Automatic

🏠 Small and medium-sized accommodations in Spain see online travel platforms as beneficial, with 98% reporting increased sales through such platforms. A Booking.com study with Statista highlights a demand for more investment in marketing (65%), entrepreneurial initiatives (64%), and technology (60%), especially artificial intelligence, to ensure competitiveness. Pilar Crespo of Booking.com emphasizes commitment to supporting SMEs, especially in rural areas, to facilitate economic and cultural development. The survey shows that 69% of SMEs in major tourist areas and 81% in less-visited regions like Extremadura and Aragón benefit from online travel platforms, with 96% viewing tourism as a crucial future revenue source, 92% acknowledging their role in preserving local cultural heritage, and 94% valuing collaboration with local businesses and communities for sustainable tourism.

📊 NH Hotel Group, under Ramón Aragonés, rebounded post-pandemic, cancelling a €500 million ICO loan in January 2023—the first Spanish hotel company to do so. NH acquired five Tívoli hotels in Portugal for €133.2 million and four hotels in Brazil for €212 million in 2023. Aragonés, retiring in January 2025, will be awarded the Hosteltur Personality of the Year 2024, honoring his over two-decade career.

💰 Turísticas reservations during the 2024 Christmas season increased by 6% over the previous year, with Spanish bookings up 17%. Despite a slight increase in travel costs, with the average price per person per night rising from 62 to 64 euros (a 4% increase), demand remained strong. Domestic travelers favored destinations like Madrid and Barcelona, while international travel by Spaniards grew by 8%, and expenditure by 10%, with the average price reaching 63 euros. The end of December, particularly from the 26th to the 31st, accounted for 41% of bookings, highlighting New Year's Eve as a peak travel period.