiday, levels of 83.25% and 75% of reserves respectively, and in 2022 a 77%.
Meanwhile, 2020 had no tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while 2019 kept a 34.60% of occupation, and 2016 45.56%.
”The numbers were just as bad as those of 2019”Muñoz reflects. For the next holiday, although occupancy is higher, he assures that the “impact of economic policies on the pockets of national tourists“, because they are visitors who “spend less or book a shorter stay.”
At the same time, he highlights that the increase in fuel prices is shown as a ““private element” to travel and that, as there are no incentives to promote the sector, “the trend indicates that the tourism sector will have to face a lean season in terms of income.”
Low occupancy for the XL weekend: what will happen to jobs
For the Director of Tourism, the problem with the low level of activity during the low season – in itself, with lower performance than the high season – is that “service quality is at risk and above all, “the job positions”.
The same line runs Jorge Cisnerossecretary of the Gastronomic and Hotel Tourist Chamber of La Costa will not be employed at the same amount of people in the hotel and gastronomic sector, in relation to the previous year. “Tourism drives the economy in all sectors, of course the recession directly impacts employment and spreads to all other areas.”
In the case of the Atlantic Coast, Cisneros points out that occupancy in hotels in central and southern areagenerally two and three stars, plan to register during this holiday a 70% less reserves. Instead, higher category hotelsas in Costa del Este or San Bernardo, estimate a drop of only 10% compared to last year.
The Association of Tourism Hotels does highlight the performance of Quebrada de Humahuaca, province of Jujuy, which estimates an occupancy close to 90%. In this destination, the expectation is placed on the impact of the operation of the Sola Trainr. The new tourist attraction was inaugurated last Monday. In the case of Iguazu and Jumpthe reserves are estimated between the mentioned levels, between the 60% and the 70%.
Considering the figures it offers, for the entity it is unavoidable that “the low season (may June) is more marked than in recent years”, while highlighting the decline in domestic consumption by tourists, caused by the recession.
In any case, the destinations where the landscape is snow remain on the podium of the most chosen and “show good expectations”, but not other points, where “a high number of consultations are observed, but a low rate of concreteness”, since “the traveler makes the purchase decision closest to the date.”
Source: Ambito
