With one of the largest stands at the international fair, Assist Card relaunched its branding strategy this year, which resulted in higher sales, and closed four important commercial agreements, of which the AFA, River Plate and the National High Performance Sports Entity (ENARD). But they are also present in the country’s main airports and accompany the clubs Colo-Colo from Chile, Flamengo from Brazil and Colombian football federationamong others.
In addition, they have an agreement since last February with CBC Companies in Brazil and Argentina, a financial services giant listed on the Bovespa of São Paulo. “Rubbing shoulders with the leading brands, clubs or a corporate segment is not minor, it has to do with brand positioning, with the strategy of building at the same time”said Bras Harriott in the conversation with this medium.
In this context, the country manager highlighted that they recently opened in Rosary a 350 m2 office in Rosario, located in Córdoba at 2400, one and a half blocks from Oroño Boulevard, with 18 employees. The objective is to reactivate that space, which is growing day by day in flights abroad.
But in addition, he said that they plan to invest US$850,000 in new offices in Córdoba and Mendozawith new points of sale on the street and personalized attention. In the future, they plan to expand in Neuquen for the boom Dead Cow. Here are the highlights of the dialogue:
Journalist: They recorded the best September in history, what changed in the local travel assistance market?
Sebastian Bras Harriott: Yes, we have already achieved 30% growth against the estimated budget for this year. There is an issue that clearly came to stay in travel assistance, which is the penetration of the products over the total number of travelers. Invariably, before the pandemic there were four out of ten who contracted products and today we are seven or eight out of ten who contract products. No matter how much the 5% number of Argentines who travel remains, that segment that continues to travel, by increasing sales penetration, let’s say, on travelers who travel, results in more income.
Journalist: What destinations do Argentines who request your products travel to?
SBH:35% are the United States, another 35% to Europe, and the remaining 30% would be very regional and Southeast Asia. But now the strong season is going to start in the summer, where Uruguay and Brazil take much more preponderance with respect to the United States and Europe.
Journalist: To closer destinations like Brazil or Uruguay, tourists sometimes consider that coverage is not necessary…
SBH: The incidence, the risk, the risk point of view is the same, whether you go to Brazil or you go to New York. Unfortunately, if you have to get sick you are going to suffer while in Brazil, Uruguay, Shanghai or Europe. Therefore, the preponderance of risk is exactly the same. In fact, you can get sunbathing on the beaches of Brazil or Miami.
Journalist: Do you recommend different products by destination?
SBH: Although we recommend a million dollar product for travel in the United States, if you go to Brazil or Punta del Este to spend the holidays we recommend a 150 thousand dollar product. Today we have an excellent number of commercial offers, agreements with 14 banks in Argentina, so one will be able to find offers in the direct channel that can range from a 20% discount to a 45% discount, even with financing.
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Journalist: How do you see the price issue?
SBH: This fact that to some extent inflation is going down and the Government is accompanying it with rate reductions or the TNA is going down, at some point it makes it easier to grant financing plans to end clients, for which one can find 6 interest-free installments or 12 interest-free installments. Today customers will be able to find prices that can vary from 10 dollars per day to 24 dollars per day, depending on the plan, with financing. And the offers may vary depending on the bank where one has or is a client.
Journalist: What perspective do you see in tourism?
SBH: The good news for the market is that tourism has not fallen. The segment of Argentinians who travel continues to travel, despite the economic, macro or country circumstances that have been occurring. Not from now, but from many years ago. The tourism industry already comes with its difficulties from a financing point of view, which there is none; From the point of view of profits, there are none; the exchange rate, which is also there. In fact, the tourist dollar is more valid than ever to the point that there is some debate about whether they are going to put a perception on it or not. In conclusion, today it is extremely encouraging that we have not fallen one step, but that the reception is maintained.
Journalist: So they are optimistic…
SBH: The demand from Argentine travelers continues to be there and from that point of view, we are very optimistic. And from the medium-term point of view, the best may be yet to come, because any measure taken in favor or pro-industry is welcome.
Journalist: How, for example?
SBH: A possible exchange rate unification, a lifting of the stocks, a greater reduction in rates. This allows for greater financing, which is why we are optimistic that the best can happen. We have more or less analyzed that with unification of the exchange rate, without stocks to the dollar, we can return to the level of 2017 and 2018, where there was no stocks, and the total Argentine travelers had increased by one point to 6%, which is a lot. Without stocks (our growth) ends up being 20% more and we understand that this is a target market that we can target. If the restrictions are lifted and exchange rate unification is changed, a greater number of travelers can be incorporated. This is related to the return to financing.
Journalist: Why?
SBH: Because today one cannot contract a tourist package or an air ticket in 12 installments or 6 installments without interest, which is why there is a limited number of Argentines who will be able to finance the trip. And without a doubt we estimate that it could be 20% more. However, in our budget we are not contemplating the lifting of the exchange rate, but rather we are taking
Source: Ambito
