Jurídicos y Administrativos

🏨 Ávoris won a public tender to manage Imserso's tourism program by artificially inflating hotel offerings. Promised only 8,800 stays in 3-star hotels and 6.4 million in 4-star, yet executed 2 million and 3.6 million respectively. Offered 5.6 million stays in double rooms for single use, delivered just 142,955 (2.53% execution). Due to these breaches, Imserso initiated sanction proceedings against Ávoris and withheld a contract extension for the 2023/2024 season.

📍 Jet2 has surpassed 6 million ATOL licenses in a year for the first time and is projected to reach 7 million by 2025, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The previous record of 5.9 million licenses was held by TUI UK in 2009. In 2023, 26.3 million ATOL licenses were registered, with 27.3% used by British tourists traveling to Spain on holiday packages. Of 17.26 million British tourists, 16.1 million traveled for holidays, and 7.2 million flew on holiday packages, accounting for 46%. The ATOL system, funded by travel agencies, tour operators, and airlines, protects passengers in case of company collapse, as seen with Thomas Cook's failure impacting 150,000 customers.

💸 Ryanair continues its campaign against Edreams despite judicial warnings, alleging Edreams has resumed "screen scraping" to sell Ryanair tickets. Edreams is accused of overcharging consumers, including 'Prime' members who pay an annual fee of €69.99. Ryanair's evidence shows hidden surcharges of 36% for a reserved seat (€15 vs. €11), 24% for a 10 kg suitcase (€20.99 vs. €16.99), and 20% for priority boarding (€24 vs. €20). Ryanair spokesperson Dara Brady calls for EU and Spanish government action to ban such hidden fees.

💸 Qantas was fined 100 million Australian dollars (approximately 61 million euros) by the Australian Federal Court for selling tickets for over 8,000 canceled domestic flights between May 2021 and July 2022. The fraudulent activity affected about 880,000 passengers. The fine is part of a settlement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) from May, which also included a commitment by Qantas to pay an additional 20 million Australian dollars (12.3 million euros) to over 86,000 customers. The penalty also relates to the failure to timely notify passengers about the cancellation of 10,000 flights scheduled between May and July 2022.

💸 Spanish travel agencies are opposing the government's decision to not delay the implementation of a data registration system for tourist accommodation and motor vehicle rentals without a driver beyond December 2. The agencies, represented by FETAVE, ACAVE, and UNAV, collectively manage over 5,800 sales points and argue that the decree (RD 933/2021) places them in a position of legal uncertainty and competitive disadvantage, as it does not apply to foreign tour operators without a social address in Spain. The agencies are insisting on total exclusion from the data registry, a limiting ministerial order, and a postponement until such an order is published.

📌 The Tribunal Supremo of Spain has authorized homeowners' associations to ban tourist apartments within their buildings if a three-fifths majority agrees. This decision interprets the article 17.12 of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, resolving discrepancies between provincial courts regarding the need for unanimous consent among owners. The ruling is aimed at addressing urgent housing access issues exacerbated by rising rents partly due to the increase in tourist rentals.

🏖 The Spanish Supreme Court has confirmed that communities of owners can ban tourist apartments with a three-fifths majority, according to sentences dated September 25. A 2019 decree clarified the majority required for such bans instead of unanimity. Cebu Pacific Air from the Philippines has placed an order for 152 Airbus A321neo aircraft, valued at approximately €21.9 billion, representing the largest order in Philippine aviation history. The III Ágora de Turismo Sostenible will take place on October 10 in Madrid, featuring over 20 industry leaders.

🔔 The Spanish tourism sector collectively rejects the data registry imposed by the Interior Ministry through Royal Decree 933/2021, effective December 2, on the online platform Hospedajes. GEBTA's Director General Marcel Forns warns of the recovery of tourism and business travel being jeopardized, with agencies required to collect over 30 personal data types from clients, to be stored for 3 years. These demands extend beyond what's collected by international travel clients in other EU countries, affecting Spain's competitiveness.

📈 El Ministerio del Interior de España, liderado por Fernando Grande-Marlaska, aseguró que el registro bajo el Real Decreto 933/2021 no pedirá más datos de servicios turísticos de los ya establecidos, antes de su entrada en vigor el 2 de diciembre. En contraste, las grandes cadenas hoteleras españolas, con más de 1.000 habitaciones, reportaron ingresos por 15.681 millones de euros en 2023, representando el 70% del total de 22.345 millones y manteniendo los primeros ocho puestos del Ranking HOSTELTUR de facturación.

🥃 In Ireland, a country with 30 distilleries, there was a 20% increase in whisky tourism last year, resulting in 2.4 million visitors. These tourists spent an average of 42 euros per person on each visit. Distillery visits have evolved into interactive experiences, including tastings and creating personal whisky blends, with growing interest observed from the US, Germany, and Britain, as reported by Alice Mansergh, head of Irish tourism.