Distribución y Revenue Management

✈️ Aegean Airlines will launch its first-ever flights to Gran Canaria in 2025 as part of its international expansion, offering a new connection with Greece. Flights from Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport will begin in February with two weekly frequencies on Mondays and Thursdays. For the second half of 2024, 1,319,427 seats for July-September and 1,447,876 for October-December are offered. Hotel occupancy is at 86.62% for July-September, with a 6.5% increase in accommodated travelers and an 18% revenue increase in June compared to June 2023.

🏨 Independent hotels in Spain saw a 44% increase in average daily rate (ADR) to €147 during the second quarter of 2024, despite occupancy rates dropping from 55% to 41%. Analysis of 200 hotels showed a 7% rise in revenue per available room (RevPAR) from €57 in 2023 to €61 in 2024. On the May 1st holiday, ADR jumped from €113 in 2023 to €159 in 2024. Advanced hotel management systems with dynamic pricing are used to adjust rates in real-time.

📊 Grupo Hotusa, in its 47-year history, achieved a record Ebitda of €102 million in January-June, a 34% increase over its previous best in the first half of 2023. Revenue for the semester stood at €703 million, a 10% rise from €637 million in the same period of 2023, which itself marked a 37% increase from 2022. Expansion strategy, demand, and cost control contributed to these results. President Amancio López Seijas credits efficient management and sector performance for the success.

🏖️ Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International and president of Exceltur, addresses uncontrolled tourism housing growth, emphasizing the negative impact on quality of life and sustainability. Takyon, an Italian startup, launched a hotel room resale platform in Spain at the Phocuswright Europe 2024 convention in Barcelona, June. The Henley Passport Index, using IATA data, now ranks Spain second, with visa-free access to 192 destinations, while Singapore leads with 195 destinations.

🔥 Mount Etna erupted, causing ash clouds reaching 8km high, leading to the suspension of most operations at Catania's Fontanarosa Airport, Sicily, with no forecast for flight normalization. This is the second disruption in recent weeks; previously, ash fall rendered the runway unusable. Travelers advised to check flight status as all morning flights were canceled, with some redirected. Catania frequently faces such events, being situated at the base of Europe's most active volcano.

💸 Exoticca, a long-distance travel platform, has raised €60 million in a funding round led by Quadrille Capital to further its expansion and improve technology. The company's technology enables a 30% cost reduction and booking time to minutes, connecting local providers with agencies and OTAs. Quadrille Capital led the Series D round with All Iron, ICF, and existing investors 14W, Mangrove, Bonsai, Sabadell, and Aldea. Exoticca has doubled sales annually since 2015, offers trips to over 70 destinations, and aims to build a global brand and open new markets.

🏢 Brady Hotels & Apartments, a hotel group in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in 2014 and has expanded to four central locations. Sales Director Alexandra Rolton credits SiteMinder's platform with enhancing operations and revenue strategies. The chain uses SiteMinder's channel manager, Insights, and the Global Distribution System (GDS) to improve booking management, implement dynamic pricing, and extend market reach. The integrated dashboard, automation, and real-time data analysis tools increase productivity and guest experience. Brady Hotels also values the personalized support from the SiteMinder team.

🏠 In July 2024, a new chain of tourist apartments will open in Costa Brava. Visitors can access content for free by accepting cookies, or opt for a cookie-free experience by becoming a Premium member, which also offers content privacy and cookie preference settings after login.

💰 A Travelport study on travel retailing for 2024 reveals that 58% of travelers feel overwhelmed by the plethora of options, with 71% experiencing anxiety post-booking, questioning the value they received. Around 56% find airline offers harder to understand, 61% believe flight change penalties have risen, and 66% cite too many hidden fees. Despite direct connection efforts from providers, 80% of travelers say comparing fares is time-consuming, with 69% noting limited information on airline websites. Over half (60%) spend 1-4 hours on planning and comparison, while over a third dedicate over five hours. The study also highlights that 88% of travelers would prefer to see all flight options and fares on one screen, explaining why 54% use comparison sites before purchase. Furthermore, 63% of travelers feel airlines do not prioritize customer service. Internationally, booking experiences vary: 49% of U.S. travelers find flight search more time-consuming than hotels, car rentals, or restaurants, whereas in Germany, South Africa, and the U.K., hotel searches are considered the most time-consuming. Technology and travel agencies are deemed crucial for improving booking processes, suggesting a personalized, efficient customer experience is key to industry evolution.

🚧 María Jose Aguilló, FEHM's executive vice president, reports protests in Mallorca under the slogan "Cambiemos el rumbo, pongamos límites al turismo" against tourism-related issues such as overcrowding, salary drops, quality of life decline, traffic jams, noise, and housing prices. FEHM disapproves of related vandalism. Hoteliers cite problems like 92,000 tourist rental places in the last 8 years and a 40% population increase over 20 years without adequate public transport and infrastructure. Hoteliers urge constructive actions for Mallorca's economy and quality of life.