Nombramientos

🎭 Ricardo Fernández de la Puente Armas has been appointed as the new Director of Institutional Relations at Grupo Loro Parque, aiming to strengthen relationships with public and private entities and consolidate leadership in sustainability and conservation. With over 20 years in tourism, Fernández has held significant roles in both the public and private sectors, including Member of Parliament in the Canary Islands, Vice Minister of Tourism, and positions at Promotur Islas Canarias, HECANSA, Ashotel, and FREDICA. Additionally, he has served as president of the Elder Museum Foundation and Canarias Congress Bureau and has been involved with Teide National Park. Wolfgang Kiessling, President and Founder of Grupo Loro Parque, values Fernández's extensive experience and believes it will significantly contribute to the group's sustainable tourism and conservation efforts.

💵 Andrés Spitzer, formerly of Amazon, has been appointed as the new Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Civitatis, focusing on scalability, B2B and B2C growth, and customer experience enhancement. Civitatis is bolstering its B2B ecosystem, particularly through improved distribution channels like APIs, agency dashboards, and direct integrations. The company aims for a 40% sales growth by 2025, following a $50 million investment from Vitruvian Partners. Spitzer brings experience from Amazon and as a founder of a startup acquired by Europcar in 2012. Civitatis targets Latin America for expansion in both B2C and B2B segments.

💸 Andrés Spitzer appointed as the new Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Civitatis, aiming to increase sales by 40% in 2025. Formerly a product and engineering director at Amazon Business and co-founder of car-sharing platform Bluemove, acquired by Europcar in 2012, Spitzer's role focuses on enhancing scalability, expanding B2B and B2C business, with a strategic priority on Latin America, and improving customer experience.

✈️ Air traffic controllers bid farewell to Captain Carlos Chiarri on his final flight before retirement after nearly 40 years in aviation with Aviaco and Iberia. The tribute was shared on the controllers' Twitter account (@controladores), with well-wishes for his retirement and time with family. He is described as a "grandísima persona" and encouraged to enjoy retirement with his colleague Esperanza.

💀 Australian couple Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin experienced a distressing flight from Melbourne to Doha, where a fellow passenger tragically died en route. The incident occurred four hours away from the nearest airport, forcing the crew to leave the deceased in her seat due to her size, which prevented moving her to business class. The couple's journey was to continue from Doha to Venice for a European trip. Following the event, there was criticism towards Qatar Airways for the handling of the situation and the lack of support for the passengers.

🏠 Javier Escriche, former Commercial Director at Valentín Hotels with 15 years of experience, has been recruited by Opentours as Senior Advisor for Management and Corporate Governance. Escriche has previously worked with entities like Mundicolor/Iberia and Turimar. Angel Martín, CEO of Opentours, expressed enthusiasm for leveraging Escriche's extensive market knowledge to drive the company's expansion, coinciding with its upcoming 60th anniversary. Escriche is excited to return to the tourist intermediation sector and contribute to digitalization and innovation initiatives.

🏦 Javier Escriche joins Opentours as a senior management and corporate governance advisor after 15 years as Commercial Director at Valentín Hotels in Spain. His career includes roles at Mundicolor/Iberia, Turimar, Puente del Mundo, and Días Libres-Relax Tours. CEO Ángel Martín notes Escriche's market knowledge and industry relationships will drive group expansion. Escriche is excited to return to tourism intermediation and contribute to the company's digitalization and sector transformation.

📍 Former Canary Islands' Deputy Minister of Tourism (2010-2015) Ricardo Fernández de la Puente Armas appointed as Director of Institutional Relations for Loro Parque, owned by Wolfgang Kiessling. He also served as a Ciudadanos deputy in the Canarian parliament (2019-2023) and worked at Gowaii and as manager at Ashotel. Recently took over as president of CETURS, now focusing on a globally recognized leisure park group including Siam Park.

🚢 Rosana Morillo, formerly Secretary of State for Tourism, joins MSC as Vice President for Governmental Affairs after leaving her role in April last year, succeeded by Rosario Sánchez. Morillo's focus will be strengthening MSC's presence in Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean, and other strategic markets. She is recognized for promoting public-private collaboration, sustainable tourism policies, and managing European funds for the sector's post-pandemic recovery. Her prior experience includes negotiating cruise limitations in the Balearics and managing the fallout from Thomas Cook's collapse.

📅 María Teresa Sancho, directora general of Imserso, commits to meeting social tourism program deadlines during CEOE's Tourism Council meeting. Imserso will soon have new tender specs ready, excluding contract extension with Ávoris, who faces a sanctioning file for alleged breaches. Aspirant companies relieved, potential bidders include Ávoris, Mundiplan, Nautalia, SeniorPlan. Proposals discussed for program renewal, addressing remuneration for hotels hosting pensioners (€25-26/night vs. real cost of approx. €34) and agencies selling trips (€14.50/space).