Nombramientos

🏖️ Spain welcomed 93.8 million tourists in 2024, with international visitors spending €126.282 billion—a 16.1% increase from 2023. The UK, France, and Germany were the top source markets, while Asian tourists saw the highest growth. Catalunya was the most visited destination, followed by the Balearic and Canary Islands. Spanish hotel chains expanded into 68 countries with over 280,000 rooms; Meliá focused on Cuba and Vietnam, Minor Hotels on Germany and Italy, Barceló on the US and Mexico, Riu on Mexico and Cabo Verde, and Iberostar on the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The Hotel Golf Santa Ponsa in Mallorca is set to open in 2026 under The Meliá Collection luxury brand, marking the fourth Meliá-Summum collaboration on the island, featuring 88 rooms, a gastronomic restaurant, rooftop bar, and modern spa.

💷 Ryanair, responding to Denmark's new €50 air passenger tax effective January 1st, has cut flights to Billund and ceased flights to Aalborg. Despite not reaching pre-pandemic 2019 air traffic levels by 2025, Denmark, like Germany, France, and Spain before, faces Ryanair's exit. Billund-based staff were offered relocation within Ryanair's European bases.

🚢 Viajes El Corte Inglés will undertake a labor adjustment at its main tour operator, Tourmundial, confirming the conclusion of the reorganization process after reaching an agreement with unions. The workforce impact is reduced to 430 (from an initial 520), with about 150 employees over 59 eligible for voluntary incentivized departures. The reorganization aims to optimize services and customer attention by incorporating new technologies and processes.

💸 Viajes El Corte Inglés aims to finalize its reorganization plan by the week of January 30, 2025, affecting up to 520 employees from central services, business travel, and MICE sectors, alongside 118 incentivized layoffs. CCOO and Valorian unions are negotiating better terms, suggesting an increase in pre-retirement layoffs beyond the proposed 118, opposing the use of geographical mobility, and reducing the number of affected workers from 520 to 300 at most.

🏛 Único Hotels, managed by Pau Guardans, takes over the luxurious Finca La Bobadilla from Barceló Hotel Group in Andalucía. Part of The Leading Hotels of the World, Virtuoso, and Michelin-starred, the hotel is 45 minutes from Málaga airport, on 350 hectares featuring an Andalusian village design and luxury amenities. Newly named Flow Spa, Finca La Bobadilla now offers expanded yoga retreats, new gastronomic menus, and activities including horseback riding and biking. This move signifies Único Hotels' commitment to hospitality excellence and sustainable development in Southern Europe.

✈ Guillermo Arizcun, a commander from Iberia's sixth ENA class, retired after 37 years. Air traffic controllers bid farewell during his last flight. Arizcun expressed gratitude, having family onboard on this final journey.

🏨 By Salomon Hospitality hires Enrique de Solís Tello as its new business development manager to boost asset purchases or rentals. Solís began his career in 2013 with One Shot Hotels and was part of Millenium Hospitality's investment team involved in notable transactions, like Iberostar Las Letras and Eurostars Lucentum's divestment. In 2024, By Salomon executed a record number of operations, expanding into cities like Barcelona, Sevilla, Granada, and Budapest, and eyeing London, Athens, Berlin, and Vienna for further growth. The Serra Moreno brothers lead the firm, which currently owns 16 properties, with seven operational and the rest opening by 2026, following a 40 million euros investment in acquisitions and renovations.

🏖️ Óscar Perelli became the executive vice president of Exceltur on January 1, succeeding José Luis Zoreda, who had held this position since the organization's founding in 2001. Exceltur, a think tank with 30 member companies, aims to maintain its successful strategies, improve areas needing betterment, and emphasize collaborative projects for broader sector impact. With the recent addition of currency exchange leader Global Exchange, Exceltur reflects the tourism sector's value chain. New structural changes include Carlos Romero's appointment as director of strategic projects. Exceltur highlights housing policy changes since 2016, such as the new digital single window for rentals, preventing illegal listings. Spain faces challenges in influencing European housing policy. Exceltur criticizes the current management of Next Generation EU funds, calling for a more strategic and cohesive approach to drive transformative projects in tourism.

🏢 Jaime García-Calzada, aged 67, president of the FER and head of the La Rioja Chamber of Commerce, has passed away. He was deeply connected to the tourism sector, holding positions in CEOE and CEPYME executive boards and the Spanish Tourism Council. García-Calzada led FER, comprising 74 business organizations, into his third term in 2021. FER and the Chamber expressed profound sorrow on behalf of La Rioja's business community. The regional government conveyed condolences, highlighting his decades-long commitment to the regional and national tourism industry.

✈ Christine Ourmieres Widener, former CEO of TAP of Portugal, was dismissed from leading the aviation division of French group Dubreuil, including Air Caraibes and French Bee, after previously being ousted from TAP due to scandals. The announcement of her immediate termination was made this week. Air Caraibes operates a fleet of 13 aircraft serving French Caribbean islands, French Guiana, and France. French Bee, based in Orly, flies A350 planes to the US, French Polynesia, and Reunion. Concerns over discrepancies between reported and actual results may have influenced her dismissal. Prior to TAP, Ouirmieres Widener led the now-bankrupt FlyBe in Britain and worked with CityJet in France.