Departure | Despegar plans to open physical travel agencies in Peru: its objectives and expansion projections | Falabella Trip | Travel Agencies | Tourism | Airplanes | Ticket | Reservations | economy

Meera: Peruvian team: How many fans will travel to Paraguay and Chile to follow the red and white?

– What is the balance of the Despegger team so far this year?

On a general level, this second quarter as a Despegar Group achieved our revenue record 23% higher than last year, our sixth consecutive semester of positive results. On the total reserves side, they were USD 1.3 billion, 16% higher than in the second quarter of 2022. This helps reflect the concrete business strategy we have. The second quarter should be the strongest of the year and we have good growth, which is due to the recovery of demand for travel in Latin America, the profitability we achieved and the strategy we decided a few years ago to be omnichannel. We have online sales, virtual consultants, ‘app’ and local locations. For Peru, specific data cannot be given, but it is aligned.

– You have also commented on Viajes Falabella’s expansion of physical stores, what is the development plan with them?

The truth is that it is very disruptive and we have it in Peru Open our shop no 15. In the ‘Mall’ of Real Plaza Salaveri. There are nine stores in Lima and 5 in the provinces. This year we are opening our first solo stand at Jacqui Plaza with the intention of opening Viajes Falabella blocks. And regionally this year we are planning to open 10 physical stores in Brazil and five stores in Argentina under the Despegar brand. This is leveraged by our existing experience with Viajes Falabella, and we hope to get that side message to Peru soon as well.

– Does Despegar have concrete plans to jump from the digital world to the offline world with physical travel agents in Peru, as they already have with Viajes Falabella?

Yes, there are plans. This is part of the expansion and growth strategy, so we need to define how we are going to do it. But yes, that’s the idea and we hope to hear from you soon.

– Next year we can already see the Despegar brand in a store in Peru?

Let’s hope this is the same plan already confirmed in Argentina and Brazil. Perusu should not have forgotten this.

– Now what would be the difference between the two brands? Viajes Falabella seems to be more associated with package tours.

We are omnichannel brands and want to cater to different types of customers. What we’re looking for in physical stores is consulting, personalization, working closely with customers and offering a complete package, assisted sales, l.You sell rounds, ship. That’s it, expand our palette. One of the differences between Viajes Falabella and Despegar is financing and interest-free installments, alliances with banks. We are going to find the niche of each brand to adequately reach our customers. And then we’re going to launch an AI-powered itinerary.

We are the leading travel company in Latin America and we want to develop the tourism industry in a sustainable way. We have over a million accommodation options, over 238 airlines and we strive to offer the best prices.

– Just to be clear, does being both offline help us achieve that customization and create these new products? How will you differentiate your audience?

I think it depends on us today More than 90% of Viajes Falabella’s sales are packages. Despegar has less of that ‘stake’. We have had a virtual advisor for some time which has grown our ‘share’ of collections and we are now aiming to grow further into face-to-face stores.

– Will there be growth in these sales of packages already with physical agents, with a little more tailored advice?

That is what we aim for and we commit ourselves to interest-free installment financing.

Viajes Falabella omnichannel and local strategy

– On the side of Viajes Falabella stores, have you already opened this store in Real Plaza Salverry? Where are the blocks?

We opened a month ago, the first days of August. The Jackie Plaza store is coming soon this quarter and we hope to open two more blocks (islands) in the last quarter of the year. We are already putting together a growth strategy for 2024.

– Will they reach the provinces with blocks or campuses of Viajes Falabella?

Yes, we are going to be in the provinces with one more store.

– In the midst of developing their full omnichannel strategy, some airlines and agencies are now going against the current process of not having agencies or being online.

We go against the current. want Despegar Group has been in the market for over 22 years And we know the Latin American traveler better than anyone, and we know that for every market, like Peru, we have different types of travelers. That’s why we noticed that there are many more opportunities to meet face-to-face and face-to-face. Permanent consultation.

– What other products could you create with this strategy? For example, you mentioned cruises. Do you also travel in a group?

We don’t have group trips because it’s very specific and we don’t want to start anything until we’re sure we’re going to be great. BFor the topic of Excursions and Travel, we have ‘On Demand’ or a section of your choice. We fully customize circuits. In order to cater to the specific needs of travelers, there are a lot of parallel companies offering us many unnecessary things on the internet.

– That is, in the circuits you merge, users can request and make some changes to further customize them.

In fact, you can request the circuit however you want, we tailor it, that’s why it’s called ‘on demand’, it’s a tailor-made trip, and we have a large section of work. We are most suitable for flights, cruises, user searches and round tables. We take care of everything from the moment you have a trip in mind, throughout your experience and when you return from the trip.

– What profile and type of travel are Peruvians looking for?

Most travelers prefer to travel as a family or as a couple. Top national attractions include Arequipa and the northern beaches. In international destinations We have the Caribbean (Cancun, Punta Cana, Aruba), Cartagena and Buenos Aires, which are very fashionable.s is a highly developed destination. In the US, the favorites are Miami, Orlando and New York. Now, I think the profile of travelers has also changed a bit in the pandemic, many travelers today may have a slightly longer journey and work a couple of days from the destination.

– Is it related to increase or recovery of frequencies or creation of new routes by airlines?

For example, there will now be direct flights to London. We are middlemen and we have inventory of all available airlines. Finally, we take advantage of what they get, so different airlines get more frequencies, and we use them and add operations with financial facilities. This is our difference as an agency.

“For Peru, we’re about 80% recovery as a whole industry. I expect we’ll be back to 2019 levels by the end of the year or early next year.”

– How much have flights to London and Aruba increased?

Aruba Yes, London is yet to come. For Aruba, it appears in the top 10 or 15. It did not appear before.

– What results and synergies has Despegar achieved since the acquisition of Viajes Falabella in 2019?

There are key synergies in product, inventory and benefits to get the best out of both brands for the benefit of the customer. We now have more than a million accommodation options, more than 238 airlines, more than 12,000 activities and we seek constant innovation. To that we add our expertise and a good final product emerges with assisted sales.

– How much has this union strengthened its presence in the Peruvian market and what ‘market share’ does it now have in the country?

We’re in pretty good shape, and I can’t give you that number, but We are among the top three to five travel agencies in Peru.

Recovery of Tourism and Predictions

– Regarding the tourism sector, as a result of the pandemic, trips fell, which has gradually recovered in the last two years, how do you see the path to this recovery in the case of Peru? Are there other markets for the Despegger group?

We’re a little slower compared to some other markets in the recovery, but I think that’s a drag from the decisions made during the pandemic. For example, Colombia bounced back last year because they had fewer restrictions on the epidemic than we did. In Peru, As an industry as a whole we are almost at 80% recovery. Hopefully by the end of this year or early next year we will be back to 2019 levels.

– Which locations are not reruns?

Rather than destinations, some airlines used to have direct flights to various destinations and today do so with stopovers, which also works against you. We didn’t have one or two airlines in the market and that also delayed the recovery a bit. But little by little it is recovering. We’re going direct into London, and Sky has introduced a lot of new routes that are improving the sector. I think we are already on the accelerator and it is time to cross the 2019 levels again..

– Are the forecasts for the end of this year consistent with the results seen so far, i.e. double digits in your regional activity?

I think, only in the case of Peru we aim for that.

– The beginning of the qualifying rounds for the 2026 World Cup, some matches of the national team will always be implemented on these dates. Has the demand for the first matches already increased or will it be implemented as the selection progresses?

Little by little I think this football craze is coming back. Hope to see this madness soon. When we came to the World Cup, it was difficult to go straight to Russia so we got promoted to Madrid and Russia, which was top. So I think this trend should continue again.