Automatic

📈 El nuevo estudio de Pilar Talón-Ballestero e Ismael Gómez-Talal de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, con Mana Azizsoltani y Ashok Singhana Azizsoltani de la Universidad de Nevada, publicado en IEEE Xplore, propone un modelo de IA para predecir cancelaciones de reservas en hoteles. El segmento B2C transient puede superar el 30% de cancelaciones, mientras que Booking.com registra entre 30% y 50%. El estudio utiliza más de 79.000 registros de datos y alcanza un 96% de precisión mediante un enfoque de stacking meta-modeling combinando algoritmos como Random Forest, XGBoost y LightGBM, y utiliza SHAP para la interpretabilidad del modelo. El modelo es principalmente para investigación pero puede ser aplicado en cadenas hoteleras.

📈 In 2024, the travel distribution sector, including travel agencies and tour operators, surpassed 70,000 employees. However, 18% of agencies are experiencing talent shortages in hiring and retention. Users over 65 account for 22.8% of travel agency customers, while younger generations use their services less, e.g., 3.3% for those aged 26 to 35. Despite advancements in digitalization, 47% of agencies believe more innovation is needed, and 4% haven't progressed since 2023. Direct sales are growing, with direct distribution nearing 59%. New regulations, such as the reservation registry effective December 2, 2024, raise concerns over data handling and competitiveness within the EU. Additionally, travel agencies face challenges from unlicensed operators, with a 'buzón del intrusismo' set up by CEAV to report such issues.

🏦 Room007 achieved a turnover of 70 million euros in 2024, a 90% increase from the previous year. The company aims to surpass 100 million euros in 2025. In 2024, Room007 opened 13 new establishments, ending the year with 30 active sites and 20 under construction. Highlights include the acquisition of TOC Hostels for 20 million euros in September 2024, making it Europe's largest hostel chain, and the purchase of Casa Gracia in Barcelona for 10 million euros. Room007 Group plans over 20 new openings in 2025 and is recognized by the United Nations and MITECO as the first hostel and boutique hotel chain with zero carbon emissions in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

🏖 Cuatro operadores, Mundiplan, Seniorplan, Nautalia (Travel Live), y Ávoris, se preparan para competir en la próxima licitación pública de los viajes del Imserso para la temporada 2025-2026. Ávoris, con una prórroga ya otorgada para 2024-2025, planea vender 900.000 pasajeros y destaca un nivel de satisfacción con los viajes por encima del 90%. La inversión estatal en el subsidio de estos viajes retorna dos o tres euros por cada euro gastado. Los operadores apuntan a mantener su participación en los tres lotes del programa y se enfocan en la satisfacción del cliente senior.

🏖 The interview with tourism consultant Ángel Díaz, published in HOSTELTUR magazine in January 2025, discusses the broader concept of the "visitor economy" which surpasses traditional tourism metrics. Australia, for instance, has quantified contributions from international students—accounting for 9% of total income in 2019—exceeding holiday visitors. Spain's metropolitan areas like Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia, leverage existing tourism infrastructure for various visitor-derived economic activities. The PIMEC Turismo Hub, in partnership with InAtlas, analyzes the economic impact of visitors, beyond standard tourist expenditures, to include the entire value chain. The challenge includes quantifying the substantial yet uncharted economic influence of student visitors. Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress example illustrates how tourism infrastructure can foster a digital industry ecosystem. The visitor economy incorporates long-stay accommodations, medical services, and other niches, indicating a shift towards a more liberal economic approach and the need for public-private collaboration to attract targeted visitor segments.