Tendencias del mercado

🏨 BWH Hotels aims to expand up to 40 hotels in Spain and Portugal within four years and is exploring a direct management model in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with HOSTELTUR, sales director EMEA Carolina Justribo highlights Spain's importance as a destination and source market. In 2024, Spain's hotel occupancy hit 82% with an ADR of €170, a 20% increase from the previous year. Luxury brands like WorldHotels reached an ADR of €370. Spanish clients contributed €40 million in revenue, a 24% growth. Direct online bookings grew by around 20%, corporate bookings by 37%, and leisure client business by 18%. BWH plans for 30 potential hotel projects, with 75% from small and medium chains and 25% independent hotels. The focus is on soft brand hotels (90%) and, to a lesser extent, hard brand (10%) with strategic areas including Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Sevilla, San Sebastián, Valencia, Alicante, and Málaga. They have 230 people worldwide to help attract international guests. They're also in talks for strategic alliances with local chains and considering management contracts in Saudi Arabia, with 14 projects in the pipeline, following a franchising tradition of nearly 75 years.

💼 In the first quarter of 2025, tourism employment in Spain grew by 1.2%, reaching 2,787,704 workers. Tourism accounted for 12.8% of Spain’s total employment, despite Easter falling outside the analyzed period. Compared to the same quarter last year, there were 34,347 additional tourism-related employees. Unemployment in tourism activities dropped to 12.1%, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points. Hospitality saw a 1% decline in employment, with food and beverage services down 2.8%, while accommodation services rose by 5.7%. Travel agency employees increased by 21.9%, and passenger transportation employment grew by 3.4%. Salaried positions in tourism rose to 2,327,588, a 2.8% interannual increase, with the salarization rate at 83.5% (+1.2 pp). Permanent contracts were at 85.3%, up 2.7%, and temporary contracts increased by 2.9%. Full-time salaried workers constituted 75.4% and grew by 5%, while part-time employment decreased by 3.5%. Self-employed figures in tourism fell by 5.9%, with notable drops in hospitality (-10.5%) and transportation (-3%), but an increase in other tourism activities (+7.2%). Job growth was observed in nine autonomous communities, notably Madrid (+10

✈ Airbus dominates the European commercial aviation market with a 41% share of operated flights, a 1% increase from the previous year, while Boeing maintains a stable 32% share. Ryanair, a key Boeing client, reached an average of 3,044 daily flights in 2024, an 8% increase from 2023, surpassing 3,000 daily flights for the first time in a year. Among the top 20 airlines in Europe, Airbus holds a 55% share versus Boeing's 34%. Airbus's "neo" family represented 27% of its operated flights in 2024, and Boeing's Max series accounted for 16% of its flights. Embraer holds the third spot with a 6% market share, with the remaining 21% split among other manufacturers.

✈ Valencia Airport hits a record with nearly 2.5 million passengers in the first quarter of 2025, up by 400,000 from the previous year, showing a 14.3% interannual growth. It's one of the fastest-growing airports globally, with a 20% increase in March due to direct connections to European capitals and new summer routes. Manises is expected to exceed its annual operational limit of 10.5 million passengers soon, having already reached a quarter of its capacity. Meanwhile, a €400 million expansion plan set for 2027-2031 is still in preliminary stages.

🏨 Barcelona's hotel market sees the recent listing of the modern skyscraper-housed Tembo hotel, opened last year, featuring 280 suites, a 4-star category and a sale price of around 130 million euros. The Swiss family-owned property, part of Stahler Group, is located at 479-487 Ramón Lluc Street in La Mina neighborhood. The Swiss promoter's investment reached nearly 80 million euros for land purchase and construction. Despite 22 hotel transactions last year, Barcelona's investment dropped by 5.5% to 578 million euros from 2023's 612 million euros.

🚇 Renfe resumed high-speed train services between Andalucía and Madrid at 9:30 AM on Monday after disruptions caused by a cable theft in Toledo the previous night. The incident affected Madrid-Sevilla line signaling, halting dozens of trains and impacting 6,300 passengers across 21 trains. Recovery is ongoing with at least two-hour delays on Madrid-Sevilla routes. Transport Minister Óscar Puente described the theft as a coordinated sabotage. Passengers experienced chaos with long waits and were advised to check train statuses before traveling.

🏖️ Spain welcomed 17.1 million international tourists in the first quarter of 2025, a 5.7% increase over the same period in 2024, with a corresponding tourist expenditure of €23.506 billion, up 7.2%. The leading source countries were the UK (3.1 million tourists, up 4.6%), France (over 2.1 million, up 7.1%), and Germany (nearly 2.1 million, down 0.1%). Canarias (4.4 million, up 2.1%), Cataluña (3.6 million, up 6.4%), and Andalucía (2.5 million, up 7.4%) were the top regions visited. The UK also led in spending at 15.9% of the total, followed by Germany (12.3%) and Nordic countries (8.8%). In March alone, 56.6% of spend was by tourists staying in hotels, a 2% increase, while non-market accommodations saw a 29% increase in spending.

🚩 European tourism to the United States has experienced a significant decline due to Donald Trump's policies, with a 17% drop in March. Leading tourism companies Accor and Voyageur du Monde report booking decreases of 25% and 20%, respectively. The downturn is attributed to Trump's tariff disputes and stricter border controls, affecting travelers from Spain, Canada, Egypt, and some Latin American countries. U.S. hotel chains and airlines have alerted investors about market instability in the coming months.

💰 Non-retired individuals can access Imserso's tourism program in Spain, which primarily serves pensioners. Eligibility extends to pensioners of widowhood over 55, unemployment benefit recipients over 60, and those 65+ affiliated with Social Security. The 2025-26 season introduces a €50 social fare for non-contributory pensioners, with 7,400+ spots including transport, lodging, and activities. Pets are now allowed at certain coastal destinations. Prices range from €124 to €435, covering up to 10-day trips with full board and entertainment. Accompanying spouses or partners and children with disabilities over 45% are also permitted. ???? To apply, registration is available online or via physical forms.

🍁 In 2024, the Canary Islands set a tourism record with 17,767,833 visitors, a 9.60% increase from 2023, while Morocco became Africa's most visited country with 17.4 million tourists. The Canary Islands, which can accommodate 22 million visitors annually, aim for an optimal 18 million to balance economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Morocco's rise in tourism is attributed to increased promotional spending and new Ryanair routes after reducing operations in Spain.