Distribución y Revenue Management

🏨 During the week of September 2-8, hotel bookings in Spain for stays 90 days ahead surged, with 16% of hotel bookings compared to 11% a year ago. Couples made up 56% of bookings; groups 22%, and families 6%. Top destinations were Catalonia (18%), Andalusia (17%), Canary Islands (15.7%), and Balearic Islands (13%), with Madrid, Basque Country, and Murcia seeing significant growth of 34%, 58%, and 78%, respectively.

🏖️ In Andalusia, international visitors have offset the loss of national tourists to northern Spain. Fahat leader Rafael Barba reports a trend reversal in recent years. Hotel occupancy dropped by 3.74 percentage points during June, July, and August compared to last year, with a 13% decline in national visitors in July. Northern destinations like La Coruña, Lugo, Asturias, and Vizcaya benefited, while Málaga and Cádiz saw over 10% drops in some months. Temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius in Andalusia during summer did not deter tourism, counteracting the cooler, less crowded northern alternatives noted by University of Cádiz's Mercedes Jiménez, possibly influenced by the pandemic.

🏖 Viajes desde 170 euros por persona para 6 días y 5 noches disponibles entre septiembre y junio para mayores de 60 años. Programa ofrece destinos nacionales e internacionales incluyendo Benidorm, Peñíscola, y viajes a Portugal y Marruecos. Incluye vuelos, hoteles de hasta 4 estrellas, pensión completa, traslados y seguro. Disponible en todas las agencias que distribuyen Club de Vacaciones.

✈ Iberojet inaugurates cargo operations in Honduras at Palmerola's new terminal, using an Airbus A350 for a regular flight from Madrid. The airline from Ávoris, which started Madrid-Palmerola flights in November 2022 with two weekly direct flights, will begin weekly operations from Barcelona in October. This move aims to transform Comayagua into a strategic logistics hub, boosting key sectors like textiles and manufacturing.

🏠 In 2023, eDreams Odigeo led online travel agencies in Spain with €621M in revenue, Logitravel followed with €258.2M, and eBooking.com with €247M. The e-commerce sector for travel agencies and operators in Spain saw a 40% business volume increase, reaching €8.893B last year. Logitravel experienced the highest growth post-pandemic, with a 447% rise in annual revenue. Spanish travel purchases from abroad grew by 134% from 2022, surging from €1.466B to €3.445B. Despite the recovery in travel demand, venture capital interest in new online travel agencies is nearly nonexistent due to a mature, oligopoly-dominated market.

✈ British Airways canceled 100 flights on Friday and 60 on Saturday, affecting 25,000 passengers mainly across Europe. The airline cited "adverse weather in London" as the reason, which was questioned as no other airlines at Heathrow or London City canceled flights due to weather. Affected destinations included Barcelona, Florence, Dublin, Athens, Naples, Venice, Málaga, Ibiza, Mallorca, and Larnaca, leaving passengers stranded without viable travel alternatives.

💰 Imserso's travel program in the Basque Country will start its booking phase on September 25, with sales opening on September 23. A total of 886,269 spots are available, with the booking period for other regions in Spain starting on September 23 and 25. The distribution is split into three main lots: 443,887 coastal, 230,039 insular, and 212,343 for longer trips and European tourism. Pensioners will receive nearly 3 million letters (2,853,985) confirming accreditation for the program. Reservations require a payment not exceeding 20% of the total trip cost, 45 days before departure or at booking if the trip starts in October or November with less than 45 days' notice.

🇩🇭 Marruecos aims to reach 16 million international tourists by the end of 2024, a record increase from 14.5 million visitors in the previous year, marking a 34% growth from 2022. Within the first seven months of the current year, Morocco registered 10 million arrivals, 1.3 million more than the same period in 2023. Marrakech, the country's top tourist destination, recovering from a severe earthquake in September 2023 that resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths and over 5,000 injuries, saw an 8.5% rise in overnight stays in July compared to last year. In response to the earthquake, Morocco's Ministry of Tourism undertook actions like assessing damaged hotels and launching an international communication campaign titled "Marrakech Forever" to promote the city as a safe destination.

🏖️ Spain has risen to the European podium as a top shopping tourism destination and the most desired by luxury tourists with an average spend of €8,000 per trip. Nearly a third plan 3-4 trips annually, 44% in September. Luxury travelers stay 3-6 nights (45%), book directly through hotel websites (68%), travel mostly as couples (75%), and favor urban destinations (65%). Spanish gastronomy is a significant draw (73%), and luxury accommodation is expanding. Price of lodging is a key factor for 64%, despite high spending power. Luxury tourists expect to spend over €3,100 on spa getaways and €370 per treatment.

🛫 Air Europa has been grappling with bedbug infestations on their aircraft for over two and a half months, causing unsustainable conditions. Despite dismantling and fumigating two 787 Dreamliners, the issue persists, with USO union criticizing the ineffective measures and protocols. Employees have found bedbugs in their hand luggage and experienced bites, and passengers are also affected. USO demands immediate and effective solutions from Air Europa's management.