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Alex Cuenca

1326 posts
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  • 1 min

Rosana Morillo, de secretaria de Estado a directiva de una naviera

🚢 Rosana Morillo, formerly Secretary of State for Tourism, joins MSC as Vice President for Governmental Affairs after leaving her role in April last year, succeeded by Rosario Sánchez. Morillo's focus will be strengthening MSC's presence in Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other strategic markets. She is recognized for promoting public-private collaboration, sustainable tourism policies, and managing European funds for the sector's post-pandemic recovery. Her prior experience includes negotiating cruise limitations in the Balearics and managing the fallout from Thomas Cook's collapse.
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Vueling se refuerza con 30 vuelos extra por el MWC en Barcelona

✈ Vueling will add around 30 flights from March 1-8 to assist attendees of the Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, occurring March 3-6. Daily additional flights from European cities will range from 1-3, connecting Paris, Munich, Nice, and more. Spanish cities like Alicante and Sevilla will also see more flights. The Fira de Barcelona expects over 101,000 visitors with an economic impact of 540-550 million euros.
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  • 2 min

Expediente sancionador contra grandes gestoras de pisos turísticos

🏠 El Ministerio de Consumo de España inicia expedientes sancionadores contra empresas de pisos turísticos en varias comunidades autónomas por prácticas engañosas, violando la Ley General para la Defensa de Consumidores y Usuarios. Investigación motivada por denuncias sobre engaños en la gestión de viviendas turísticas, se extiende por más de dos meses. Infracciones pueden acarrear sanciones de hasta 100.000 euros, potencialmente multiplicadas hasta seis veces el beneficio ilícito obtenido. Gobierno español ya abrió un expediente contra Airbnb en diciembre y mantiene otra investigación sobre prácticas abusivas de agencias inmobiliarias desde octubre. Ministro Pablo Bustinduy vincula las medidas a la lucha contra la crisis de la vivienda.
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Óscar Puente: “Atender la petición de Ryanair sería peligroso e ilegal”

💸 Óscar Puente criticizes Ryanair during a government negotiation, accusing the airline of "blackmail". Ryanair proposed adding 800,000 seats across 14 regional airports in 2025-2026, demanding 50% discounts, a reversal of a 4% tariff increase approved in 2024, and up to €250,000 in public aid per new route. The offer was deemed "outrageous" by Puente. Ryanair responds by cutting over 800,000 seats, reducing capacity by 18% and eliminating 12 routes. Santiago Airport faces an 11.4% reduction (334,000 seats), Zaragoza loses 113,000 seats (18.5%), and Santander 88,000 seats (10%). Puente asserts Ryanair isn't cutting seats but redistributing them to major hubs and tourist airports, increasing by 1.2 million seats. Aena works on attracting other carriers to fill the gaps left by Ryanair. Volotea aims to increase its Spanish offer by 9% in the current year.
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Air Europa se refuerza en Latinoamérica con dos nuevas rutas directas

✈ Air Europa to commence direct flights from Madrid to Quito and Guayaquil on June 24, eliminating the current triangulated route. Three weekly flights to each Ecuadorian city, offering over 157,000 annual seats—an 8% increase from 2024. The decision follows a demand surge from Ecuadorian tourists, with passenger growth to Spain by 20% to Guayaquil and 11% to Quito. Partnership with Avianca for internal connections, including to Cuenca, Manta, and the Galápagos Islands. New routes served by Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with three more to join the fleet in 2025.
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  • 2 min

Volotea, Iberia, Binter y Vueling cubrirán el vacío de Ryanair en España

✈ Ryanair cuts 643,000 seats at Spanish airports between March 30 and October 25, affecting airports with under 3 million annual passengers. Santiago Airport loses 334,000 seats (-11.4%), Zaragoza sees a reduction of 113,000 seats (-18.5%), and Santander drops 88,000 seats (-10%). Valladolid and Jerez suspend operations entirely; Valladolid plummets from 154,000 to 60,000 seats, losing Barcelona flights from March 28. Jerez's offer declines by 7% to 700,000 seats, while Asturias faces a smaller cut of 1.8%, or 27,000 fewer seats. Volotea aims to increase its Spanish offer by 9%, covering some gaps left by Ryanair, whose CEO criticizes Aena's tariffs and suggests regional airports be managed by local authorities—a proposal rejected by Aena and the government. Aena introduces incentives for airlines to increase traffic at smaller airports.
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  • 3 min

Gea: “Ya hay reservas comprometidas para dentro de medio año”

🏠 Sara Fernández, director of Grupo Gea, reviewed a positive 2024 for their associated travel agencies, noting a recovery in early bookings and improved conditions with suppliers. Despite a mid-year slowdown, demand rebounded, leading to higher profitability from direct commissions and rebates distributed early in 2025. Stable agency numbers after 30 years, with continuous quality-focused additions, reflect high loyalty rates. Early trends in 2025 suggest comparable performance to 2024 with moderate growth, despite potential unforeseen disruptive events.
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  • 2 min

Ofensiva de Vueling en Andalucía con más vuelos y nuevos aviones

✈ Vueling boosts operations in Andalucía for summer, increasing seats to 5 million (12.4% rise). Two new planes added at Málaga and Sevilla airports, over 540,000 additional seats, reaching 38 connections across 16 destinations - 10 national, 6 international. Significant growth in routes to Canarias (37.9% increase) and Baleares (18% more flights). International operations surpass 1 million seats, up 11.7% from summer 2024. New direct route from Córdoba to Barcelona starting September 18, with twice-weekly flights.
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  • 2 min

Madrid: desaparecen más de 500 pisos turísticos ilegales por la sanciones

🏠 In Madrid, 538 illegal tourist apartments have been made available for residents following increased fines ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 euros. The rigorous enforcement of sanctions was highlighted by Urbanism delegate Borja Carabante, noting a deterrent effect and the non-viability of continuing illegal operations due to potential cumulative fines up to 190,000 euros. The city's "Plan Reside" aims to regulate tourism and protect residents, with only 1,131 out of 16,000 tourist homes currently licensed.
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  • 3 min

Airmet: “Los precios no pueden seguir incrementándose indefinidamente”

📍 Rubén Fernández, director general of Airmet, reflects on the travel agency sector's exceptional performance in 2024, highlighting the return of advanced sales and increased professionalism among independent agencies. After a few years of sharp price increases, air ticket costs are stabilizing, with Airmet advocating for realistic planning for 2025 as inflation eases. Airmet saw an 8% growth in associated agencies compared to 2023. The trend of advanced booking, which started in 2019, benefits the entire value chain, allowing for better planning and risk minimization for tour operators and more balanced workloads for agencies. Despite no specific data, travel has become a higher priority for consumers, leading to more financing for trips. Early signs for 2025 are optimistic, with group bookings performing well and requests for 2026 already coming in. However, it's too early to predict the year's outcome, and Airmet emphasizes cautious goal-setting without expecting consistent double-digit growth.
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