Marketing

📈 In the last 12 years, the importance of brand value in Spain has increased by 30%. The VI BrandPulse study by AEBRAND and FMRE identifies economic resources, talent hiring, and lack of procedures as common challenges for companies in brand management. Only 54% of Spanish companies and 46% in the hospitality and tourism sector acknowledge the strategic value of a brand. Key barriers include 32% citing budget and team constraints and 31% noting absence of formal procedures. Companies face three major brand management challenges: relevance (67%), talent management (62%), and technology impact (46%). Approximately 45% of businesses outsource brand management and measurement, yet only 40% present branding indicators to their executive committees.

📊 Mandarina Brand Society to present the 6th BrandPulse study on branding health in Spain, organized by the Spanish Branding Association (Aebrand) and the Forum of Renowned Spanish Brands (FMRE) in Palma at Casa Esment on Thursday starting at 9:30 am. The event will feature discussions on tourism branding trends and challenges. Since 2013, Aebrand has been biennially offering BrandPulse studies, contributing insights for brand management. Participants include marketing leaders from Fergus Hotel Group, Riu Hotels & Resorts, Marugal Distinctive Hotel Management, RCD Mallorca, Grupo Iberostar, Barceló Hotel Group, Casa Camper Hotels, and Rafa Nadal Academy.

🏖 Viajes El Corte Inglés launches campaign for travelers over 60, offering deals like Benidorm packages from €189 for 5 nights full board, Mallorca stays from €415, and Menorca from €477 with flights and transfers. International trips include a 9-day Punta Cana stay at a 5-star hotel all-inclusive from €1,398, and tours to Lisbon, Malta, Norway starting at €1,110, €1,645, and €2,505, respectively. Mediterranean cruises like the 8-day MSC World Europa trip start at €503. VECI promises to match competitors' offers and provides up to €500 gifts and 10% discounts.

📌 Integrating data strategies into digital marketing ensures short and long-term success with valuable audiences. Utilizing data effectively drives business and operational performance, with 82% of organizations with advanced data maturity benefiting from positive year-over-year revenue growth. North American hoteliers invest an average annual digital marketing budget of $84,000, focusing on paid search, social media, and programmatic campaigns. Apex Hotels increased revenues by 30% and bookings by 23% using Cendyn's digital marketing platform. HHM Hotels saw an 84.5% increase in room numbers and a 100% increase in revenue during a Cyber Monday campaign, while Sircle Collection achieved a 95% increase in unique guest profiles and a 73% year-over-year growth in their loyalty program. Data-driven marketing is a proven, sustainable route to commercial success.

🎬 In the UK, 12% are inspired by movies and TV shows when planning trips, rising to 22% among Gen Z, as reported by ABTA. Travel agents note increased queries for destinations featured in recent productions, with Thailand's tourism benefiting from "The White Lotus." ABTA forecasts a rise in UK tourists to Asia, predicting 11% of travelers will visit in 2025 compared to 9% in 2024. Shows like "Race Across the World," featuring Japan and Indonesia, also boost destination interest. Despite AI advancements, film and TV remain strong travel inspirations, presenting opportunities for the British tourism industry.

✈ SAS Scandinavian Airlines' accidental flight to Athens in 2024 delighted EuroBonus loyalty cardholders. Capitalizing on the incident, SAS launched "destination unknown" trips for EuroBonus members in 2025. The offer sold out in four minutes, costing 60,000 points for a round trip. The mystery flight departs from Copenhagen on April 4, 2025, returning after three nights on April 7. These adventure trips are uncommon but not unheard of in aviation.

🏢 Key participants in Hosteltur TV's program include Pilar Domínguez from Mandarina Brand Society, Laura Malone from RIU Hotels & Resorts, Alba Bustamante from Meliá Hotels International, and Víctor Mayans from ARTIEM Hotels. Informational segments will be provided by Javier Soriano of Connectycs, Javier Roda of Travelgate, and Bárbara Arbona of Buades Legal, with AETIB as a sponsor. The broadcast will be available in the Balearic Islands on fibwiTV at 21:30 this Thursday, as well as via streaming and on Hosteltur TV's YouTube channel every Friday.

🌊 Puerto de la Cruz presented its new tourism campaign "Una ventana al Atlántico" at Fitur in January. The campaign aims to attract new tourists and strengthen the emotional bond with repeat visitors. In the past year, the 8 km² city welcomed 1 million tourists, a 10.8% increase from the previous year, with 66% repeat visits due to its climate, culture, beaches, and gastronomy. Visitor numbers from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and interest from Asian countries, Mexico, and Colombia grew in 2024. The city targets memorable tourism experiences and prolonged stays and will showcase at the ITB Berlin fair from March 4-6, 2025.

📱 Visit Scotland shifts its tourism strategy to focus on creating social media content rather than providing in-person info: betting big on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram. The majority of travelers make key decisions before their trip, influencing their time and spending in Scotland. From 126 pre-pandemic information offices, only 25 remain, with plans to close them soon despite some opposition from local businesses.

✈ Iberia schedules a record number of flights and seats for the summer season starting March 29, offering 3.2 million seats to Latin America, a 4% increase from 2024 with over 300 weekly flights. Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo will see the most growth, each adding three weekly flights, resulting in 21 and 14 weekly flights respectively. Lima will add an extra frequency for twice-daily flights starting in May. Mexico and Bogotá maintain three daily flights; Montevideo and Quito one daily. Santiago de Chile to have 10 weekly flights, increasing to 11 from June. Río de Janeiro, Caracas, and Guayaquil to maintain current frequencies. Central America and the Caribbean to maintain a similar offer as in 2024, with daily flights to several destinations. With the new A321XLR aircraft, Iberia will increase its US flights by 14% over last year, offering 1.1 million seats and 140 weekly flights. Direct flights available to eight US cities. Maintains three weekly flights to Japan with 53,000 total seats and daily flights to Qatar, with additional code-shared flights. Offers 16 million seats for short and medium-haul flights, matching 2024 figures, with increased frequencies to Rome and Paris. Resumes seasonal flights to several European destinations.