Miguel Praga

🛫 Ryanair announced on January 16 a cut of 800,000 seats in regional airports in Spain, which are already underused at 36% capacity with 14.2 million passengers last year versus their 40 million capacity. Some airports like Vitoria, Valladolid, Gerona, and Zaragoza may drop to 0-8% capacity in the summer season. Ryanair demands lower fees from Aena, with current relations strained and no agreement in sight.

🏖️ In July 2004, Leonel Fernández, future President of the Dominican Republic, met with Spanish tourism leaders and Dominican business elites at Meliá Victoria. Investors prepared a list of topics for their meeting with Fernández's team, which would soon lead several ministries. Abel Matutes was named spokesperson, proposed by Simón Pedro Barceló. A disagreement occurred over a national park construction promise by Fernández's predecessor. The president-elect requested a white paper on tourism, which was initially considered by an expensive American consultancy but ultimately completed by Antonio Munar for significantly less cost. The same consultancy had previously delivered a poorly received report at Fitur for a Dominican bank. The incident highlighted skepticism about the accuracy of reports by major consultancies regarding the tourism sector.

🛫 In Spain's travel sector, competition to recruit independent agencies has intensified post-pandemic, with some companies engaging in "disloyal" practices like fee reductions and spreading false information about rivals. This aggressive behavior aims to expand networks for better negotiation power with suppliers and potentially increase sale prices, as agency numbers can determine a company's value. Despite these efforts, industry experts note the strong loyalty among independent travel agencies, resulting in minimal shifts between management groups.