The effects of Covid are still evident, but they are being left behind. Atrápalo consolidated in 2023 its recovery trajectory after the complicated situation in which the coronavirus placed it. Last year, the company globally invoiced 233 million euros, which represents a 5% increase compared to 2022. Growth widens in the specific case of Spain, where the company's turnover increased by 10%. It reached 155 million euros, more than half of the total turnover.
Globally, more than two million people opted for the Barcelona-based portal to make purchases in 2023. These figures represent a strengthening of the company's recovery after the complicated situation caused by the pandemic. "The year of Covid was the only one with red numbers, and we are already on the path to recovery and with sustained growth figures," remarked Atrápalo's co-founder and Marketing Director, Nacho Sala.
The recovery, which is advancing faster in Spain than in Latin America, is narrowing the gap with the figures obtained in 2019, when the company invoiced 260 million euros. "We have not yet reached those figures, but Covid is not the only factor," but rather elements such as the profitability of certain products and the sociopolitical situation of markets where Atrápalo has a presence come into play, according to Sala to The New Barcelona Post.
And the aspiration is not only to reach, but to exceed those pre-pandemic figures. According to Sala, the increase that Atrápalo has set for 2024 is 17%, which would lead it to exceed 270 million. Of this increase, they want to achieve 12% in Spain and 25% in Latin America, where "there is more room for recovery." The company aims to reach these figures by boosting the hotel, travel, and activities sector, as well as promoting its new subscription service, integrating new products, and optimizing customer service, also through AI.
New subscription service
The 2023 fiscal year also served Atrápalo to close agreements with prominent partners, including banks, hotel chains, tourism offices, and event organizers. These agreements have allowed the company to expand its offer, in a year in which it has especially committed to this new subscription service, which offers discounts on flights, hotels, and tickets in exchange for an annual subscription.
These elements have allowed the company's recovery and an increase in its turnover, combined with the expansion of the business in Europe through the CatchIT portal and an increase in the sale of cruises and long trips. Specifically, cruises and long-trip packages "are in high demand" and their sales have registered an increase of more than 100%. Meanwhile, hotel bookings through CatchIT, which is present in Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, have quadrupled.
Routes with Artificial Intelligence
Looking ahead to 2024, the platform founded in 2000 in Barcelona will also boost its commitment to artificial intelligence. Atrápalo already uses AI for generating itineraries, attractive content for destinations and hotels, and to automate part of the interaction with its clients through a personalized service. All with a workforce that now has about 300 employees, half of whom operate from Spain, while the rest are distributed in Atrápalo's offices in Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina.
Meanwhile, the sale of tickets and activities continues to be a key business for the company, which sold nearly two million tickets in 2023. These figures consolidate Atrápalo's recovery after the collapse of its turnover due to the pandemic, which practically paralyzed tourist and leisure activity.
Covid not only prevented the platform from maintaining its activity but also forced it to manage hundreds of cancellations and return a large part of the income generated up to that point. The pandemic dragged Atrápalo into the red, which began to recover in 2021. Since then, it has been registering an improvement in its turnover year after year, up to these 2023 figures that reaffirm the recovery of the Barcelona-based company.
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