For several years now, in Argentina, a high level of
anticipatory anxiety
has been used to define summer vacations abroad.
More than a desire for the beach, or an altered mental state, this consumption drive
comes from the pocket
.
It is the irrepressible need to want to freeze, as soon as possible, the price of tickets and accommodation, in the face of a dollar that does not take a
break
.
But now we are world champions in eager tourists.
We raise the Cup of anticipation.
The rush to "beat the devaluation", which allowed reservations at an official exchange rate of $369 and not $846, causes the
“Miami effect” to intensify in the Caribbean.
The beaches of Punta Cana and Cancun are full of Argentines resting on lounge chairs that they paid for long before today's dollar card.
The key is the all-inclusive
offer
from Mexico and the Dominican Republic
, which means that once the resort bracelet is on your wrist, you can enjoy it without converting.
And at a 5 star level.
"In our database, on average
Argentines booked 90 days before the trip
- similar to Chileans and very different from Uruguayans who, without exchange or tax fluctuations, buy 60 days before -, but
this time
they anticipated 6 months
"
Héctor Álvarez, commercial director in Argentina and all of Latin America of the Iberostar hotel chain,
tells
Clarín .
This Spanish firm - one of those with the greatest presence in Caribbean properties - sold the entire January and February season to Argentine guests in August, post PASO, and September.
"In October, before the elections, we already sold them for March, April and May
," says Álvarez.
For our summer 2024, reservations at all Iberostars in Mexico and the Dominican Republic
increased 35%
compared to the same time in 2023
.
In all European capital chains,
Punta Cana
wins in this anticipatory fury ,
with 45% of the reserves
, followed by
Cancún, with 30%
.
“Of course, then came the
drop in reserves,
in November, December and now,
very marked
.
But more than because of the dollar, with this high level of occupancy, I would say that it went down like this because in Argentina
everyone who could book had already booked ahead of time
,” Alvarez points out.
From the first line of the paradisiacal Bávaro beach, agrees Mario Viazzo, sales and marketing director of Palladium Hotel Group.
"In September, October and November there was an increase in advance sales. At the Grand Palladium Punta Cana Hotel
we grew 25%
in both revenue and reservations
compared to 2023. In the Riviera Maya, we maintained the level of reservations."
Punta Cana, the most visited destination in the Dominican Republic.
Photo Shutterstock
At the same time, Viazzo says that "in Argentina
sales slowed down after December 11
, however, since January we have already been recovering the reservation levels prior to the presidential inauguration, to
travel all year round
."
The tour operators who spoke with
Clarín
agree that these destinations compete with the all-inclusive destinations in Brazil - to which many Caribbean regulars have been flocking since the previous summer, because they are 20% cheaper - but they win the tourist fight non-gasoline
Argentines
.
The thing is that they were left with the Argentines who could think about paying for the flights and the cabin with a balcony on some of the cruises that leave from Miami, but they did not give them the budget.
They also absorbed the silver public who had opted to visit the Disney parks.
Dominican Republic is chosen more than Mexico for several reasons.
In addition to the fact that Punta Cana and Bayahibe - due to climate, hotels and service - have an excellent image in this country, they are
cheaper destinations than Cancun and the Riviera Maya
(from Puerto Morelos to Tulum, with Playa del Carmen in the middle).
Although the level is the same for guests, the Mexican hotel industry - in salaries, food and value of inputs - is much more expensive than the Dominican one.
Another reason is the
very high connectivity with the Dominican Republic
.
Aerolíneas Argentinas maintains 5 weekly flights to Punta Cana
.
And before the Alaska Air incident on January 6, which forced Copa Airlines to take 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 out of circulation to check the fuselage, this airline had 8 flights to the Dominican Republic, with a stopover in Panama.
In addition, from the Dominican Republic you can board
all inclusive
throughout the Caribbean.
"Compared to last season, demand from Argentine tourists grew by 20%," Costa Cruises tells this newspaper.
More than 50% bought it in assembled packages at travel agencies.
Without flights, rates are usually around
$470 per person
(plus fees and taxes).
Cabin availability is already sold out for February and March.
The freedom of everything being included
For March, which is not low season in these destinations, on average a double room starts at
$150 per person in an all-inclusive in Punta Cana
, while the same category jumps to
$210 in Cancun
.
Same as in January and February.
Given the drop in reserves after the peak of August and September, which today - the operators describe - "are at the bottom", one might think that the rate, if you want to buy now, should also go down.
In the Caribbean it doesn't work like that
.
Costs are determined by the occupancy level.
"That reservations from Argentina are paralyzed today has no influence on that
international market
, in which rooms continue to be filled with tourists from the region, and other countries (mostly European and American)," Álvarez closes.
Caribbean Peak and Fall
Carlos Nuñez, executive director of the Argentine Forum of Travel Consultants & Companies (FACVE), tells
Clarín
that, as happens with those who go to Miami, "most of the flights to the Caribbean are full of Argentines", but that is so because "they are tickets sold more than 6 months ago."
The movement of reservations currently, says Nuñez,
is only to Brazil
: Rio de Janeiro, Buzios, Natal, Florianópolis and Maceio.
Neither to the Caribbean nor to Miami.
"Even though the movement of Argentines traveling abroad is registered,
we see difficulties going forward
. The prohibition on purchasing tickets and tourist services abroad in installments by credit card remains in force," he says.
In addition to this strategic tool for consumers, "the problem persists that agencies and airlines continue to be collection agents for the AFIP (that tax burden is 60%)" .
Added to this claim by the chamber is "the
withholding of 5%
of income tax in cases of deposit in account or cash (which has happened since 2015)."
“A lot was sold until October/November and not just for the summer, for all of 2024. Then
the sale of tickets and packages dropped a lot
.
The difference is very important
,” Daniel Puddu, "The Travel Agent", a tourism influencer on the social network X,
tells
Clarín .
Since he has managed Nilo Viajes, his agency in Recoleta, for 30 years, he is a seasoned connoisseur of the anxieties of
middle and upper-middle class clients
.
The level of reservations of Punta Cana and Mexico by Argentines, says Puddu, is determined by the cost of flights.
That is the strong tailwind of the rush to define half a year before.
While flying to Cancun, on average, in August you paid
$1,200 round trip (a dollar $369)
, on all airlines on an economy basis, today the same flight starts at
$2,100
.
For Madrid, the most chosen capital of Europe since Ezeiza, the agencies only sell tickets, and there they also note that there was an anticipated demand, although "just more than normal."
“That's why tickets are so expensive now.
Because it sold out a lot in advance
until July/August
.
Then, there are flights with a high percentage of occupancy, which increases the price of each seat,” she closes.
Brazil: less anticipation
From Despegar, Alejandro Festa, manager of accommodation and tourist services, marks Brazil as an "always" favorite destination, which this year had a different behavior in its reservations.
"Travelers are taking the opportunity to purchase their trips at the last minute. If we compare mid-January vs. the previous four weeks, we see that the preference of Argentines to
stay in Floripa during January
increased by 92%
," says Festa.
Rio de Janeiro is at the forefront in international destination.
Regarding the Caribbean, it reinforces that "for both Cancun and Punta Cana, the search for packages grew strongly", which, depending on the case, allow savings of up to 30%.
Both destinations, however, "were purchased during the last months of 2023, with peak sales for travel in January and February."
ACE