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☀ In Spain, 53% prefer 'sol y playa' (sun and beach) tourism, 38.3% cultural tourism, and 36.7% nature tourism. Coastal vacations are chosen by 64.8%, with 39.8% opting for coastal towns, 25% coastal cities, 21.1% countryside or mountain villages, 13.3% inland cities, and 17.5% itinerant travel. Eight beach municipalities account for 18% of hotel nights. The "Foro Acave 2024" discussed the future of tourism beyond 'sol y playa', with input from tourism professionals like Cristina Lagé, Vicent Marí, and Roberto Torregrosa. Key topics included the silver economy, tourism for all budgets, better training, utilizing travel agencies, and public-private collaboration to extend the tourist season and diversify offerings.

🏡 The AZ Orus Factory Hotel, located in Zaragoza's city center at Escoriaza y Fabro street, no. 45, has been sold. The property, formerly a coffee and chocolate factory, encompasses 3,694 square meters, with 55 rooms and 45 parking spaces. AZ Alojamientos will continue operations through a Sale & Leaseback deal structured by aCapital. The seller, Viviendas Turísticas Zaragoza SL, completed the sale to SCPI Comète, managed in Spain by Athol Asset, which oversees a portfolio exceeding 150 million euros.

🛫 En España, 6 de cada 10 agencias de viajes esperan un aumento en ventas de paquetes turísticos para otoño e invierno, superando cifras del año anterior, informa ACAVE. Durante el foro Acave 2024 en Barcelona, se señaló que el ahorro familiar pandémico se agota. CBRE reportó unos 30 cambios de uso de edificios en el primer semestre de 2024, con Madrid liderando con el 57%, seguido por Málaga y Barcelona con un 7% cada uno. El sector hotelero lidera las reconversiones, con los edificios de oficinas como origen más frecuente.

🌊 Alfonso Rueda, president of the Xunta de Galicia, announced a new aid package of up to €8 million for the modernization of thermal facilities. The thermalism sector in Galicia, the leading thermal power in Spain and second in Europe, generated around 19,000 jobs and attracted 190,000 tourists last year. At the XXII edition of Termatalia in Ourense, Rueda highlighted plans for a specific program, funded by the EU's Next Generation funds, to be approved by the end of the year. This includes creating a Thermalism Table for collaboration and a Thermal Observatory for research and professionalization. Additionally, over €21 million is allocated until 2026 for the Territorial Plan for Touristic Sustainability of Thermal Villages and historic areas.

🌏 Grupo Piñero celebrates World Tourism Day with social and cultural activities under the theme "Tourism and Peace." Collaborating with local schools, associations, and authorities, it supports vulnerable groups, improves infrastructure, and promotes education, including donations of food, school supplies, and essentials. Ilunion Hotels, with Coca-Cola, gathered 41 volunteers for a waste collection event in Cala Galdana, Ferreries, collecting 66.47 kg of waste, contributing to the Mares Circulares program. B&B Hotels joined Gravity Wave, reaching 1,000 kg of plastic retrieved from the Mediterranean, fostering sustainable travel and innovation. Artiem Hotels partnered with Scøne Design to transform microplastics into unique breakfast trays, promoting circular economy. Meliá Hotels International saved over 30,000 food packs from waste with Too Good To Go, reducing food wastage and CO2 emissions, active in 25% of its Spanish portfolio.

🚍 Grupo Julià and Moventis, forming a temporary joint venture (UTE), won the bid to manage Barcelona's tourist bus service for 12 years, awarded by Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) after a March tender. Investing €42 million initially, they will introduce 44 electric buses, reducing CO2 emissions by 1,600 tons/year, each bus accommodating 82 passengers and featuring advanced technology, including surveillance systems, 16-language audioguides, WiFi, and USB connectors. Renewable energy infrastructure, like an electric substation, chargers, and solar panels, will support 100% green-energy operation. The service offers four routes—two permanent (Orange and Green) and two seasonal (Night and Christmas Lights)—and includes an annual fixed fee to AMB of €3.85 million plus 16.14% of the service's turnover. At contract end, the buses become AMB's property.

🏖️ In the Costa del Sol, more than 30% of travelers spend between 1,000 and 3,000 euros for active tourism, involving physical and adventure activities. The region boasts over twenty protected natural spaces, wellness tourism with hotels offering mindfulness activities, and a sustainability focus with beach cleaning initiatives and a CO2 footprint compensation program. Local gastronomy shines with 8 Michelin-starred restaurants focusing on seasonal, local produce, contributing to biodiversity conservation.

📊 Google's free booking links, introduced in 2021, added a new organic placement below paid ads in Google Hotel Ads. While data for the top three funnel levels (opportunities, participated opportunities, and eligible impressions) is not available, impressions and clicks data for free booking links is provided by Google. Paid ads display exact impression numbers, while free booking links have rounded data. Click data is precise for both. Conversion data is only available for paid campaigns, not free booking links, though some connectivity partners provide this information. Data can be viewed in Google's Hotel Center and in Google Ads, with APIs available for data processing. ????

📓 Travel agencies, hotels, campsites, car rental companies, and accommodation apps have received a brief respite due to technical reasons facilitating data interconnection and transmission, not officially due to pressure from industry bodies. The government, led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska, will meet with the affected sector, with a speculated date of October 4th. The sector's spokespersons argue against the costs, administrative burden, and technical impossibility of compliance with Royal Decree 933/2021, emphasizing the negative impact of the new activation date, coinciding with the Christmas campaign and important December holidays. They stress the unnecessary data duplication and disproportionate data requirements, which disadvantage travel agencies competitively and impose technological developments unfeasible for many businesses, potentially threatening their viability and employment.

🏨 The Spanish Interior Ministry has succumbed to significant pressure from both national and international tourism sectors, delaying the implementation of the controversial decree 933/2021, which mandates extensive documentation for hotels and agencies. The CEOE is awaiting official confirmation and seeks meetings with the Ministries of Tourism and Interior. Originally set to commence on October 1st, the decree's suspension brings considerable relief to an industry advocating against its "impossible compliance.