12/22/2020 12:49 PM
Clarín.com
Travels
Updated 12/22/2020 12:49 PM
Without recovering after months of general paralysis, tourism is again on edge due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It began this Sunday, December 20, with the isolation of Great Britain: several European countries suspended their flights due to the rapid expansion of the new strain of the coronavirus, and as the hours went by, countries from other regions were added, among them, Argentina.
This is not everything.
The national government is
analyzing the possibility of closing other borders
, such as that of Brazil.
Although between the pandemic and the economic crisis an invasion of Argentines was not expected on Brazilian beaches, it is true that several had contracted air tickets, packages or some type of accommodation for the
2021 summer holidays
.
Until now, travel to Brazil had no restrictions as long as it was by air.
Land and river borders did remain and still remain closed.
But in recent days, some issues have set off alarms: from one day to the next, tourists were asked to evacuate from Buzios due to the increase in coronavirus cases (although later there was a
reversal
with the measure) and Brazil also announced that as of December 30, it would require a negative PCR test to enter its territory.
The beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
Aerolineas Argentinas has direct flights to the city.
Photo: Ian Cheibub / dpa
What the experts say
"The influx of public by car, as was generally done in other summers, is not allowed today. People did not go out to rent houses as before because they did not know if the land border would open. You can only access Brazil by plane," he explains Pablo Bazzetti, general manager of the All Seasons agency and adds: "We have had passengers who booked stays in some of the resorts that are open in the south of Brazil and who are going by plane. But by land is not an option, because there is no open land borders and I don't think people went out to rent a house without knowing if they would be able to drive. "
With the experience that the pandemic left these months,
flexibility
was installed as one of the pillars for hiring future trips.
One of the beaches in Búzios, Brazil.
Photo: Getty Images
"Most of the reservations that are confirmed are flexible. (In the event of a closure) Passengers will have the possibility to reschedule the date for later, which was the same thing that has been done since the borders were closed there by March, "explains Bazzetti in relation to ground services.
As for air, something similar is expected, although logically we will have to wait and see "what flexibility policy the companies are going to apply in the event of border closures. Surely a rational solution will be sought and quite similar to the one applied in March ".
Already in December,
Aerolineas Argentinas' programming
to Brazil showed a gradual increase in frequencies.
Until December 14 there were 5 weekly flights to Rio de Janeiro;
It currently has daily flights and from the 28th, 9 weekly flights were planned and perhaps some reinforcement not yet defined.
There are also daily flights to São Paulo, which will change to 10 weekly flights next week.
There is also a weekly flight to Salvador (Bahia) and, as of January, they have a weekly flight to Florianópolis scheduled.
What happens to the tickets in case there is a border closure with the neighboring country?
There is still no notification, logically, because no action has been taken, but in case of closure it is expected that there will be an
extension of "the commercial policy that has been applied
since March; air tickets have a free change that allows rescheduling" They say from the airline.
Praia do Forte, one of the beaches of Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil.
Photo: Getty Images
Pablo Aperio, general manager of TTS Viajes maintains that "although there is the possibility of border closure (and if it becomes effective), the rescheduling modality would be the same as we had throughout 2020 due to the pandemic: we negotiate with each provider in order to to leave the credit open to make the trip when the sanitary conditions are suitable to be able to do it, and we activate all the after-sales protocols to provide service to our passengers, not only those who are at their destination, but those who are about to start their trips ".
In the Despegar agency they point out something similar: working with partners and suppliers in search of the best solutions.
"Each case is particular and the circumstances of each traveler must be considered. Given the situation we are going through with the impact of the pandemic, our suppliers are considering flexibility policies in most cases, which include open tickets in the case of flights, rescheduling or vouchers for the value of the reservation ", says Paula Cristi, general manager of Despegar Argentina and Uruguay.
Rescheduling
In the event of a border closure,
reprogramming is required
.
"In a case like this there is no breach of contract, but rather the impossibility of fulfilling it, due to a decision external to the company, and that enables the reprogramming," says the lawyer specialized in Tourism Law, Diego Benítez.
And it highlights that the current Economic Sustainability Law (called "tourism law", regulated in October) refers specifically to the "consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic."
"Specifically, articles 27, 28 and 29 indicate that in principle, services are reprogrammed for 12 months, the delivery of a voucher with up to 12 months of validity or, in the event that this voucher is not used in that term, the reimbursement of the amount in 6 consecutive monthly installments, the first one running 60 days after the request ".
In summary, three options: rescheduling, voucher for 12 months or refund in up to 6 installments if the voucher is not used.
In the event that
services have been contracted directly in Brazil
, reprogramming runs but according to Brazilian law, which specifically clarifies some points, such as, for example, that if a commission was charged for a certain service, it is not returned, because it is considered professional service and is part of the fee.
"In Argentina, on the other hand, that point was not resolved," Benítez details.
Images of December 18: locals protest in the streets in front of the announcement of the closure of Buzios to tourism, a measure that was later reversed.
Photo: AP Photo / Bruna Prado
From Buzios, Brazil, Marcel Piana, receptive tourism operator, assures that in the neighboring country "nothing is known" about a possible border closure with Argentina, and highlights as the only novelty that from December 30, Brazil will begin to require tests PCR negative for those who arrive in the country.
And as for changes or refunds of contracted services, it highlights that "Brazilian law requires that the money be returned in practically all cases", except for exceptions such as a client who does not appear without informing in advance, for example.
"I worked with a receptive agency to which they canceled the reservations and returned 100 percent to all the passengers, because there is insurance for tourists and the law tends to agree with it."
And he points out that there are "very few" cases of people who hire directly, without intermediaries such as a travel agency or rental platform.
"In particular cases there is more risk because it is a private negotiation, but the vast majority of tourists hire through a company with legal backing, such as an agency, Booking or Airbnb. That is why it is essential to always use the services of an intermediary, that offer a guarantee, with a contract and legal support ".
Arrival of passengers at Ezeiza Airport.
Photo: Luciano Thieberger.
From Porto de Galinhas, in the Northeast, Clota Díaz Ordoñez, creator of the online tourist guide Vivo Porto de Galinhas explains that “in the case of direct reservations, there are hoteliers in the region who decided to stipulate clauses for Covid-19.
For example, if a guest wants to make a cancellation 60 days before the reservation date, the accommodation allows rescheduling but with the possibility of re-marking the rate in the future, without an expiration date.
On the other hand, if the cancellation is made up to 15 days before the date the reservation was made, there is no refund ”.
There is an objection that Benítez marks in relation to international contracts, as the services contracted through platforms such as Airbnb or Booking are considered, because the return depends on the policy of each platform and from all countries, except the United States and China , they must litigate in the courts of Ireland.
"Only now has it been determined that in Europe it is possible to litigate in the courts of the country where the litigation takes place, but for the rest of the world the courts of Ireland, where these companies are based, rule," says the lawyer.
And although it can be litigated in Argentina, it is not possible to enforce the sentence even if it is favorable.
Argentine reserves
The
direct flights
are usually marked trend in the elections of a destination and this was the case of Brazil.
From the Almundo agency they point out that the best sellers have been Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Florianópolis, Natal and Buzios.
"Today Brazil has no cancellations; they are definitions and protocols that governments take, in general, without prior notice. If a border closure happens again, passengers will be rearranged based on air availability and, for passengers who they have trips close to those destinations, they will be able to reschedule their trip as it has been done so far, "they say from the agency.
Clota Díaz Ordoñez says that “what we noticed is that the majority of Argentines who had the intention of traveling to Brazil
left the issue of accommodation
until
last
, hoping to be able to fly first, and then buy accommodation.
Before they tried to close everything from Argentina: flights, accommodation, excursions ”.
In this it coincides with what the Avantrip agency points out, that
air reservations
and not accommodation
reservations abounded
.
And they explain: "Approximately 87 percent of purchases received from Brazil did not include accommodation in addition to airfare. The decision to vacation in Brazil was firm but the option to move to another city and stay in another if perceived risky against Covid 19 was a very repeated practice ".
To this is added that "100% of the sales in Brazil were flexible. Not only can people who bought by requesting a new date reschedule under these rules, but it is also known that airlines can suspend the flight for safety and offer new terms of purchase without penalty. This is a practice already installed in the airlines ".
According to this consulted agency, the Argentine basically bought
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
, but they were late purchases.
Nor was it bought for Carnival, something that other years set a trend.
Aerial view of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
Photo: EFE / Antonio Lacerda
"There was a belated reaction from the Argentine in considering Brazil as a summer destination for 3 main reasons: it was perceived as a risky destination, Gol airline stopped flying regularly and also because Uruguay closed", they say in Avantrip and add: "A Starting in November, Rio de Janeiro began to be sold, something that was still. Very little northeast of Brazil and more São Paulo, something unexpected for the summer season because São Paulo is a business destination, but now it is a destination to connect flights internal to Brazil and also to leave the continent ".
In All Seasons they point out that the most requested for the summer - within the limited figures imposed by the pandemic for trips abroad - closely accompany the offer of Aerolineas Argentinas flights and its direct flights.
"The best seller is
Buzios
because there is a direct flight to Rio de Janeiro and also the Bahia area, the all inclusive ones," Bazzetti details.
But in addition to Argentines traveling to Brazil, a border closure would once again cut off the entry of foreign tourists to Argentina, which had been promoting in recent times.
"The third week of January and the last week of February are the weeks in which most Brazilians chose to travel to Argentina during the summer. Basically they are traveling to destinations such as Bariloche, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Mendoza and Salta. It means that Argentines We will also lose tourists who had planned to visit our country ", they explain from Avantrip.
Look also
Summer 2021: what requirements do they ask to travel to each of the provinces
Coronavirus: as of December 30, Brazil will require a negative PCR test to enter