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🛡 Gabriel Escarrer, President of Meliá, and Luis Riu, CEO of Riu Hotels, attribute the recent mass tourism and local discontent in Spain to illegal tourist offerings. They urge for immediate solutions against illegal rentals, which they consider a primary cause of overcrowding. In Barcelona, a 5-year plan to eliminate tourist apartments in residential buildings is already underway. Escarrer highlights the negative impact of unregulated vacation homes compared to hotels and calls for an overhaul of illegal offerings to preserve Spain's reputation. Riu emphasizes the urgency of addressing over-tourism, exacerbated by unregulated private rentals that ignore hotel moratoriums and increase visitor numbers without proper controls.

🏠 Overbooking Gran Canaria & Hosteltur Summit 2024 will be held on September 12 at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Carlos Álamo, Tourism Councilor of Gran Canaria, announced the 12th edition during a press conference, emphasizing the forum's role in enhancing the island's tourism competitiveness. With Hosteltur joining, the event has seen over 400 registrations, including over 200 first-timers. Sector-wise, accommodation and marketing professionals make up nearly 20%, with tourism promotion organizations at 16.5%. The summit focuses on "Transformative Marketing" and offers a comprehensive program for national and international industry professionals. It also fosters networking and knowledge exchange, aiming to adapt to the accelerating era and changing traveler needs. An exhibition will run parallel to the conferences, showcasing relevant industry activities.

🏢 Barcelona hosts 100 congresses and trade fairs from September to December 2024, with 20 medical and tech events drawing over 100,000 visitors. Venues include Montjuïc, Gran Via, and the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB). The ESMO Congress will gather more than 30,000 professionals at Gran Via. Other notable tech events are Smart City Expo World Congress and VMware Explore Europe, both in November at Gran Via, while DrupalCon Barcelona occurs in September at CCIB. Fira de Barcelona will have organized over 270 events by year-end, including ISE, MWC Barcelona, and more.

💸 Preparación para una crisis empresarial incluye evaluación de riesgos, desarrollo de un plan de continuidad y un plan de comunicación de crisis para asegurar la resiliencia del negocio. En respuesta a la crisis, activar el plan de inmediato es crucial, así como mantener una comunicación constante y mitigar el daño. Post-crisis, se debe evaluar la gestión de la crisis, aprender de ella y mejorar los planes. Estos pasos fortalecerán la recuperación y la reputación del negocio, asegurando su éxito a largo plazo.

📍 En España, el turismo funciona como un motor económico todo el año, con destinos como las Islas Canarias y el sur peninsular atrayendo visitantes continuos. El sector turístico enfrenta un ecosistema de pagos complejo: según el Informe Retail Report de Adyen 2023, el 12% de las empresas de hostelería españolas utilizan diferentes proveedores para distintas modalidades de pago. La automatización de pagos en el sector hotelero de lujo ha mejorado la eficiencia operativa y la experiencia del cliente, evidenciado por Belmond con la introducción de soluciones de Adyen como el check-in móvil. Además, en Europa, 6 de cada 10 consumidores utilizan OTA como Booking.com para reservas turísticas.

🏖️ Jorge Schoenenberger, socio fundador de WinningBoards y general partner en Traveltech.vc, destaca que España y el sur de Europa lideran en conocimiento y credibilidad en gestión turística. Schoenenberger hablará en el Overbooking Gran Canaria & Hosteltur Summit 2024, previsto para el 12 de septiembre en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, enfocado en marketing transformador y su impacto en turismo. El evento también será transmitido por streaming en Hosteltur.com. Schoenenberger enfatiza la necesidad de apoyo público y privado para la innovación en turismo y menciona tres bases para la innovación: propuesta de valor al cliente, modelo de negocio sobre plataforma digital, y sistemas de gestión avanzados. Reconoce el potencial de España para exportar modelos de negocio y liderar globalmente, pero señala la importancia de educar el ADN emprendedor desde jóvenes y de fondos privados que apoyen la innovación genuina y de largo plazo.

🏡 Many major chains are expanding their luxury-lifestyle offerings, with a focus on brand identity and targeting specific traveler types. Design Hotels is selective about its portfolio, favoring culturally rooted experiences, unique design, and distinctive brand identity. Stijn Oyen, with over 20 years of experience, has joined Design Hotels during a vital period, aiming to create hotels that offer unique, immersive experiences reflective of each destination. Independently branded hotels have advantages in agility and authenticity, which appeal to post-pandemic travelers seeking purposeful experiences. The segment is expected to keep growing, driven by consumer demand for specialized, authentic experiences. Moreover, strong marketing and distribution support is crucial for success. Design Hotels plans to expand in Spain and internationally, while focusing on maintaining alignment with their philosophy. Talent retention is a challenge across the industry, with a growing emphasis on positive workplace culture and staff well-being. Innovation, guided by core principles, is vital, and Design Hotels fosters industry innovation through trend reports and cultural studies and organizes global events for owners to exchange ideas. After an excellent current year, they anticipate a strong autumn-winter season, with extended sunny seasons in places like Greece and Spain.

🏨 In August, Petit Palace acquired Sunhotel with 300 rooms across four Barcelona hotels and 90 employees, while Room007 bought Toc Hostels for €20 million. Kartesia, owner of Hotelatelier, now has 2,600 rooms spanning 41 hotels in Spain and one in Oporto. Room007, with Dorsa Holding, anticipates adding 20 developmental and 10 operational establishments, projecting revenues near €70 million, and expanding presence in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

📌 The Spanish tourism sector faces a perfect storm that could lead to price drops in the coming months, particularly for the upcoming season. Agency sales have stalled for months, airlines are reducing prices due to decreased consumption, and hotels are acknowledging a slowdown in growth. Despite high occupancy and profitability, with Meliá hotels reporting 88% in July and an expected 90% for August, agencies and airlines are feeling pressured. Promotions have been launched to boost last-minute sales, and Ryanair, Europe's leading airline, has announced price reductions for this winter. Other major airlines may follow suit. Yet, hotels may lower prices next season to stay competitive, as tourists could opt for cheaper destinations.

🏨 The demand for hotel bookings in September is approaching August's levels, with a shift towards couple and solo trips over family stays. In the Balearic Islands, there has been a slight 4% decrease from September 2023 with 256,442 bookings, while nights stayed have marginally increased by 1% to 1.64 million. Couples dominate bookings, but there's a 6% increase in single room demands and a 5% drop in family reservations. Half-board leads at 36% of bookings, followed by all-inclusive (28%) and bed & breakfast (24%). Room bookings for 3 to 7 nights remain prevalent at 71.4%. In the Canary Islands, September bookings reached 187,514, which is 10% less than the previous year, but nights stayed were only 3.2% short of the previous year's. Here, 4-star hotels make up 68% of bookings, with stays of 3 to 7 nights accounting for 61.1%. All-inclusive bookings saw a 20% increase. On the mainland, hotel bookings total 195,608, down by 25% compared to September 2023, while nights stayed are 11% lower. Couple bookings increased by 15%, representing 62.5% of the total. Booking.com remains the main sales channel, despite a rise in tour operator activity.