A few days ago, the general manager of Enjoy Punta del Este, Ignacio Sarmiento, published on his social networks the excellent results that had resulted from the first half of the year.
The firm achieved its historical maximum of Ebitda (gross profit, before the payment of interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Sarmiento explained to Café & Negocios that throughout the year the hotel reaches US$20 million in Ebitda and this year, only in the first half, US$24 million was reached.
“The unit had never had a first semester like the one we are having,” says Sarmiento.
The manager understands that these results show a “quite fast” recovery from the impact of the pandemic and associates it with a successful management of the hotel administration leveraged on the measures taken by the national government to alleviate the crisis derived from the health emergency.
Regarding the business, the leader of Enjoy Punta del Este affirms that the growth is justified by a very aggressive management to position Uruguay in new markets in the world. “Historically we depended a lot on the Latin American region, especially Argentina and Brazil,” Sarmiento details. Since before the pandemic, the iconic hotel in Punta del Este had focused on attracting new markets and this intensified after the opening of borders. “We put the focus on the development of international markets and that is bringing us clients from all over the world,” reaffirms the manager of Enjoy Punta del Este and highlights the work of the Uruguayan government. “Uruguay has sold very well in the world as a country and that has a direct impact on tourism.”
Of the total number of tourists who arrive at Enjoy, 30% do so from outside the region. The main markets continue to be Argentina and Brazil, but the difference in results is explained by those who come from outside the region. “They come mostly from Europe and also from the United States,” Sarmiento details.
The achievement of Enjoy Punta del Este is shared by the Undersecretary of Tourism, Remo Monzeglio, who asserts that the Ministry of Tourism aims to diversify the origin of tourists who come to the country and, above all, to the main resort.
The achievement was shared by the undersecretary of the portfolio, Remo Monzeglio, who affirms that from his portfolio they are working to include Uruguay in international calendars and that in addition to attracting tourists they plan to hold fairs in Uruguay, as is the case of Termatalia, a fair thermal bath that they hope to carry out in the country next year.
Side effect
For The Grand Hotel the first half of the year was “much better than expected”. “We noticed a huge recovery,” says its general manager Gabriel Guerra.
In his case, the protagonists continue to be Argentines, followed by Brazilians, “an interesting percentage of Americans” and 5% of other nationalities that Guerra attributes to the organization of international events in the city.
Although the dependence on Argentina and Brazil remains intact, Guerra believes: “Without a doubt, the number of tourists from outside the region grew and a lot.”
The manager of The Grand Hotel agrees with Sarmiento that the handling of the pandemic put the country at the center of the international scene. In addition, he pointed to another factor. “Argentina is very cheap”, which leads travel agencies to offer long stays that include Punta del Este on the menu. “We are a collateral effect of going to Argentina.”
