Automatic

🏡 Raquel Sánchez announced Paradores' unprecedented "Plan de Modernización", investing €250 million, alongside Turespaña and European funds (PRTR), to renovate over 50% of their network in the next five years. In 2024, Paradores achieved a record income of €347 million with historic profits of nearly €40 million and the best occupancy rate in 20 years at 73.5%. Room sales increased by 4.5% to 1.5 million, with a 67.5% occupancy from October to May, and rural areas reaching 72%. The MICE segment grew 8% in 2024, with 65,000 room occupancies. Paradores aim to attract more international tourists, especially from the UK, USA, France, and Germany, while contributing to sustainability and capturing 703 tons of CO2 over 40 years with the reforestation project in Dueñas.

📍 Ávoris Corporación Empresarial, after the CNMV approval, integrates DIT Gestión, totaling 3,000 travel agencies. In Spain, vertical groups once dominated over 50% of the business, now reduced to two groups surpassing €3 billion. Competition between hotels and tourist homes (VUTs) intensifies, particularly in urban areas, with VUTs often exceeding hotel capacity in many cities. Data from INE shows this trend across 23 major Spanish cities. ???? March 19 – the sector's critical news summary at Hosteltur.com.

📍 Ecostars, collaborating with the Instituto de Contabilidad y Auditoría de Cuentas (ICAC), hosts a closed-door event in Madrid on a Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Hotel Fénix Gran Meliá. Key Spanish hotel chains discuss Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) strategies, featuring speakers from Meliá Hotels International, Riu Hotels & Resorts, Minor Hotels Europe & Americas, Paradores, Barceló Hotel Group, and Vincci Hoteles. The event aims to enhance sustainability practices and corporate reporting in the hospitality industry.

📖 Tourism contributed 12.3% to Spain's GDP in 2023, a 0.9 point increase from the previous year, with final tourist demand reaching €184.002 billion. Turespaña's data shows 2.72 million tourism sector workers, making up 12.7% of the national employment, exceeding the average labor market growth. Spain, exceeding 80 million tourists, registered nearly a 17% interannual increase in tourist spending by October last year. Catenon predicts a 3-5% rise in tourism salaries in Spain and Europe. During high season, tourism salaries in Spain increased by 3.1%, above other sectors' average, according to Exceltur. Hosteltur listed specialized tourism professional profiles, emphasizing the industry's broad range of jobs beyond waitstaff, with a focus on digitalization and sustainability to meet market demands.