"We surfed the wave," summarizes the head of the tourism entity.
The afternoon is sunny and cool and there are tourists on the beach who delay returning home on the day when for all sectors linked to tourism there is an allegorical
closing of the season
.
Because it remains to put the finishing touch on it, but it is known that from now on reserves will decline, and up to this point, even with falls in almost all areas, there is some satisfaction with the results achieved in
a complex economic context
.
That is why Bernardo Martín, even without having added up the numbers - they will be known this Wednesday - who will leave the long weekend of carnivals and the mega-party for the anniversary of Mar del Plata, and which until now is the most popular of the summer, The entity that promotes the city throughout the country speaks of
a dominated wave
.
Because the public once again chose the city.
In the run-up to the change of government, with already known results, the reserves that had acquired a certain rhythm slowed down, and the day the devaluation hit came, they literally stopped.
Inflation was on its way to 25.5% at the end of the month,
what kind of season could be expected?
The train tickets had been sold out in a flash at a price that at this point seems prehistoric: $2,695 pesos in first class and $3,230 in pullman.
But the long-distance buses, with the new prices, at an average of
42 thousand pesos
, were unnecessary.
The interesting movement occurred on the routes and with intensity from time to time,
only on weekends
.
The immediate reading of the operators is what finally predominates even in these days of February with a crowd visiting Mar del Plata.
There would be no lack of public, but
spending would be careful
.
People on a beach in Mar del Plata on January 20.
Photo: Gabriel Bulacio
"From moderate to weak," the leader of the gastronomic workers described it.
To the consumption data, Pablo Santín contributed a labor one: this year
fewer temporary employees
were hired .
The weather had not been kind either: in the middle of the afternoon, after "short notice", a downpour came down that made people leave the beaches in a hurry, and at times there were strong winds.
In those days of the first half of January, Miramar suffered the scourge of a sudden storm that left two fatalities.
The second part of the month, for which "a rebound" is historically expected, began with a spectacular
string of days of pure sun
, beach every day and oppressive heat and a weekend with such a tight schedule of parties and recitals that it took more than 200 thousand people to move in a single night.
Thus, the third weekend of January had
85% occupancy
and confirmation of a fact that had been supported by operators since previous seasons: the driving force of summer is young people.
A study by the Municipal Tourism and Culture Entity then revealed that 44% of those who come to Mar del Plata are
between 18 and 35 years old
, and that this segment is the one that spends the most.
The young movement began to take shape in Mar del Plata in 2020. That year, on January 18, a group of violent people from Zárate murdered Fernando Báez Sosa in Villa Gesell, who until those days was the owner of an uncontrolled night that ended in the worst way.
Pinamar had already reformulated his nocturnal nature.
At the beginning of January the weather did not cooperate.
Photo: Gabriel Bulacio
"While other localities closed the night, we worked in general," explained Martín. "In Mar del Plata it was strengthened, and today we can say that we have a
careful nightlife
, which is not a product of improvisation."
From the tourism office they revealed that January
fell by 6.4% compared to the previous one
, it remains to know the result of this first fortnight of February that closes with a lot of public, as much or more than the most popular weekend in January.
The three nights of the celebrations for the 150 years of Mar del Plata, which close this Tuesday with a Bresh party on the beach, attracted 160 thousand people per night.
"In this economic context, I would say that the season has been acceptable. It was lower than last year, it is true, but we must see the reality that we are living with a decline in all activities. Short stays were managed but we
cannot say at all that "The summer was bad
," said the owner of a centrally located 4-star hotel.
Classes for infants and primary school begin in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires on the 26th, for secondary students the following week, on March 4.
"There will be weekends with the public, but
the chip is already different
";
defined the tour operator.
The strong tourist movement will only occur again a month later, the
six-day weekend
due to the conjunction of Holy Week, which will begin on Thursday, March 28, and Veteran's Day and the Day of the Fallen in the Malvinas War, on the 2nd. of April.
It will be a mitigating factor to face a year that, economically, reaches these shores like the waves returned by a rough sea, difficult even for the most experienced surfer.
Mar del Plata. Correspondent
P.S.