Tendencias del mercado

🚀 Emirates' gigantic A380, the world's largest passenger plane, was filmed by spotter @manavaviation23 landing at Heathrow in a nearly frontal view, passing just meters above a nearby road with moving cars. The spotter exclaimed that the experience "really shook my heart!

💸 Leading Spanish agencies report a slowdown in tourism demand, despite prior high figures during Easter. To counteract the decrease and consumers' lowered purchasing power due to inflation, agencies like Viajes El Corte Inglés and Halcón Viajes offer extended discounts. Experts note the impact of early booking campaigns on last-minute sales. Optimism remains for a post-summer rebound, despite high prices and economic recession fears.

✈ Global aviation was disrupted from July 19-21 due to a Microsoft system failure, canceling over 5,000 flights. Iberia Express led Europe with an OTP of 79.79%, despite a slight drop from June. Madrid-Barajas Airport's OTP fell to 62.48%, while Vueling improved by 2 points to 76.47%. Iberia ranks 10th worldwide with an OTP of 73.82%, and Latin American airlines show high punctuality, with Azul, LATAM, Avianca, and Aeroméxico leading. Latin America saw a 24% reduction in flight cancellations in July compared to June.

🏖️ Spain's tourism employment in Q2 saw a 3.5% rise from the same period in 2023, reaching 2,965,784 workers. Tourism activities now account for 13.7% of total Spanish economic employment. Active tourism workers surpassed 3 million (3,264,381), a 4.3% year-on-year increase. The unemployment rate in tourism stood at 9.1%, below the national rate of 11.3%. Hospitality jobs grew by 4%, with food/beverage services up 3.5% and accommodation services up 5.3%. Passenger transport employment rose by 8.6%, and travel agencies saw an 8% hike. Salaried employees (2,474,024) increased by 3.9%, particularly in passenger transport (7.2%) and hospitality (5.2%). Permanent contracts in tourism rose by 8.4%, marking the twelfth consecutive increase, while temporary contracts fell by 14.5%. The top regions for tourism jobs were Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia, and the Valencia region, with La Rioja experiencing the biggest drop at 22.8%.

💸 Spanish consumer spending at travel agencies fell for two consecutive months with a 1.5% drop in July, following a 3% decline in June. In contrast, hotel spending increased by 3.7%. Overall, Spain's consumption in July grew by 3.6% year-over-year, driven by in-person spending, while e-commerce remained strong with a 13% rise. Foreigner spending in Spain grew by 13%, albeit 2 percentage points lower than in June. Cultural and entertainment expenditures rose by 7.3%, transportation by 8.1%, and even gas stations saw a 0.6% increase.

✈ Iberia Express launches sale on Madrid-Canaries route for autumn/winter season, offering rates from €36 for round trips between October and March 2025. Passengers must join the free Club Express for discounts and benefits. The airline surpassed 20 million passengers in Canaries, providing over 3.5 million seats for the year, up 16% from 2023 and nearly 40% from 2019, operating more than 50 daily flights including up to 9 to Gran Canaria and 10 to Tenerife.

🏕 In high season 2024, Turkey's tourism saw a 14% increase in tourists, particularly from Spain. Over 145,000 Spaniards visited in the first half, up 17.03% from the previous year. June alone saw a 26.98% jump. Turkey's earnings from tourism grew by 9.3%, reaching €21.6 billion. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated that 23.8 million visitors were welcomed, a 13.9% year-on-year increase. Russia, Germany, and the UK were the top sources, with China's market growing by 111%. Cultural tourism thrived with almost 14 million museum and historic site visits, a 12% increase.

🏨 The top 10 hotel chains globally own about 77,500 establishments and 8.2 million operational rooms, with Marriott International leading with 1.56 million rooms across 8,566 hotels. Jin Jiang International ranks second with 1.34 million rooms in 13,250 hotels, and Hilton third with 1.18 million rooms in 7,530 hotels. Four Spanish chains and an independent hotel consortium are in the top 100, collectively offering 549,086 rooms in 4,517 hotels. Meliá Hotels International is the largest Spanish chain, ranked 25th with 92,057 rooms by the end of 2023.

🏄 Surf tourism in Spain has seen a 20% increase in tourists in the last five years, benefiting local economies. Notable destinations include Mundaka in Vizcaya, famous for its left wave and strong appeal to experienced surfers; Zarautz in Guipúzcoa, known for its long beach and consistent waves; and Razo in A Coruña, with its natural, unspoiled environment. Other highlighted spots are El Palmar in Cádiz, Famara in Lanzarote, Rodiles in Asturias, Somo in Cantabria, Las Américas in Tenerife, Pantín in A Coruña, and La Zurriola in San Sebastián, each offering unique surfing experiences for various skill levels and hosting international competitions.

💰 IAG, the parent company of Iberia, renounced the acquisition of Air Europa, which was followed by a 5% stock price surge. Financial data for the first six months showed strong performance with revenues up from 13.6 billion euros in 2023 to 14.7 billion. The North Atlantic routes, strongholds of Aer Lingus and British Airways, are thriving, prompting IAG to announce dividend payments. Profits remained consistent with the previous year.