In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Sebastián Bras Harriott, Country Manager Argentina of Assist Card.
What have you prepared for FIT and what does it mean to you to be present again?
It is a pleasure for us to be back at FIT. We have been a company for 55 years, always working hand in hand with the travel agency trade, which is our essential channel, where the company had its origins.
The trade fair we have prepared this year includes some raffles with AFA football shirts, catering so that everyone feels at ease and comfortable, and also an AFA totem, where one can take a photo with the Argentine national team players and the photo automatically arrives in the mail. Many people come to the stand to, first, socialize, and second, share this experience that we have been having with them for years.
Which Assist Card team accompanies you?
Today there are about 40 collaborators who actually rotate. There are 60 in total, because part of the regional marketing, purchasing and legal team is also here. We have 40 collaborators from the travel agency channel, and we also have part and representation from our offices in Rosario and Córdoba here, plus the entire team from Capital Federal.
The year is coming to an end and I would like to reflect on what you have experienced in 2024.
It has been a very dynamic year, like a roller coaster of emotions, because we have seen different things. We started the year with a year-on-year drop in sales, logically because there were a lot of pre-sales, but in the second quarter of the year we began to find a horizon, a stability with marked growth. And in the last few months, from July to the end of September, we have seen year-on-year sales growth of around 19%.
We are very optimistic in the short term, which would be from now until the end of the year, and in the medium term, especially after speaking with different partners in the industry. We are happy. From a macroeconomic point of view, if some measures are taken, international tourism may become even more dynamic, as well as if the exchange rate restrictions are lifted or the rates associated with inflation continue to fall. If rates fall, travel assistance can be financed in installments, which will lower the cost of financing the plans.
What are the highlights you have experienced during the season?
We have done everything, from opening new commercial offices in Rosario; for example, a 350 square meter office open to the public, with a staff of 20 people, strengthening our commitment and investing in the country; to signing new commercial agreements that have marked a paradigm in the penetration of the brand and being more present in the industry; as well as closing agreements such as what happened with Latam Airlines. In addition, we have renewed the link with River Plate for two more years. We have closed the agreement with the AFA, with the world champions before we are champions of the Copa América. We have renovated the branch in Santa Fe and opened the office about a month and a half ago. So we have done everything, we continue to do it, we have also innovated in products.
What details can you give about the products?
We have incorporated a new range of products, 3 million, including pre-existing products, luggage and more. We have raised the average ticket significantly and it has been very well received by the travel agency trade. Before, 40% of the products were full categories. Today it is 65%, so travel agencies are selling more Assist Card full products than ever. And we always support them with training and agency routing. Being close to the agency is everything to us, that is why we are committed to having more teams. In fact, we increased the staff by 10% this year in travel agencies, where we went from 36 people to 42.
How do you work on a daily basis to stand out?
I think the main and most important thing is the proximity to travel agencies. We have doubled that bet. Our teams largely come from years of work, our turnover is very low.
The know-how we have in our relationships with agencies is essential. At the worst moment for the industry, which was the pandemic, we redoubled our commitment and renegotiated commercial agreements, because we knew that at some point we were going to capitalize on that proximity we had with the agents. And so it was.
So the main thing is the proximity we have. That is why we opened a branch in Rosario and we plan to invest in Córdoba in the first half of next year, remodel and move to the physical offices in Córdoba.
Product innovation, price and sales strategy are also important, without a doubt, in addition to being present and participating in all the workshops in the interior of Argentina.
In tourism, it is increasingly common to talk about legacy. What corporate social responsibility does Assist Card fulfil?
We have various agreements with partners who are with us today, but I will give some specific examples. Banco Galicia has a foundation, and we work closely with corporate social responsibility by making different types of volunteer agreements. On the other hand, River has branches in the interior that fulfill a social role, that reach out to neighborhoods in extreme need, and there we support with the commercial teams that we have in the interior, because we understand that labor is very important, and also with some budget line to be able to help in a specific action.
Everything we do is very niche. We do things together with Banco Galicia and River Plate, two specific cases in which we are close to those clients and those families who seek help through them, such as social organizations and so on.
We are not specialists in being close to people who are in need, but we do meet occasionally with Banco Galicia and River because they have teams dedicated to this, they are much closer and understand the needs of the people.