Distribución y Revenue Management

🏖️ Viajes El Corte Inglés launches "Haz realidad tu verano" campaign, offering up to 50% discounts, gifts up to €500, free kids, and price matching. Prior discounts were up to 35%. For Spanish coasts and islands, discounts reach 35%, and 20% for the Caribbean. Competitor Halcón Viajes promises up to €1,000 off on various destinations since the beginning of the year.

🏖 Castilla-La Mancha launches its own 'Imserso' Social Tourism program for those over 55, mirroring Madrid's model, which now offers 350,000 places. Emiliano García-Page's community collaborates with UNAV and various travel agencies. After a 2024 pilot, sales open with 277 destinations and over 1,800 national and international departures, including 93 domestic routes, 171 international, and 13 cruises. Benefiting over 700,000 seniors, trips include full board, 3-star hotels, guided tours, and cultural excursions, with discounts from market prices.

✈ Iberia will implement significant changes to its distribution strategy on April 1, strengthening its New Distribution Capability (NDC) while introducing new challenges for traditional Global Distribution Systems (GDS). Exclusive benefits for travel agents using NDC include discounts, a quality commitment to customers, and a 21-day ticket issuance limit compared to 49 days in the traditional GDS. Basic fares will be exclusively distributed through NDC in Europe (except the UK), the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, El Salvador, and Guatemala. IAG reports that up to 50% of Iberia's direct sales are already distributed through NDC.

🧠 Matthias Schmid of Booking.com emphasizes AI's transformative potential in tourism, not following blockchain or the metaverse's unmet expectations. Booking applies AI to internal proactivity, improving machine learning, and understanding customer intentions for tailored offers. A Booking survey of 27,000 travelers from 33 countries shows 48% trust AI for trip planning, two-thirds for in-destination activities, and a third for discovering uncrowded spots. AI is expected to enhance customer understanding and personalization in travel assistance.

🏕️ German tourists set a spending record of €83.4 billion in 2024, a 5.6% increase from the previous year. Organized trips like combined and modular travels dominated with €40 billion, up 7%. Winter 2023-2024 saw a 13% rise in spending to €28 billion. Travel agencies earned €22 billion in 2024, a 6.3% increase. Cruise passengers reached 3.8 million, a 5% increase, with spending at €6.3 billion. Total German travel expenditure hit €115 billion, up 3.7%.

🏖 Javier Vich, President of the FEHM, addressed misconceptions about Mallorca at the ITB Berlin, emphasizing that the destination is not overcrowded. Disputing generalizations, he compared Mallorca's popular spots to busy landmarks like Paris's Eiffel Tower or New York's Central Park. Vich rejected proposed summer ecotax increases, citing feedback from tour operators. He revealed positive forecasts for the summer season, with a 5-6% tourist increase over last winter. Hotel openings in Mallorca started at 34% in early 2024, reaching 52% in March, 92% in April, and 100% by May.

🏖 Ona Hotels & Apartments expands in Spain by acquiring the 111-apartment Ona Pearly Grey in Tenerife and managing the 795-room Don Juan Resort in Lloret de Mar. With these additions, the chain totals 43 properties and anticipates a 10% increase in annual turnover due to optimized rates and occupancy.

🚫 Barceló highlights a decreasing interest in service sector jobs despite attractive conditions, with growing absenteeism rates impacting businesses. The hospitality industry, especially in the Canary Islands, is experiencing a significant rise in absenteeism, with estimates reporting a 20-30% increase post-pandemic according to Javier Vich, President of the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation. Sick leave in accommodation services has escalated from 7.6% to 9.4%, with the issue intensifying during peak tourism months.

🏨 Asociaciones hoteleras operan local, nacional e internacionalmente, brindando representación, apoyo en formación, promoción turística, asesoramiento legal y desarrollo de estándares de calidad. Benefician a miembros con defensa sectorial, entrenamiento, visibilidad de mercado, establecimiento de estándares, oportunidades de networking, recursos estratégicos y soporte en crisis. Ejemplos destacados incluyen la IH&RA global, ILHA para hoteles de lujo, HotellerieSuisse en Suiza, CEHAT con más de 16,000 establecimientos en España y la AHLA en EE.UU. Las asociaciones fomentan crecimiento, profesionalización y colaboración en la industria hotelera.

💰 Travel agencies contribute 2.89% to the Canary Islands' GDP, equating to €1.382 billion. In 2023, the sector's total turnover reached €1.359 billion, with 7,368 jobs generated, 70% of which are direct (5,100 affiliates, including 1,376 self-employed). For each direct euro activity, the economy gains an additional €3.08, reflecting a 35% growth since 2019. Tourism represents over 35% of the Canary Islands' GDP and nearly 40% of employment. The study urges agencies to embrace digitalization and diversify services beyond reservations.