Distribución y Revenue Management

🛫 Barcelona-El Prat Airport surpassed its capacity in 2024, reaching 55 million passengers, 4 million in December alone, exceeding its current infrastructure limit. Valencia Airport also exceeded its limit by 300,000, hitting 10.8 million users. El Prat's expansion plans remain stalled despite over ten failed attempts. Meanwhile, Alicante-Elche Airport saw passenger numbers soar to 18 million, a 16.8% increase from the previous year and 3 million more than in 2019, prompting a 19.8 million euro public tender for remodeling. Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, nearing 25 million passengers, is also planning an expansion to accommodate up to 35 million users, with a focus on enlarging Terminal 3 and improving passenger experience.

📍 Air Europa expands services to include car rentals through its website using Amadeus Value Cars, connecting with providers in 191 countries. This move follows its venture into combined travel via a partnership with Logitravel, launching Air Europa Holidays. CEO Jesús Nuño de la Rosa aims to adapt to the changing needs of travelers by enhancing satisfaction with more options. Amadeus Hospitality President Francisco Pérez-Lozao emphasizes the seamless, integrated travel experience as part of Air Europa's diversification strategy.

✈ On January 13, a general strike in Belgium, aimed at advocating for "decent pensions," led to the grounding of 40% of flights at Brussels Zaventem Airport. Brussels Airlines preemptively canceled half of its operations. Charleroi Airport experienced disruptions, but no cancellations. Rail services faced severe limitations with recovery expected by Tuesday. The strike primarily affected flights to and from Zaventem Airport, with significant traffic jams in Brussels but no major interruptions in regions like Flanders. Meliá Hotels International leads the Hosteltur Ranking of Spanish hotel chains' international presence, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) marking a 22.5% increase in presence outside Spain in one year, contributing to a 6.5% rise in hotels and a 0.85% increase in rooms. Barceló and Riu are expanding in destinations like the Maldives, Thailand, and Jamaica, while SMEs are focusing on Portugal, Italy, and Morocco. The V Noche del Agente de Viajes, organized by Hosteltur, will be held on January 21, 2025, at the Eurostars Madrid Tower, celebrating travel agents with a gala dinner, entertainment, and prizes. The reception starts at 19:15, followed by dinner at 20:30, and culminating with a party including an open bar. The event serves as a prelude to Fitur, fostering networking in a

📅 Viajes El Corte Inglés (VECI) boosts its wholesale division, with increased relevance in recent years. Sales for Tourmundial and Club de Vacaciones rise due to a new incentive policy providing agents with an extra 1%-1.2% for distributing group products. VECI has cut incentives for rival Ávoris and launched Tourmundial Premium to improve profitability. By 2025, VECI plans to enhance travel programs for a premium client experience, forming new partnerships and expanding exclusive trips, author travels, luxury cruises, and destination choices.

📢 Corporate catering services enhance employee motivation and productivity by providing convenient dining or take-out options within company premises. Internal corporate dining areas are managed by the organization itself, while some companies opt for external partnerships or catering services that don't require on-site facilities. The digitalization of corporate dining focuses on queue management and efficiency, supported by advanced technology like TPV systems, which feature IA-powered scanning (vision checkout) and comprehensive management tools for inventory, reservations, kitchens, and personalized user experiences.

💰 In the Comunidad Valenciana, travel agencies are frustrated with the "Viaja+65" program, as 80-90% could not participate due to the lack of a booking platform. AEVAV president Miguel Jiménez criticized the program for its inefficiency compared to the official Imserso program, with no concrete travel dates and questionable reported pernoctations of 40,000 over a period from October to December 20. Participating hotels receive 35 euros per person per day, exceeding the state program's rate by 10 euros.

🌏 Key destinations in Asia are forecasted to trend in the first half of 2025, with a total recovery expected for Oceania, particularly Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia, and growth in sub-Saharan Africa led by South Africa. Mabrian's analysis is based on international tourism demand and flight search trends from the top 20 airports per region between January and June. Southeast Asia commands 13.5% of inspirational demand, East Asia 12.6%, and Southern Asia 6.5%. Bangkok, Phuket, Delhi, Mumbai, Manila, Bali, Hanoi, Colombo, and the Maldives are among the top trending destinations. Oceania surpasses 3% of global demand, with North America at 5.6%, and Latin America and the Caribbean at 2.5%. Europe's growth is modest but significant, standing at 17.2%, with Madrid, Lisbon, and Rome (celebrating the Jubilee Year of 2025) being noteworthy.

🇪🇸 Spain retained its position as the world's second most visited country in 2024, only behind France. Tourist numbers reached 88.5 million by November 2024, surpassing the entire year of 2023's 85 million and 2019's 83 million pre-pandemic. Despite campaigns of tourism-phobia, no Spanish destinations lost tourists; Cataluña attracted 18.8 million (up 9.9%), Baleares exceeded 15 million (up 6.1%), and Canarias approached 14 million (up 9.6%) visitors. Canarias' anti-tourism protests dwindled with no events since October.

🏛 In 2024, Spanish tourist spending experienced significant monthly variations, influenced by events like Easter and Black Friday. While spending at travel agencies fell in five months, hotel spending increased for eleven months. Specifically, in December, agency spending rose by 8.9%, rebounding from a 13% drop in November during Black Friday week. Hotel spending went up by 6.7% in December. Annually, notable changes included a 27% increase in March and an 18% decrease in April for hotel spending, attributed to the shift of Easter between quarters from 2023 to 2024.

📈 Cinven and CPPIB acquired Hotelbeds from TUI Group in 2016 for approximately €1.2 billion. Renamed HBX Group, the company is now poised for an IPO with an estimated valuation of €5,000 million. HBX Group, with over 20 years of history in Palma de Mallorca, employs over 3,700 staff from 58 nationalities. It operates in 170 countries through four main brands: Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Roiback, and TravelStack. In May 2021, Joan Vilà transitioned from Executive Chairman to a non-executive role, succeeded by Nicolas Huss as CEO.