Miguel Praga

💨 Aemet issued a red alert for extreme rain danger in north and northeast Mallorca, warning of very adverse conditions overnight and Thursday morning. Residents and tourists are advised to stay indoors unless necessary. Dozens of flights from or to Palma airport got canceled due to the adverse weather affecting operations.

🏖️ Spanish authorities are taking measures to control tourism, targeting illegal vacation rentals. The complex issue acknowledges the duality of residents as both victims and participants in tourism. Japan considers three solutions: taxes favoring the wealthy, reducing lodging options, and internet-only ticketing with quotas for top attractions, as part of managing tourist excess.

✈ Air France's representatives held eight meetings with European Commission officials from January to July, compared to just two in the year 2023. These engagements are believed to be tied to the failed acquisition of Air Europa by Iberia after nearly five years. Expert sources hinted at pressures from Germany and France to halt the transaction, while the Spanish government remained distant in the final phase, a stance differed from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who actively supported Lufthansa's partial purchase of Ita Airways.

🏖️ Benidorm identified as the main hub for scams targeting British tourists, based on a McAfee study highlighted by the English press. The study reveals an increase in fraudulent websites and ads, with British tourists swindled out of £12 million (€14 million) in 2023. Berlin ranks second, while Ibiza, La Valeta, and Albufeira also feature in the top ten destinations for holiday scams.

📍 Japan faces an increasing tourism problem, particularly in 10 cities including Kyoto. To manage the influx, they are implementing three measures: charging tourists up to $30 to enter attractions like Himeji Castle, restricting accommodations in a manner similar to Amsterdam's impact on Airbnb, and requiring advance online reservations for certain tourist sites to regulate visitor volume, akin to European practices. These measures follow a 35% increase in American tourism since 2019.