Distribución y Revenue Management

🚩 Nicolás Maduro, presidente of Venezuela, announced a significant reduction in flights to Spain after Madrid recognized his electoral opponent Edmundo González as the legitimate president. Venezuela had previously cancelled 54% of its international flights, including those to Dominican Republic, Peru, and Panama, impacting Caracas's connectivity with the rest of America, particularly through Panama's Copa Airlines. Air Europa, Iberia, and Plus Ultra maintain connections with Madrid, a major European gateway for Venezuela. The Venezuelan travel industry, already marginal, faces further isolation due to these cuts, which are driven by Maduro's political stance against non-recognition of his controversial electoral victory.

🚂 Ouigo, after debuting with Madrid-Barcelona route in May 2021, now serves 12 destinations in Spain. By 2024, the French company plans to extend services to Sevilla, Málaga, and Córdoba with Alstom Euroduplex trains. Long-term goals include expansion to Galicia, Asturias, Andalucía Occidental, and the Basque Country, pending rolling stock availability and infrastructure completion. Ouigo offers €9 tickets, exceeding 90% occupancy on its trains, and aims for operational profitability by 2025. Renfe has responded with competing fares through its Avlo brand, while Iryo, another competitor, focuses on quality and anticipates a 25% passenger growth this year.

📊 On September 13, 2024, an article detailed the importance of stock control for long-term sales enhancement and the significance of applying the right inventory valuation method, such as the Precio Medio Ponderado (PMP) or Weighted Average Cost method. PMP is suitable for items with little differentiation and is favored for its stable valuation, which allows for more accurate financial reports and better management for companies with high stock turnover. PMP offers advantages over LIFO, FIFO, and FEFO by not requiring tracking of specific batches or expiry dates, simplifying cost calculations, and being adaptable to companies with significant inventory movement. Recognized by international accounting standards like NIIF and GAAP, PMP aids in inventory valuation, financial reporting, purchase management, and production cost calculation. A practical application example provided: 100 units at €10, 150 units at €12, and 200 units at €11, resulting in a weighted average cost of €11.11 per unit. The use of warehouse management software (SGA) is recommended to automate complex calculations and ensure real-time inventory data integration with accounting systems. Zucchetti Spain offers customized ERP solutions for efficient warehouse management and stock control.

🏖 Imserso's Travel Program for Seniors will begin on September 23 with 886,269 places available for the 2024-2025 season. Sales start on September 23 and 24 for regions including Andalucía and Madrid, with remaining places available on September 25. The second block, including Asturias and Cataluña, starts sales on September 25 and 26, with additional reservations possible from September 27 if spots are left. A scoring system assesses criteria like age, disability, income, and more, where the maximum points for age is 20, for disability is 10, and for not having traveled in the last two seasons is 225. Reservations require a deposit not exceeding 20% of the total trip cost. Trips start at €124 for 4 days in provincial capitals and €210 for 8 days in destinations like the Balearic and Canary Islands, excluding transport.

💳 Independent travel agencies are experiencing a slowdown in tourist consumption, a trend confirmed by key management group executives. Sara Fernández of Grupo Gea notes a deceleration in sales but maintains agencies are still selling with good advanced sales margins. Jon Arriaga of DIT Gestión acknowledges a spectacular start to the year, with a natural subsequent slowdown as many travelers booked early. Airmet's Rubén Fernández cites concerns about rising hotel and transport prices, which may turn the temporary sales deceleration into a structural issue.

🏨 Global accommodation bookings reached $1.07 trillion last year, with hotels contributing 76% ($792 billion) to the total. Tourist housing surged by 32% compared to pre-pandemic levels, while hotel revenues were still 6% lower than in 2019. By 2027, bookings are expected to grow to $1.66 trillion, with hotel and tourist housing revenues projected to increase by 56% and 48%, respectively.

🏖 Imserso's travel program starts on September 23, 2024, with 886,269 spots available for Spanish retirees. Sales open September 23-24 for Andalusia, Aragon, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Valencia, Extremadura, Madrid, Melilla, and Murcia; September 25-26 for Asturias, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Ceuta, Galicia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, La Rioja, Navarra, Basque Country. Reservations can be made via Turismo Social's website or accredited travel agencies like B the travel Brand, Halcón Viajes, and Viajes El Corte Inglés. Additional bookings possible if spots remain after two business days.

🏖 Hoteliers and tour operators have expressed satisfaction with sales performance in early September and the outlook for the remainder of the month. The data shows sales figures for the last weeks of summer at least on par with the same period last year, which had historic volumes and revenues. Despite a disappointing demand in August and early July, the current sentiment across Spanish regions is a return to high occupancy and prices, similar to the strong early-year consumer sentiment. By year-end, most large tourism companies are expected to approach their 2023 results, avoiding the revenue declines seen in sectors like restaurants and retail.

🏖️ El Barómetro Turístico de Braintrust indica que, tras la pandemia, los consumidores españoles prefieren experiencias sobre bienes materiales. Entretenimiento y esparcimiento son el segundo mayor gasto para hogares españoles, después de vivienda y alimentación. Hogares de ingresos altos destinan 12.2% a restaurantes y hoteles, un aumento desde 11.9% en 2019, mientras que hogares de bajos ingresos asignan solo 5.9%, reducido de 6% pre-pandemia. El gasto total en vivienda y alimentación es del 42.5% en ingresos altos, 49.5% en ingresos medios, y 59.6% en ingresos bajos. La inflación ha limitado el gasto en ocio de muchas familias. Ángel García Butragueño, director de Turismo en Braintrust, sugiere que la euforia turística está más vinculada al turismo extranjero.

🏠 Spanish consumer spending on travel agencies dropped for the third consecutive month in August. CaixaBank's Consumption Monitor showed a 5.7% decrease in August, following declines in July (1.5%) and June (3%), and a near stagnation in May (+0.1%). In contrast, spending increased for hotels (+7.6%), culture and shows (+8%), dining (+11%), transportation (+3.9%), while gas stations saw a -4.3% drop. Despite a positive summer, CEAV notes a slowdown in July and August reservations. DBK forecasts a 9% growth in the wholesale travel market in 2024, reaching €5.9 billion, down from last year's 17%. Retail agencies are also projected to grow by 9%, hitting €12.6 billion, compared to an 18.4% growth the previous year.