Distribución y Revenue Management

🏡 Meliá Hotels International reported Q1 revenue of €444.5 million, a 1% increase from the same period in 2024. Ebitda reached €91 million, and Consolidated Net Income hit €10.5 million, up 93%. Despite the "calendar effect" of Easter in April, they predict a "very positive" rest of the year, expecting to sign approximately 4,500 new rooms and open at least 25 hotels, one every two weeks. Debt, excluding leases, was €792 million at the end of March, a €19.2 million increase since December. The company has signed 12 hotels with 2,012 rooms and opened five with 580 rooms, totaling 432 hotels with 105,198 rooms. RevPAR grew by 6.5% to €77.5, with positive forecasts except for Cuba. Direct sales represented 45.9% of centralized sales, with travel agencies, tour operators, and OTAs also showing positive trends.

💸 Amadeus increased its profit by 13% to €355 million in Q1 2025, with an adjusted profit growth of 12% to €364 million. Revenue grew by 9%, operating profit and adjusted operating profit by 10%. Cash flow reached €262 million, leading to a net financial debt of €1.875 billion as of March 31, 2025, which is 0.8 times the EBITDA of the last twelve months. Air Distribution revenues rose by 8%, bookings by 2.5%, and revenue per booking by 5%. Asia-Pacific bookings soared by 10%. Airline IT Solutions revenue increased by 11%, with a 5.5% rise in boarded passengers and a 5% increase in revenue per boarded passenger; Asia-Pacific saw a 12% jump in boarded passengers. Hotel and Other Solutions revenues grew by 11% in the same period.

🏌️ Hosteltur connects with over 400,000 professional users in the tourism sector across various platforms, offering top information and marketing solutions.

🏨 In Canarias, 73% of hotel rooms operate under direct ownership and 74% in Baleares, with Colliers highlighting a long-term investment approach in these regions. International chains in Spain franchise nearly half of their rooms, owning only 11%. The top chains in Canarias manage 44% of the rooms, with Riu Hotels & Resorts leading (6,856 rooms), followed by Barceló Hotel Group (6,745), and H10 Hotels (6,356). In Baleares, the top groups control 58% of rooms; Melia Hotels International (8,757), Globales (7,766), and Iberostar Hotels & Resorts (7,737). Globales, H10 Hotels, and Riu Hotels & Resorts emphasize ownership with 100%, 95%, and 89% of their hotels being property-owned, respectively.

🏖️ Bluesea Hotels and Resorts acquires the Spanish hotel business of Meeting Point, a subsidiary of German giant FTI Touristik, reinforcing its position in the 3 and 4-star vacation segment in Spain. Meeting Point manages 15 hotels with 1,922 rooms across Canary Islands locations including Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. Bluesea, 93.5% owned by Portobello Capital with recent Partners Group investment, has 5,060 rooms and with the acquisition will total near 7,000 rooms, becoming a leading chain particularly in the Canaries with over 3,800 rooms.

🛫 Google Maps mistakenly located a non-existent "Maspalomas Airport" in southern Gran Canaria, causing confusion among users, especially tourists. The error, reported by Canarias7, is seen on both voice and screen directions along the GC-140 road in Telde when southeast destinations on the island are set. The actual airport is between Telde and Ingenio, while a small private aerodrome exists in El Berriel, not intended for commercial use. This issue is not the first geolocation error in Gran Canaria as similar incidents have misled visitors in the past.

🌍 Reino Unido remains Spain's top tourist source market with a shift towards spring and autumn travel and increased staycation spending, as per Turespaña's "Trend Reports" for summer 2025. Challenges include decreased consideration and satisfaction, exchange rate volatility, and global economic factors. Spain leads in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and long-distance markets like the US, which projects record arrivals. China solidifies its preference for Spain with heightened spending and improved air connectivity. Other positive trends are seen in Brazil, Japan, Argentina, India, and Australia. Summer 2025 forecasts are optimistic, with responsible tourism and mass tourism management gaining importance.

✈ Jet2, a British tour operator, launches Jerez de la Frontera as a new destination from Birmingham, Leeds, and Manchester, with flights on Fridays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays respectively throughout the summer. This marks Jet2's first operation in Jerez, adding to their main Spanish destinations like Palma, Alicante, and Málaga. The service includes combined trips along the Costa de la Luz, including Cádiz to Algeciras, targeting a demographic less familiar with Jerez's sherry and mass tourism from central and northern Europe.

✈ South Europe Ground Services (South), a 100% IAG-owned handling company with a majority from Iberia, will expand during the summer season by adding JetBlue, MGA Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines to their portfolio. South will manage over 260 flights for these airlines across various Spanish airports. JetBlue's historical new daily route from Boston to Madrid starts on May 23, with an Airbus A321XLR, and another daily flight from New York's JFK scheduled for summer 2026. MGA Airlines introduced three routes on April 16 connecting Istanbul to Zaragoza, León, and Santiago de Compostela with Boeing 737s. Sichuan Airlines now flies four times a week from Chengdu and Tianfu to Madrid, with around 300 passengers per flight on Airbus A350 and A330 aircraft. Binter and Jet2 expand their frequencies and routes, with Binter adding connections from the islands to Córdoba, Almería, and Badajoz, and increasing flights from Gran Canaria and Tenerife to various Spanish cities. Jet2 extends its presence in Jerez de la Frontera with new routes to Birmingham, Leeds Bradford, and Manchester.