Jurídicos y Administrativos

💰 Andalucía offers subsidies for tourism businesses to mitigate drought effects and adapt to climate change, drawing from a €40 million fund, financed by Next Generation-EU funds. Announced on August 14, the program supports projects promoting water reuse and energy efficiency. Eligible businesses include accommodation, event organizers, and hospitality services, with project costs covered up to 65% for small companies and up to 100% for certain hospitality projects. Applications close on September 15.

💨 Aemet issued a red alert for extreme rain danger in north and northeast Mallorca, warning of very adverse conditions overnight and Thursday morning. Residents and tourists are advised to stay indoors unless necessary. Dozens of flights from or to Palma airport got canceled due to the adverse weather affecting operations.

🏖️ Spanish authorities are taking measures to control tourism, targeting illegal vacation rentals. The complex issue acknowledges the duality of residents as both victims and participants in tourism. Japan considers three solutions: taxes favoring the wealthy, reducing lodging options, and internet-only ticketing with quotas for top attractions, as part of managing tourist excess.

✈ Air France's representatives held eight meetings with European Commission officials from January to July, compared to just two in the year 2023. These engagements are believed to be tied to the failed acquisition of Air Europa by Iberia after nearly five years. Expert sources hinted at pressures from Germany and France to halt the transaction, while the Spanish government remained distant in the final phase, a stance differed from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who actively supported Lufthansa's partial purchase of Ita Airways.

🏖️ Benidorm identified as the main hub for scams targeting British tourists, based on a McAfee study highlighted by the English press. The study reveals an increase in fraudulent websites and ads, with British tourists swindled out of £12 million (€14 million) in 2023. Berlin ranks second, while Ibiza, La Valeta, and Albufeira also feature in the top ten destinations for holiday scams.

📍 Japan faces an increasing tourism problem, particularly in 10 cities including Kyoto. To manage the influx, they are implementing three measures: charging tourists up to $30 to enter attractions like Himeji Castle, restricting accommodations in a manner similar to Amsterdam's impact on Airbnb, and requiring advance online reservations for certain tourist sites to regulate visitor volume, akin to European practices. These measures follow a 35% increase in American tourism since 2019.

✈ Ryanair ignores Spanish court warnings and continues its campaign against Edreams despite judicial advice to stop denigrating practices urgently. The Barcelona Commercial Court No. 12 demands Ryanair end its campaign to promote its website for flights and associated services. Ryanair accuses Edreams of overcharging Prime members by up to 78% for baggage and inflating British Airways seat prices by 72%. Four months after Ryanair's complaint, Spanish Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy has taken no action.

📡 On August 10, several balloons from Morocco were detected in the airspace of the Canary Islands. USCA spokesperson José Feliu clarified that the balloons, attributed to American studies and not Moroccan spy activities, were previously notified to air traffic controllers and pilots. These high-altitude balloons are used for communications, data transmission, surveillance, and intelligence, operating above commercial flight levels.

🦯 On August 12, 2024, it was reported that the use of digital fingerprint timekeeping systems in companies has been deemed illegal since November 23, 2023, by the Spanish Data Protection Agency. The biometric system, utilized to distinguish ordinary and extraordinary working hours as mandated by the Real Decreto Ley 8/2029, allowed for secure and precise employee authentication but raised personal data concerns. Current emphasis is on digital registration systems that support remote work integration and comply with data protection laws.

🚀 Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, justifies the decision to eliminate compensations for AVE train delays of 15 and 30 minutes, labeling punctuality commitment as economic suicide. Amidst the high-speed rail sector's price war, with competitors Iryo and Ouigo, the industry faces annual losses of €230 million. Renfe paid €42 million in delay compensations in 2023, often for issues not attributable to them. Puente denies the policy change is related to Talgo S106 trains' 479 incidents.