Jurídicos y Administrativos

🔔 Spanish Hotel Directors Association (AEDH) confirms hoteliers can claim compensation despite Booking.com's appeal against a €413 million fine by CNMC. Javier Zamora, legal advisor to AEDH, states that Booking must comply with obligations and hoteliers can demand redress for "abusive" clauses that limited pricing control. A September ruling by the European Court of Justice, which is final, also deemed the clauses illegal. Over 300 hotels have joined the initiative for claims through Eskariam, which guarantees full risk and cost coverage. Events across Spain are informing hoteliers of their rights.

🏝 In 2025, Palma de Mallorca ranks as the 10th most demanded destination globally according to Edreams' "A Year in Travel" report. Barcelona and Madrid feature in the top ten, at 6th and 7th positions, respectively, while London, Paris, and Rome hold the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots. Bangkok leads the list, with Tokyo and New York at 9th and 5th. Palma de Mallorca is also a top reserved national destination among Spaniards, alongside London, Paris, Rome, Gran Canaria, Madrid, and Sevilla.

📊 In Spain, Value Added Tax (IVA) includes general (21%), reduced (10%), and super-reduced (4%) rates, applied to different goods and services as per Law 37/1992. Businesses must file IVA through form 303 and summarize annually with form 390 in January. Errors in IVA accounting can lead to incorrect deductions and bookkeeping, risking sanctions. Advanced accounting software can automate IVA calculations, minimize errors, and improve fiscal management.

💸 Ryanair filed a lawsuit in an Irish court against a passenger who disrupted flight FR7124 from Dublin to Lanzarote on April 9, demanding over €15,000 for additional accommodation costs, passenger expenses, and landing fees. The reported "inexcusable" behavior led to the aircraft's diversion to Porto, with an overnight stay for occupants. Ryanair aims to deter future in-flight misconduct through such actions.

🏦 HBX Group, previously known as Hotelbeds, is planning a stock market debut in 2025 with a 5 billion euro valuation. The decision was postponed from 2024 due to geopolitical and electoral uncertainty, aiming to list before mid-February, before its annual accounts closed in September expire. After failed sale attempts, HBX refinanced 1.3 billion euros in debt and repaid 240 million from pandemic injections in 2024. With a turnover of 8.4 billion in 2023, it's backed by Evercore, Bank of America, Citi, and Morgan Stanley. Hotelbeds processes over 5.6 billion searches daily. Spanish outbound tourism is recovering in 2025, with early bookings and a demand for long-haul destinations like Japan, Thailand, and Costa Rica. Travel agencies confirm growing interest in Asia and America, thanks to new direct routes and better connectivity. Cruises in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe remain popular. The cancellation of the Hard Rock project in Catalonia might cost investors up to 50 million euros in indemnifications.

🛑 Air Europa purchased 1.28 million KN95 masks for €2.37 million from Soluciones de Gestión, under investigation for fraud against Canary and Balearic governments, in response to the COVID-19 emergency declared on March 14, 2020. Each mask cost €1.85, lower than other administrations paid, such as Canary Islands at €2.5 per unit. The transaction, dated February 22, 2022, was disclosed to the Spanish Tax Agency. Air Europa denies any link with Víctor de Aldama or the alleged corruption network.

🏖️ En España, el 54% de los españoles apoya la implementación de tasas turísticas para limitar el overtourism; en Dinamarca, el apoyo es del 53%. La encuesta de YouGov en agosto de 2024 incluyó a 9.621 personas de siete países europeos. En España, Cataluña y Baleares ya aplican impuestos por pernoctaciones, con Barcelona entre las ciudades con tasas más altas. Las ecotasas no están diseñadas para controlar la afluencia turística, sino para el mantenimiento de espacios. La tasa turística más cara del mundo es de 100 euros al día en Bután.

💸 Spain's Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, faces data from the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) indicating that Renfe's low-cost subsidiary Avlo has even more aggressive pricing than rival Ouigo. In the third quarter of 2024, on the Madrid-Barcelona route, Ouigo's average price was €43.16 compared to Avlo's €45.31, with Iryo being the cheapest at €41.74. Madrid-Valencia and Madrid-Alicante routes show Avlo with lower prices than Ouigo at €24.14 vs €26.16 and €27.90 vs €31.46, respectively. Despite Puente's announcement in May about taking Ouigo's alleged unfair competition to the European Commission, no complaint has been filed yet.

🏠 The new Spanish regulation mandates that short-term rental hosts and online platforms must comply with its rules, regardless of their location. Landlords must register their properties and platforms must ensure visibility of these registration numbers in listings. The Single Digital Window for Rentals in Spain, overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, will facilitate data transmission between platforms and authorities. Compliance with administrative orders to remove or disable listings with suspended or withdrawn registration numbers must be within 48 hours.

📌 Spain's new single rental registry will take effect on January 2, with full application from July 1, 2025. Government extends free transportation passes until June 30, 2025, with 50% discounts on Avant passes throughout the year. Meliá Hotels International invests over $50 million in a 5-star hotel in Ushuaia, the southernmost in its chain. Barcelona ranks sixth and Alicante leads growth by 22% in the 2024 top world destinations. Tourist apartments in Catalonia claim over €4.280 billion, potentially reaching €7 billion, due to new regulations. Iberostar to open its 16th hotel in Mallorca on April 11. Silken Hotels opens its second establishment in Canary Islands with SAAJ Hotels. Spain sees an annual increase of 55% in branded residences, with at least 8 new projects confirmed. Hyatt and Grupo Piñero establish a joint venture in Palma to manage Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts. Spain moves towards a 37.5-hour workweek by 2025 after an agreement between the Ministry of Labor, CCOO, and UGT.