Those who enjoy the tranquility of the spas, usually prefer February before a January of a lot of movement to vacation in the east.But the difference does not only come because of a more friendly level of rest, but of a lower load for the tourist pocket, which applies both for accommodation and for day -to -day purchases or going out to eat.
According to several operators of the item, the first month of the season obtained ambiguous results, where in the first days it was aimed at being very successful but "was punctured" towards the second fortnight.
In November and December there was optimism regarding the number of visitors who would spend the summer, both in Maldonado and Rocha.In addition, especially in Montevideo, the ephemeral but massive presence of Brazilians on the occasion of the final of the Copa Libertadores felt like an oxygen breath.However, although January had an excellent start, the sudden explosion of coronavirus cases following the irruption of the omicron variant in Uruguay frustrated the plans of many tourists who canceled their plans at the last moment and at the same time notoriously diminished the expected influx ofoutdoor travelers.
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For Jesús Ramos, real estate agent in Chuy, Barra del Chuy and Punta del Diablo, "the season had two parts, the first 15 days of January worked very well and from 12, 13 began to go down; from 15:16We are 40% less; today we are 50% less and good, as water has come, because the people who were about to leave have not left ".
"We also have very few reservations for February," added Ramos."That has been a characteristic of this season, nobody reserved in October or November to come in January or December, people as they do not know how the pandemic will be, they tell you like this: 'I am leaving my city, I live at 400Km from the Chuy, we arrive there at 4 in the afternoon, do they have anything to rent? 'For three, four or five days.As you know there is capacity...In February we think the same can happen, "he predicted.
Downward prices
The bad news for tour operators are, on the contrary, good for those who want to spend a few days in the east, because they push down prices.
Francisco Rodríguez, president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Uruguay, provided the fact that in February a reduction in rates of 10% to 15% is expected compared to January, which differs with a usual reduction that usually is around20% every year.
According to the operators, that is explained because the cheaper was advanced and already began to be found in January.
"The price difference is already, prices have dropped here in the chuy bar and 20% for accommodations, so we will walk in February with this 20% less and suddenly some more things," according to Ramos.This "because the demand is little and the supply has to be more tempting, so one of the ways is to lower the rent," he explained and added that he believes that "all Rocha is like this".For his part, Rodríguez said that rates in the east with respect to January 2020 were already 30% cheaper.
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Héctor Araújo, advisor to the Hotel Center of Punta del Este, replied to El Observador in the same direction."February is always estimated that it is 20% less than January, it is that January has been so cheap that it does not give you! Do you want the post, post? You get in booking (hotel website), you see prices andYou cannot believe that there are five stars hotels in Punta del Este to US $ 55 the double room, nor in Tacuarembó that comes out! "He said.
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For the advisor, the same is being given in the gastronomy part."Yesterday I went to Montevideo, I went to eat and are the same houses, Magnum, the pink panera, and they charge the same, exactly the same thing and you have the same offers with the credit card, especially for the Uruguayans.If you pay with a card you have 15%, 25% discount...And here it is the same, I would tell you that it is a tracing of what Montevideo is for the same restaurant quality, "he said.
Araújo was very optimistic about the competitiveness of prices in Punta del Este."We are 20% below dollars of what was charged before the pandemic.Before you came to Punta del Este and you came prepared to tear your head.That price cuckoo is not today, "he said."Today at any restaurant Comés for US $ 20, or $ 900, $ 1000 per person; a bottle of wine in an average restaurant gets $ 450, $ 500.If I want to go to something more expensive - when I go to Guappa or Atlantic that is in front of the port - the bottle of wine is $ 700, but when I do 25% it ended up coming out $ 500 or $ 450 as in any restaurant "he said."I think today the cards have matched a lot," he reflected out loud.
"The test (that the spa has competitive prices) is, because the Uruguayan is quite machete.Why is Punta del Este full of Uruguayans?I don't like saying 'cheap', but it's because it's cheap! ".
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As regards the hotel, "not even talking," said Araújo."You have a range of hotels that, it is obvious, is supply and demand, the public is the one that puts the price you.So you with US $ 90, US $ 85 have the hotel you want: three stars with a pool, that if we compare it at international prices it is very cheap, "he described.
Finally, he left as a suggestion observe the offers in the liquidation stores."Do you know where you are going to have them? In your clothes, as you always have," he said.In February they already put 30%, 50% reduction and it is a month normally shopping, it is when the stores move more because the season ends.So many times you buy cheaper clothes in February than in Montevideo, and very good clothes, "he said.
Concern and request for benefits
Marina Cantera, president of the Chamber of Tourism, said that "hopes are placed on the weather and carnival".To improve the numbers, he told El Observador that the agency he represents is working on achieving VAT 0%rate, "as a way of telling the Uruguayans 'Che go out to vacation in February that they will have this benefit'".
Cantera said that although Punta del Este and Rocha destinations worked very well the first 10 days of the month, "everything is uncertainty", with a single exception: travel agencies, which are certain that they will go very bad.They are in a "really complicated" situation.
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The president of the Chamber of Tourism explained that the travel agencies "are very clear" that February will be very bad."They always work for a long time in advance, they are very clear how much they will sell: not next week, the months that come.People reserve more time, which is different than a hotel, where today comes a guest and reserves you for tomorrow, for the past, for the weekend, "he described.
"When they began to reactivate in a very gradual way as of November 1, Levante did not last 20 days and began to go down the omicron issue: do not forget that in the omicron world it comes from the first days of December," he recalled."We had been piloting a barbarian here, but in the world tourism began to stop quite before".So, although the agencies "came with an interesting recovery, in November they had a 45% billing compared to 2019, in December it fell to 30% and in January to 20%," he lamented.
Cantera said that Carrasco Airport is 50% of the capacity as at the same time of 2020 and the port of Colonia at 30%.