Automatic

🏖️ In a YouGov survey of 1,055 consumers, 63% have booked tourist activities online, with the highest usage among 25-34 year-olds at 72%. Popular platforms include TripAdvisor (36%), Civitatis (29%), and Atrápalo (27%). Tourists prioritize lower prices (62%), traveler reviews (56%), and detailed activity descriptions. Young adults value cost, while those 35-44 emphasize reviews.

🏥 Gabriel Escarrer Julià, founder of Meliá Hotels International, passed away at age 89. Globalia injected €65 million into Air Europa to avoid its legal dissolution. Spanish hotel chains showed significant TrevPAR from 2014-2023. London Gatwick Airport faced chaos due to a suspicious object, causing flight delays and cancellations. China Southern Airlines is selling its Boeing 787-8s due to low demand. Haramain High-Speed Railway surpassed 20 million travelers since October 2018. Six tourists died in Laos from methanol poisoning. Spanish companies, including Barceló Hotel Group and Kaizen Hotels, won World Travel Awards. A luxury resort in Marbella, potentially a St. Regis or The Ritz-Carlton, received a €350 million investment. An infographic detailed the distribution of hotel bookings in Spain.

🏂 European ski resorts open for the 2024-2025 season with the December bridge, including destinations from the Pyrenees to Sierra Nevada. Spanish ski resorts have invested a record 75 million euros in modernization, exceeding the previous period's 74.1 million euros. Sierra Nevada leads with 43 million euros, followed by Baqueira Beret with 9.6 million euros and La Molina with 4.77 million euros. Opening dates start on December 5, 2024, for several resorts, such as Sierra Nevada, Cambre d'Aze, Formiguères, La Pierre Saint-Martin, and Valdelinares. The following day, Baqueira Beret, Cauterets Cirque du Lys, Ax 3 Domaines, Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000, Luz Ardiden, and Peyragudes join the season, and Grand Tourmalet and Gourette open on December 7, 2024.

🏨 Alex Robinson from STR highlighted the robust growth in Spain's hotel sector during the Annual Hotel Investment Conference by Cushman & Wakefield in Madrid. RevPAR in European hotels is rising at a single-digit rate since July 2023, except for a 10% increase in September, while Spain has seen double-digit growth except in April and August. The ADR has surged by 41.7% (€48) since 2019 vs. a 1% occupancy increase. Luxury and budget hotels are performing well without needing maximum occupancy. Madrid, Alicante, and Oviedo lead occupancy growth by 5%, whereas San Sebastián saw an 8% decline due to increased offerings. Málaga, Valencia, and Alicante lead occupancy rates for the year, reaching averages of 83%, 81%, and 75%. ADR shows signs of deceleration in 2024 compared to 2023, with Madrid at +15%, followed by Málaga (+13%), and Sevilla, Alicante, and Canarias at +11%. The leading destinations by ADR are Marbella (€317), Ibiza (€277), and Barcelona (€194). Projections indicate Madrid and Barcelona will continue to see RevPAR growth into 2025, although at a slower pace.