Nombramientos

🚩 Georgia, April 2025: The Georgian government has revoked its support for Zurab Pololikashvili's re-election as Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization, a position he has held since 2018. Georgia will now endorse the candidate from the United Arab Emirates. Officials assert this decision is independent and not influenced by other candidates, dismissing speculation otherwise.

✈ Vueling publicly dismissed commander Jesús Cerqueira after over a decade of service. The company recognized his dedication, experience, and passion for flying through a LinkedIn post, wishing him well in retirement. Cerqueira responded with heartfelt thanks to Vueling's staff. Colleagues praised him as an exemplary professional and a kind person. This public acknowledgment is notably uncommon in commercial aviation, where farewells are typically more private.

✈ Charter airlines and those owned by tour operators have seasonal operations, with low winter activity in the Mediterranean. TuiFly manages high summer demand by outsourcing, previously relying on a Canadian charter, then Fly4 last summer. This summer, Fly4 will again operate flights for Tui from Norwich, Birmingham, and East Midlands airports, starting May 1st under an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) arrangement, with Tui branding but external service.

🏡 Be Live Copacabana in Havana, owned by Cubanacán, leased to Chinese firms Hainergy New Energy Corp and Hong Jianghua International Hotel Management as announced at FitCuba 2025. Be Live's portfolio shrank from over 10,000 rooms to 800+, exiting the Caribbean and leaving 7 hotels in Spain and 3 in Morocco. The brand had 34 hotels across several countries and Be Live's international presence dropped by 77% or 2,920 rooms. In 2023, Globalia's Be Live reached an agreement with Hyatt to manage their Caribbean hotels, while Stoneweg and Bain Capital acquired two Globalia hotels in Spain.

📁 José Padilla, director general of IAG7 Viajes e Integraiav, has been appointed as the new president of Gebta for 2025 and 2026, succeeding Luis Dupuy de Lôme. Padilla, with over 15 years linked to the association and a member of Gebta's Council since January 2022, aims to ensure transparency, market-best conditions, and sustainable travel practices. Gebta forecasts a 4% rise in corporate travel investment compared to 2024, despite current geopolitical challenges. Padilla has previously held executive roles in Nautalia Viajes, CWT, Mapfre Viajes, and Viajes Barceló.

💰 Five members of Brand USA's eleven-member board were abruptly fired, with indications that the decision came from the White House. Those dismissed include Elliott Ferguson of Destination DC, Lauren Balley of Upward Projects, Kisten Espósito of Espósito Global, Allen Orr of Orr Immigration Law, and Tim Mapes of Delta Airlines Marketing. Brand USA, the U.S. tourism promotion agency, operates on a modest budget of $252 million.

🏦 Coming2, part of Grupo Piñero, to cease operations in the Caribbean on Wednesday, April 30. The company, with 40 years of experience, doubled its customer base, serving 600,000 passengers annually with over 1.5 million transfer and excursion services. Coming2 operated in Mexico (Riviera Maya, Cancún), Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, La Romana, Samaná), Jamaica, and Spain. They joined Travelance in January 2024, owning 150 vehicles and several boats for excursions.

✈️ On April 28, Spain experienced a near 12-hour nationwide blackout affecting all sectors. However, Iberia Airlines, led by Corporate Director Juan Cierco, managed to operate almost normally despite the power outage. Airports, coordinated by AENA, maintained functionality, resulting in Iberia barely canceling flights. The airline sector demonstrated professionalism and resilience, with the Airline Association (ALA) reporting that 94% of scheduled flights were operated, totaling 5,656 out of 6,000 planned flights. This event underlined the sector's robustness compared to a similar 4-hour power cut at Heathrow weeks earlier, which resulted in total chaos and flight cancellations.

🏨 José Luque was unanimously reelected as president of the Costa del Sol Hotel Association (Aehcos) for the 2025-2029 period, in the General Electoral Assembly held last Thursday in Mijas. During his new tenure, Luque aims to focus on digitalization, improve co-governance with public administrations, and find solutions to structural issues such as mobility, sanitation, and access to affordable housing. The Executive Committee of Aehcos now includes eight members, with María Francisca Peñarroya as the new first vice president, and Rafael Luque joining as a member. Luque also plans to enhance the association's internal professionalization and facilitate recruitment in a changing job market.

📈 Marta Barceló Fontirroig appointed as president of Barceló Crestline, the North American arm of Grupo Barceló, acquired in 2017. Antonio Tovar Barceló named CEO for Central America and Caribbean, overseeing hotels in several countries. Marta joined the family business in August 2023 and worked as a Business Development Analyst at Crestline since October 2023. Antonio, with a 10-year tenure at W Barcelona, joins the management committee with other members, including Simón Barceló Tous.