Eventos

🏗️ Convención Turespaña 2026 candidate cities can apply until June 13; the chosen city to be announced on July 7. The sixth edition will occur in October 2026, exact week undecided, either the week of the 6th or the 20th. Cáceres hosts the fifth edition this October. Requirements include adequate hotel and conference infrastructure, accessibility, and a social and activities program. The event gathers over 600 participants for three days and covers tourism marketing, air connectivity, Turespaña’s team, and its overseas network. Previous editions took place in Sevilla, Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Tenerife. Hosting impacts local economics and visibility in tourism promotion.

🍺 On April 29, British tabloid The Sun reported a power outage in Spain leading to a beer shortage in Benidorm, impacting thousands of English tourists. The outage disabled beer taps and payment systems, as the headline "No Beer in Benidorm" stated. High temperatures worsened the situation, with tourists left "high and dry." A visitor's frustration was highlighted: "Bloody beer's warm. Any chance of sorting this out @Spain? I can't drink warm beer in Benidorm.

✈ Iberia Express operates over 300 weekly flights to the Canary Islands. Iberia has begun using an A330, with a 288-passenger capacity, for daily flights on the highly competitive Madrid-Tenerife Norte route. This has increased capacity by nearly 200 seats daily, responding to demand and enhancing Madrid's hub.

🏗 Phocuswright Europe announced its 2025 program for the conference on June 10-12 at Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Barcelona. Themed "The New Era(s)," it will focus on transformative forces in travel, emphasizing generative AI's impact. Top executives from Expedia Group, Accor, Airbnb, Booking.com, Lufthansa Group, Ryanair, Tripadvisor, and Viator are confirmed speakers. The conference will feature keynotes, debates, innovation launches, and exclusive sessions, and reveal the Global Startup Pitch 2025 winners. Early bird discounts are available for a limited time.

🏢 Accor acquired the Orient Express brand and is developing a high-end rail product following the traditional route from London to Venice and Rome. The journey concludes in Rome, where the Orient Express has purchased the Palazzo Fonseca, named La Minerva, near the Roman Pantheon, featuring 93 rooms. Room prices range from €1,198 for a classic to €2,138 for a suite, with Louis Vuitton involved in decorating. Additionally, Orient Express will open the Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in Venice and introduce two luxury yachts into the experience by 2026.

🏨 TecnoHotel OnTour event is set for Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Ibiza at Hotel Vibra Algarb from 9:00h to 14:00h. Organized by Peldaño and supported by Maarlab, the event offers free registration for vacation lodging and hotel professionals, featuring practical training, inspiring talks, and networking opportunities. The program includes Speed Dating with tech companies, brief lectures, roundtable discussions, and a closing cocktail for networking. Companies like Triptease, Noray, Lybra Tech, and others will participate, with Marc Rahola, CEO of OD Hotels, confirmed for a roundtable. Attendance is free but requires validation.

🏨 Hosteltur connects with over 400,000 professional users in the tourism sector, offering top-notch information and marketing solutions across various platforms.

🛫 At the Tourism Seasonality Summit in Sevilla, Janice Mather from Jet2 and Jet2Holidays emphasized the importance of a year-round destination plan involving all stakeholders, offering a developed product. The summit preceded Routes Europe 2025, aiming to extend the tourist season and distribute arrivals more evenly. Jet2 operates over 500 routes, collaborating with more than 200 tourism organizations and 84 airports. Successful examples include Mallorca, emerging as a major cycling destination, and initiatives in Pafos, Cyprus, with indoor pools to attract winter tourism. Challenges in aligning tourism and transport sectors were discussed, along with the need for destinations to have an integrated approach and be aligned with the local ecosystem. Barcelona's success in maintaining diverse political interests was highlighted, and Sevilla's potential for expanding its influence area was mentioned. Post-Covid, opportunities for a new type of traveler who can work from the destination were considered for year-round travel.

🏕 During Semana Santa, 89% of Spanish travelers opted for international destinations, with Reykjavik, Iceland, being the top choice, representing 26% of reservations according to CamperDays. The average trip lasts seven nights, costing around €1,000 per week for a camper rental. Bookings are now made 17 weeks in advance, approaching the European average of 18 weeks. Iceland offers unique experiences such as aurora borealis sightings and volcanic views.

📍 Airmet convention exceeded expectations with over 600 professional attendees, a 40% growth from the previous edition, leading to closed capacity. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, it took place at Hotel Valentín Sancti Petri, Cádiz, Spain, featuring workshops, training sessions, round tables, and networking activities. The event highlighted the new 123Vuela air group platform, with more than 80 tourism suppliers present. Airmet's Director General, Rubén Fernández, emphasized their commitment to providing superior service to travel agencies.