Distribución y Revenue Management

🏖 World2Meet (W2M) launches New Travellers Experience, an experiential tour operator, after a year on standby. The rebranded project, initially targeted at senior travelers, now aims to inspire travel based on affinities and lifestyles. Operating 100% B2B, the operator offers over 240 unique experiences with 65 guaranteed departures. It features three ranges: Amazing, with 160 planned and 60 guaranteed departures; Activos, offering 78 planned adventure trips; and Planes, a thematic multi-product line.

💸 Imserso increases agency remuneration for selling senior tourism program trips to €15 per reservation, up from €14.50. After four years of stagnant rates, this rise contrasts the last increase in 2021 from €12. The upcoming season starts in September; travelers pay agencies €15 per reservation plus a deposit not exceeding 20% of the total trip cost.

🏡 Meliá Hotels International renewed its contract with Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accommodate heads of state during official visits, managing El Pardo Royal Palace lodging and possibly other Royal Sites. The new contract, reported by Diario de Mallorca, is initially worth €220,000 for two years with a potential two-year extension, totalling €440,000. Meliá, led by Gabriel Escarrer, was the sole bidder and previously served El Pardo for four years, handling only four official state visits from South Korea, Italy (2021), Qatar (2022), and Colombia (2023). No state visits were recorded for Spain in 2024.

🏖 Joan Molas revealed that Semana Santa's tourism in Spain saw a 1.2% increase in domestic tourists and 4.5% in international tourists, forecasting 98-99 million international tourists for the year if trends continue without unprecedented events. The first four months showed a 6% rise in tourism, with contributions from international travel and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions). The snow season started late but ended positively, supporting regions with limited economic alternatives. Key markets include the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and rising bookings from Eastern European and Asian countries. The Mesa del Turismo's roadmap aims to decentralize tourism from six regions that attracted 90% of the 93.5 million visitors and 92% of the €126 billion spent last year to other communities, supporting initiatives such as the AVE to Portugal, the Mediterranean Corridor, and reducing airport congestion. They also address a labor absenteeism issue, reaching 20-30%, by proposing company-based mutual health follow-ups and a plan for mid-level tourism training.

📱 Hosteltur serves over 400,000 professional users from the tourism sector, offering marketing information and solutions across several platforms.

✈ Iberia remains unaffected by the recent decline in travel from Europe to the United States, despite challenges posed by Trump's policies. CEO Marco Sansavini of the airline confirmed stable demand for their primary long-haul market. In October, Iberia will add Orlando to its network, operating flights from Madrid four times a week with new Airbus A321XLRs, already in use for Boston and Washington routes. This summer season, Iberia offers 140 weekly flights to/from the US, a 14% increase from last year, providing 1.1 million seats. The airline's US destinations include daily flights to New York (2), Chicago (1), Miami (2), Dallas (1), Los Angeles (1), and Washington (1), plus thrice-weekly flights to San Francisco and twice-daily to Boston.

🚨 Over two dozen tourists were killed by gunmen in India's Kashmir region yesterday. The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a disputed territory between Pakistan and India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring the attackers to justice. The victims were mostly non-Muslim Indians. Pahalgam is a popular tourist site that attracted 3.5 million visitors in 2024. A 2019 suicide bombing in the region killed 46 Indian soldiers, escalating tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

🏖️ H10 Hotels acquired Costa Mogán Hotel from Atom for €31.7 million a year ago. Located in Gran Canaria, the hotel now caters specifically to adult vacations, offering a main and a la carte restaurant, two bars, a beach club, and a new rooftop with Atlantic views. Facilities include daily and nightly activities, yoga, cross training, aquagym, a fully-equipped gym, and live entertainment at Mogán Lounge. Suites evoke maritime life with local photography, while the gastronomic offering consists of buffet Costa Atlántica, Costa Fusión restaurant, and La Marina pool bar.

🏝 Middle East's 89.6% international visitors concentrate on six destinations: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Oman. Mabrian's report for Arabian Travel Market 2025 in Dubai indicates opportunities in mid-range quality hotels despite five-star dominance. Egypt's competitive rates correlate with high satisfaction, while Saudi Arabia's higher rates don't match guest experiences. UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia's hotel categories are evenly distributed. Oman and Jordan need to diversify mid-range accommodations. Qatar's 60% five-star hotels aim for competitive luxury rates versus neighboring countries. Despite prices higher than $200/night, Qatar's satisfaction scores don't surpass regional competitors, while Saudi Arabia and UAE average $299 and $291, respectively. Sonia Huerta, VP of Mabrian, suggests leveraging distinctive value propositions and attractive rates to compete internationally and recommends strengthening mid-range hotel categories to boost visitor arrival, reduce seasonality, and diversify demand.

🚩 British press claim a drop in visits to Mallorca due to anti-tourism protests, particularly affecting British travelers. However, Mallorca press reports excellent occupancy rates and high prices during Easter with no signs of crisis. British media accused of flagrant lies as British airlines maintain or increase flights to Mallorca. Reports of Spain persecuting tourists are contradicted by facts, with only certain regulations like new Airbnb licenses in Madrid, Málaga, and future plans in Barcelona, and dress codes in some areas.