Distribución y Revenue Management

🏖 Six companies—Ávoris, Mundiplan, W2M, Travel Live, Senior Plan, and Soltour—are contenders for managing Imserso's senior travel program, marking the highest number of candidates to date. Final decisions to bid will be made once the terms are reviewed, which are soon to be sent to the Council of Ministers for approval. Ávoris aims to renew its victory from two years ago despite sanctions; Mundiplan seeks to re-enter after being excluded last time; Senior Plan promises high-quality, sustainable offers. W2M and Travel Live (Nautalia) as well as Soltour, pending honest terms, are also interested. Viajes El Corte Inglés opts out due to low profitability.

🏖 Mundiplan, a partnership including Iberia, IAG7, and Alsa, offers 47 hotels across Spain for retirees, a growth from 42 in September the previous year. They also provide over ten international destinations, with "Circuitos Nacionales" in Spanish regions and trips to Europe, North Africa, Costa Rica, India, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan. Destinations cover Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands, with multiple options in cities like Benidorm, Lloret del Mar, and Salou.

🏠 During the III Updating Hotelero, Jordi Ferrer from Hesperia Investment Group and Miguel Casas from Stoneweg discussed new lodging models, including branded residences, hostels, tourist apartments, and wellness resorts. Ferrer is considering segments like senior living and coliving, and is developing a wellness complex at the Gran Hyatt de La Manga. Senior living is growing in Portugal and southern Spain. Casas emphasized the rise of branded residences in Portugal and sees potential in urban hotels transitioning to Leisure-focused brands. Airbnb-like models are expected to professionalize and become more attractive as rental regulations are applied.

🏖 The Imserso tourism program's bidding process is about to start, confirmed by Rosa Martínez, the Secretary of State for Social Rights. The pliegos (tender documents) are expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers shortly. In the first general council of Imserso in 2025, Mayte Sancho, the institute's director general, highlighted negotiations with the tourism and thermalism sectors. Promised changes include modifying the distribution system and adapting trips to the changing user profile. Additionally, a new inspection system will be tendered. Companies like Ávoris, Mundiplan, W2M, Nautalia, Senior Plan, and potentially Soltour, have shown interest in the program.

💵 HBX Group successfully refinanced its debt, extending credit lines' maturities to 2030 and 2032. The refinancing includes a €600 million term A credit line due 2030 with an interest rate of Euribor +2%, a €400 million multicurrency revolving credit line due 2030 at Euribor +2%, and a €600 million term B loan due 2032 at Euribor +2.75%. Main joint organizers of the credit agreement are BBVA, Banco Santander, Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Morgan Stanley, and UBS.

🌟 In Spain, 43 international hotel chains operate 707 hotels with 116,981 rooms, making up 17.74% of the country's total. American companies dominate with 150 hotels and 27,719 rooms, accounting for 31% of international rooms. French chains control 19.73% of the market with 23,073 rooms, led by Accor (12,382 rooms). German chains offer 22,389 rooms, with TUI Hotels owning 10,802. British firms provide 13,604 rooms, with IHG Hotels & Resorts holding 11,530. Thai-owned Minor Hotels has 10,882 rooms in Spain, expanding through acquisitions since 2018.

💸 Hoteles using Omnibees can now recover abandoned reservations with AskFlow's new WhatsApp automated follow-up, successfully reclaiming an average of 20% of lost bookings in the first month. This system outperforms email, converting up to 3 times more. The direct integration with Omnibees allows for customized message timing and content, improving reservation team efficiency without additional tools, delivering real-time performance metrics through the AskFlow Dashboard.

📓 Spanish travel agencies are witnessing a 10-15% growth in bookings for the upcoming Easter Week (April 13-20, 2023). The early bookings and expected good weather are contributing to this optimism. Nationally, some destinations are seeing over 20% growth from 2024. The Canary Islands, Andalusia, and the Balearic Islands are top choices, along with coastal areas and cities like Sevilla, Málaga, Valladolid, and Zamora, which are seeing high reservation levels for individuals and groups. Internationally, European capitals, the Caribbean, and Asian destinations like Japan, China, Indonesia, and Thailand are popular among Spanish travelers.

🏖 Ávoris launches in Mexico as a tourist issuer under the Catai brand, partnering with Travel Shop. The move confirms previous reports by Preferente about the group's first step into the country, led by Juan Carlos González and Vicente Fenollar. General Director Raúl Serrano expresses excitement over the new phase in Mexico, aiming to deliver unique, premium travel experiences—a segment Catai has led for over 40 years. Amaya Hernangómez, the product and operations director, considers Mexico a strategic market for their personalized travel offerings. Ávoris aims for a larger expansion across Latin America's key markets.

✈ Iberia will enhance its long-haul connectivity in the winter of 2025-2026 with three new destinations in America. Service to Orlando, USA, will start on October 26, with four weekly flights using A330s, offering over 46,000 seats. In December 2025, new routes to Recife and Fortaleza, Brazil, will open, adding to current 14 weekly flights to Sao Paulo and five to Rio de Janeiro. Recife flights start December 13 (three weekly, increasing to five in February 2026), Fortaleza on January 19, 2026 (three weekly, increasing to four in February). Iberia was the pioneer in using A321XLR aircraft since November 2024, currently flying to Boston thrice weekly and set to debut in Washington on April 12.