Jurídicos y Administrativos

🚫 Spain's mandatory traveler data registration, active since December 2, faces customer resistance. Real Decreto 933/2021 includes sanctions, with fines from €600 for late reporting to €30,000. Agencies convey obligations to clients, aligning with laws despite competitive concerns. If refusal persists, agencies must document it. Some businesses may deny service to avoid liabilities. The sector debates privacy versus security, seeking balance. Over 123,000 hotels use the registration platform, according to a December 17, 2024, tweet. Agencies can make official complaints; one was closed on December 13.

💰 Booking.com, after a €413 million fine by Spain's CNMC, claims 98% of Spanish SME hotels increased sales via its platform, with 89% seeing more international travelers over two years, per a Statista survey. Contrastingly, legal advisor Javier Zamora reports ongoing abuses similar to those sanctioned by CNMC, as hotels warn of continued violations. The European hotel lobby Hotrec noted Booking's non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and potential ongoing restrictive practices. Despite criticism, Booking pledges investment in technology, marketing, and cybersecurity to support SME hotel growth and digital tourism in Spain.

🏠 The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives revised the Directive on Package Travel, removing the initial proposal limit on advance payments. The original draft restricted prepayments to no more than 25% of the travel price—a rule considered unfeasible. ACAVE reported this change, while ECTAA welcomed it but remains concerned about personal and subjective reasons being included for contract cancellations without penalties. They also cautioned that extended insolvency protection may pose significant administrative and financial challenges for tour operators.

🛫 Desde el 2 de diciembre, el Real Decreto 933/2021 exige en España el registro de viajeros a través de SES.Hospedaje, generando retos para la comunidad hotelera. Hoteleros reportan caídas constantes de la plataforma y el check-in, que antes tomaba 20 segundos, ahora excede minuto y medio por viajero, implicando sobrecostos de hasta mil euros mensuales. La recopilación de datos sensibles, como detalles bancarios, presenta riesgos de seguridad. Expertos piden integraciones API, mejoras tecnológicas, y diálogo público-privado para resolver estos problemas.

✈️ The European Commission adopted a regulation for a Flight Emission Label (FEL) that will be fully operational from July 2025, enabling passengers to view and compare estimated flight emissions. Airlines operating within or from the EU can voluntarily adhere to this label, which takes into account aircraft type, passenger numbers, cargo volume, and aviation fuel. The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will estimate emissions based on advanced international standards. Airlines can opt into the FEL from February 1, 2025, with the first labels assigned before July 1, 2025, for the winter 2025 flight season.

🏠 Under the Imserso Thermalism Program for 2025, Spanish spas offer pensioners treatments at €302.14 per stay during off-peak months like February, March, November, and December. Notable affordable spas include Balneario de Caldas de Besaya in Cantabria, Graena in Granada, Fuentes del Trampal and Baños de Montemayor in Cáceres, Hotel Balneario Almeida de Sayago in Zamora, La Vilavella in Castellón, Fuencaliente in Ciudad Real, Las Palmeras in Toledo, Hotel Davila in Pontevedra, and Balneario Termas El Molinar in Bizkaia. These options aim to support active aging and well-being at reduced costs.

🏖️ Organized crime in Italy, consisting of various mafia families, earns about €3.3 billion annually from tourism. The report by Raffaele Rio, president of Demoskopika Institute, highlights that the 'Ndrangheta, the Neapolitan branch, accounts for half of this revenue. The mafia is set to profit from the upcoming Catholic jubilee year in 2025 and the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Approximately 15% of the 48,000 tourism businesses involved in these events are financially distressed, making them vulnerable to mafia extortion schemes for loan sharking and money laundering.

📌 Spain's Dirección General de Consumo has initiated a sanctioning proceeding against Airbnb for listing thousands of illegal holiday apartments, months after requesting their removal. Airbnb faces fines ranging from €100,000 to six times the illicit profit. Minister Pablo Bustinduy emphasizes that no company is above the law. Last November, carriers Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Volotea, and Norwegian were fined €179 million for charging for hand luggage and other fees.

📌 On December 2, the controversial Royal Decree 933/2021 initiated chaos in the tourism sector despite industry rejection. Many businesses risk €30,000 fines for non-compliance as clients refuse to provide data upon reservation. The Ministry of Interior's system is overwhelmed, unable to respond to queries, directing inquiries to a different department. The travel agency association CEAV highlights the uncertainty agencies face due to the absence of a pending ministerial order.

✈ Iberia's Corporate Director, Juan Cierco, warns of increased aviation costs due to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and risks to low-cost air travel democratization. The European Commission roadmap requires 2% SAF by 2025, with an exponential increase to 70% by 2050. SAF costs up to five times more than traditional kerosene due to low supply and high demand. Iberia, with partners, proposed 16 measures to boost SAF production and consumption, urging the Spanish government for a national SAF strategy.