It has not been easy to win over customers again after the pandemic, but in 2023 we can say that Atrápalo has returned to the path of growth,” says Nacho Sala, marketing director of the well-known reservation platform specialized in leisure and tourism.
The company, based in Barcelona, has invoiced 230 million euros in 2023, which represents an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. Despite the growth, it is a figure that is still far from pre-pandemic records. In 2018, turnover was 340 million euros.
“Activity is recovering in Europe but it has not yet done so in Latin America,” says Sala, who founded the business together with Ignacio Giral and Manuel Roca, who perform the shared role of CEO. Marek Fodor left management in 2008.
The Latin American region is an important market for Atrápalo, where it operates through four offices in Chile, Colombia, Peru and Argentina. “Before the pandemic, the region contributed 40% of income but now the percentage is 30%.” According to the manager, travel reservations are suffering due to the economic situation and possible competition from other platforms.
The main source of income (70%) comes from Spain and, to a minority, from other European countries such as Italy, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where it operates through the CatchIT portal. By division, tourism generates 75% of turnover despite the fact that the volume of reservations is lower than that generated by the leisure division.
This year, Atrápalo plans to increase revenues at a double-digit rate, increasing its presence in Europe and opening the Mexican market. Sala assures that the business is profitable, that it only registered losses during the year of the pandemic. “We founded the business in 2000 and we have seen them come in all colors. “We are agile in reducing costs in times of crisis,” she says. Despite this, Sala assures that Atrápalo has not applied any substantial cuts to the workforce, “it has only amortized departures in some departments.” Now, the number of employees is between 280 and 300 people and the forecast is to increase the team at the same rate as the business.
The growth will be financed with resources from the property, which has been in the hands of the four founders since they repurchased a minority stake from the Tiger Global investment fund in 2019. For now, the company rules out the sale or the entry of new partners in the capital.
