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🏠 Airbnb started 2025 with revenues of $2.3 billion in Q1, a 6% increase from the previous year. Despite Easter falling in March in 2024 and April in 2025 affecting year-over-year comparisons, the company saw an 8% rise in booked nights and experiences. A net profit of $154 million was reported, down from $264 million in Q1 2024, impacted by increased stock compensation expenses, private company investment losses, and lower financial profitability. Projections for Q2 2025 estimate revenues between $2.99 and $3.05 billion, a 9-11% growth from 2024. Airbnb plans to reveal its "more than accommodations" strategy on May 13th, with investments of $200-250 million in new growth initiatives for 2025. Over the past years, the app has been rebuilt on new technological architecture to support expansion, and since 2023, over 450,000 low-quality listings have been removed.

💸 In China, a VAT refund policy amendment allows immediate rebates at the point of purchase, boosting visitor numbers. Shanghai reports a 38% increase in visitor reservations compared to last year. The refund policy, now being pilot-tested in Shanghai, is available in 284 of 587 VAT-free stores, enticing shoppers with immediate reimbursements for clothing, food, crafts, phones, and laptops.

🏨 HM Hotels reopened the HM Jaime III hotel in Palma after a 6-month complete renovation. The update covered all 88 rooms and common areas, including an expanded spa, aligning with customer demand while emphasizing contemporary art and design. The redesign kept the hotel's signature black color theme and added modern furnishings and sustainability features. The café and restaurant areas were also modernized. CEO Toni Horrach highlighted the update's balance between meeting guest needs and environmental respect without losing the hotel's artistic identity.

📌 Juan Cierco, Presidente del Consejo de Turismo de la CEOE, propone 10 medidas para atraer y retener talento en el sector turístico, destacando la formación vinculada al empleo real y la formación profesional dual. Una jornada el 25 de abril abordó la "amenaza reputacional" que enfrenta el sector. CEHAT resalta la formación por competencias y el proyecto Pantour, que incluye 13 socios, busca alinear las necesidades de la industria con la oferta académica.

🏖 Nautalia (Travel Live) forms a temporary joint venture with Seniorplan to bid for the Imserso tourism program for seniors, excluding former partner Autocares Vera. They aim to challenge the Ávoris and Mundiplan duopoly. The tendering process starts after May 19, with separate bidders for coastal and island lots. New penalties for irregularities could reach up to €80 million, a significant increase from previous campaigns.

🚧 The blackout on April 28 caused disruptions at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, previously flagged by Senator Aniceto Armas who questioned airport infrastructure security. Aena confirmed all airports remained operational thanks to contingency power systems; Enaire highlighted the effective contingency plans. The incident led to the cancellation of 334 flights out of 6,000 scheduled in Spain. Concerns were raised regarding the airport’s North Substation security and the operational status of Electric Central 3.

🏕 Major Spanish hotel chains like Meliá, Iberostar, Barceló, and Riu anticipate high season growth, with Meliá expecting over 10% revenue increase from summer 2024 and Iberostar sales in Spain up by 14%. Riu sees a 35% reservation surge from Poland, while Barceló projects a 16% growth in Andalucía. Travel agencies also predict a strong summer, with Viajes El Corte Inglés and Ávoris reporting robust bookings in various destinations, highlighting Thailand, Japan, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Egypt, and Cape Verde.

🛫 On a single day, the Aena network managed 6,000 scheduled flights with only 344 cancellations, despite a communication failure at Enaire's control center in Sevilla. Half of the Iberian Peninsula's airspace appeared empty due to this issue, as depicted in the Flightradar24 image. Enaire operates five control centers in Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca, and Gran Canaria, with traffic diverted to adjacent airspace for safety.

💡 Hotels in the Community of Valencia experienced an outage affecting the Iberian Peninsula with "normalcy and tranquility" due to their emergency generators and solar photovoltaic systems. The crisis protocol was activated by HOSBEC at 13:00 on Monday. Communication channels remained open, and HOSBEC coordinated with national, regional, and local administrations. By 17:00, the situation was stable. Hotels were advised to prepare for 6-10 hours without power, prioritizing safety and food preservation.

🏖 Puente de Mayo travel bookings in Spain increased by 11% from last year, with 26% made last-minute. Spaniards favor coastal destinations such as Salou and Benidorm, while Tarragona and Almería top provincial bookings. International tourists from France and Portugal prefer Mallorca, Madrid, Barcelona, coinciding with their May 1st holiday. Travel abroad rose by 68% from 2024, with Portugal, France, Italy being top choices. Paris leads European capital reservations. Average price per person per night is €58, up 14% from €51 in 2024.