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🏖️ In Madrid, the 8th AMT Smart Destinations Awards open for entries until November 21, 2024, recognizing technological contributions to smart tourist destinations. New category 'Innovative Destination Project' added for FITUR 2025, held January 22-26 at IFEMA MADRID. Finalists to present at techYdestino forum, with awards on January 23, 2025, at 16:00. Public and private sector candidates eligible for five categories, private companies excluded from the new category. Finalists announced January 9, 2025, will be included in an online catalog. A €5,500 grant from mentorDay's acceleration program is available. Previous winners include Fiwoo, We Travel Hub, Boldest, and Weavair.

🏖 Malta reached 3 million tourists in 2023, with predictions to surpass 3.5 million. The Tourism Authority of Malta, led by Claudio Micallef, has canceled summer promotions due to constant full capacity and shifts focus to filling rooms in winter, aiming for November and December. An increase of 25% in tourist numbers was seen in the last two months of the previous year, thanks to a winter promotion plan. Sustainable tourism is promoted by spreading tourists throughout the year and using sports as a promotional tool in the off-peak seasons.

🏥 Hosteltur, a tourism news outlet, received the "Premio al Medio de Comunicación del Año" from CIDH during its 30th anniversary for its role in disseminating key information for the tourism industry. The award ceremony took place at Taberna del Alabardero, attended by over 70 notable figures in the global tourism and hotel sector. CIDH, with a presence in 67 countries and over 38,472 industry executives, also celebrated the addition of 15 new ambassadors, 17 corporate partners, and 300 new members this year. Other awardees included Grupo Pilsa, UNICEF, and Marta García-Valdecasas. The CIDH International Congress was held from October 23-24 in Seville at the Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS), focusing on innovation and leadership in the hospitality industry.

🌱 ASHOME signed a collaboration agreement with Bioscore on October 23, 2024, in Maó, Menorca. The partnership aims to enhance sustainability in the island's hotel industry by providing member hotels with preferential rates for Bioscore's sustainability certification and specialized advice on circularity plans. The benefits include access to sustainability tools, training, and increased visibility on travel platforms like Booking.com, Google Travel, and Expedia. The initiative supports compliance with environmental regulations and positions Menorca as a leading sustainable tourist destination.

📦 Resuinsa Group will participate in Equip Hotel Paris from November 3-7, 2024, showcasing their latest textile innovations at Hall 7.1, Stand F20. The company is the only Spanish textile sector representative at this global hospitality event. With over 10,000 clients across five continents, Resuinsa offers customized articles and collections that blend quality with sophisticated style, aiming to enhance guest experience through design and environmental respect. General Director Félix Martí emphasizes the company's commitment to textile excellence and industry transformation.

🛈 The Spanish Parliament fears that the legislative proposal (PNL) will not succeed due to opposition from various parliamentary groups. The PP party criticizes the government for disregarding the chambers' decisions and highlights the tourism sector's significant unrest caused by a Royal Decree (RD 933/2021). The PP requested appearances by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez Grau, on Wednesday. They contend the RD is unnecessary, as it demands excessive information from tourists, causing distrust and potential damage to Spain's international tourism image. The PP alleges that the RD could transform hotel receptionists and travel agents into law enforcers, further complicating check-in processes and harming business operations.

🏨 Javier Arús from Azora participated in a panel discussing "Hotels as an investment asset: trends" at the Hospitality Real Estate Forum by Planner Exhibitions. The Spanish hotel investment market attracts long-term investors like sovereign and institutional funds, positioning Spain as a top choice in Europe. Nicolas Cousin of Christie & Co and Montse Rius of HIP highlighted the shift to long-term capital with the entry of sovereign funds. The sector's resilience to inflation and adverse cycles makes it more attractive for institutional portfolios, as seen in France, which is gaining momentum compared to the office segment. The transition represents a natural evolution from private equity to longer-term capital from sovereign funds and family offices, focusing on the vacation accommodation segment due to growing global tourism demand. The availability of capital is increasing, with diverse investors, including non-Spanish and non-bank financiers, strengthening the investor market. The trend towards long-term investment by pension funds and insurance companies is seen as a positive direction for the sector.

📍 Málaga hosted the ITH Hotel Energy Meetings 2024 on October 22, 2024, focusing on hotel sustainability and energy efficiency. Key figures like Javier Hernández and Coralía Pino led the event at Hotel NH Málaga. Topics included renewable energies, self-consumption, energy management, and technological innovations for hotels. The ITHSaveHotel program, backed by the Secretary of State for Tourism, was presented, aiming to improve energy efficiency and generate immediate economic savings. Experts from Bosch, Mitsubishi, Daikin, and others discussed heating, cooling, fluid management, and alternative energies, emphasizing cost reduction and eco-friendly practices.

🏨 Keytel, part of Grupo Hotusa, aims to boost the business of independent hotels by offering comprehensive services including sustainability, technology, direct sales, cost management, marketing, communication, commercialization, and training. At their annual convention in Madrid, titled "Acelerando," Grupo Hotusa's president Amancio López discussed adapting to a market in constant evolution. Economist Pep Ruiz from BBVA Research highlighted an increase in investment leading to improved quality and high occupancy rates in the hotel sector. The convention gathered a hundred associated hotels to explore current sector trends and opportunities. Technologies such as AI integration with big data, digital strategy centered around direct sales, and cybersecurity for the connected hotel were presented as competitive tools for independent hotels.

🌱 Ten hotels in Madrid, including categories from 3 to 5 stars, are participating in the "BI Green" project, which was launched in November 2023 by the Asociación Empresarial Hotelera de Madrid (AEHM) with support from DG de Turismo y Hostelería and collaboration with Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH). The initiative aims to achieve up to 20% energy cost savings for hotels by analyzing electricity, gas, and water consumption using a Business Intelligence (BI) platform. These Madrid hotels represent around 1,000 rooms and seek to reduce operational costs, improve customer experience, and enhance sustainability positioning.