Distribución y Revenue Management

🏖 Comunidad Valenciana launches "Viaja +65" program, as announced by President Carlos Mazón, to boost tourism demand among seniors over 65 during the off-season, from October 14 to December 20. Aimed at benefiting 7,000 to 8,000 residents, it's expected to generate 50,000 overnight stays. Madrid will host the third edition of the Sustainable Tourism Ágora on October 10 at the Teatro Albéniz, discussing sustainable initiatives for competitive advantages in the tourism industry. Renfe, Ouigo, and Iryo face financial challenges in their first year of competition in high-speed corridors, despite increased passenger numbers, due to price wars and high track fees, up to 51% of costs.

🏛 Egypt faces a tourism issue with its national museum located in Tahrir Square, Cairo, which has been insufficient for over 20 years. A new museum near the Pyramids, partially opened after a $1 billion investment, awaits completion. The highly anticipated new museum's opening, originally set for late this year, has been indefinitely postponed by the government to add new galleries and expand with a second museum. Currently, only 10% of the museum, including Ramses II statues, is open to visitors, with the main gallery of 5,500 works pending a launch date. Tourists must visit both distant museums, amidst concerns over regional conflicts like Gaza affecting tourism.

🏖 In September 2024, Turismo Social (Ávoris) will offer trips for retirees with 185 hotels, despite hotelier criticisms about low payment from the Imserso program. The number is down 4% from 192 last year, and far below the 235 participating in 2022/2023. Sales start on the 23rd in Andalucía and other regions, followed by Asturias and additional regions on the 25th. The hotels are distributed across the Spanish coast with 143 on the peninsula and 42 on the islands.

📈 En la gestión hotelera, KPIs como Ocupación Hotelera, ADR, RevPAR, GOPPAR, y CPOR son cruciales para maximizar rentabilidad y satisfacción del cliente. Herramientas como Net Promoter Score y encuestas de satisfacción evalúan la experiencia del huésped, mientras que una alta tasa de retención de clientes indica efectividad en fidelización. HotelGest proporciona software para monitorear estos indicadores en tiempo real, optimizando la eficiencia operativa y estrategias del hotel.

🏨 In Spain, 1,238 hotels are listed for sale, a decrease of 108 from last year's 1,350. The top 10 provinces, led by Alicante with 103 hotels, account for 54% of the listings. Following Alicante, Málaga has 88 hotels for sale, and Baleares 84. Other notable provinces include Girona and Granada with over 70, Valencia and Asturias with over 60, and Barcelona and Pontevedra with over 40. Year-over-year, Barcelona saw the largest drop in listings with 45 fewer hotels, while Murcia experienced the highest increase with 19 additional hotels.

🏢 Ávoris, after integrating brands acquired from Globalia in December 2022, including Halcón and Travelplan, launched the Ávoris Store platform to streamline the booking process between its agencies and tour operators. The group, led by Juan Carlos González, now boasts an extensive wholesale division with over a dozen brands and a retail division led by Halcón, B travel, and Ecuador, totaling over 2,300 agencies. The platform consolidates offerings from Travelplan, Jolidey, Catai, Special Tours, and others, and is fully operational.

🏦 Raúl González acknowledges the appeal of luxury for Spanish companies, traditionally not strong in the segment, but adapting to room rates over 1,000 euros. The Royal Hideaway opening in Canfranc revives an abandoned historic building. He highlights the Spanish creativity and service in luxury hospitality, with a need for years to position their brands. González notes an increasing travel budget among consumers favoring higher-level, pricier hotels, benefiting Spain. He warns against becoming a commodity due to high labor costs, suggesting automated design hotels with AI as an alternative for those unable to pay for enhanced services.

🌎 Magí Castelltort from Turespaña presented at Overbooking Gran Canaria & Hosteltur Summit 2024 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, discussing U.S. tourism in Canary Islands. The air connectivity isn't a barrier despite distance and insularity, as Canaries are a well-established European destination with numerous routes. Americans tend to choose a single vacation spot, offering opportunities for regional specialization in Canarias. Marketing strategies include iconic imagery and unique experiences, targeting the competitive U.S. market known for its preference for well-known hotels, resorts, and cultural experiences.

🚂 SNCF, the French train operator, as of this past Monday, penalizes passengers carrying more than two bags on high-speed trains; previously, there was no strict bag limit as long as passengers could carry their luggage themselves. Contrastingly, in Spain, Renfe allows three substantially sized items per passenger, with minimal enforcement. Budget train services like Avlo and airlines such as Ryanair impose stricter limits, charging extra for baggage beyond a small backpack or cabin-sized suitcase. Ouigo and Iryo also impose baggage limitations correlated to ticket prices. These train luggage policy changes have not faced the same social opposition as in the aviation sector.

🏨 In Mallorca, the former head of the Hotel Federation highlighted the issue of supply management in the hospitality sector rather than demand, emphasizing the need for quality and reinvestment. Stating that for over fifteen years, little to no action has been taken, he argues that high prices due to low supply and the importance of offering high-quality accommodations are key to the region's tourism success.