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🏖️ Catalonian government approved a decree on March 25, 2025, doubling the current tourist tax rates by 2025, pending ratification by the Catalonian Parliament. New Barcelona city rates (without VAT) include €7 for 5-star hotels and luxury campsites and €4 for tourist housing, with a potential additional municipal surcharge of up to €8. Other Catalonian municipalities can charge up to €4 extra. The tax revenue will allocate 25% to housing policies and 75% to the Tourism Promotion Fund. The decree also mandates sustainable tourism development aligned with UN's 2030 Agenda.

📈 Ávoris, led by Juan Carlos González and Vicente Fenollar, focuses on Costa Rica for international expansion after recent Mexico entry with Catai brand. The decision is not final, but Costa Rica is likely the next market for Catai. Iberojet operates flights from Madrid to San José twice weekly, increasing to three times from June to October. Ávoris partnered with Travel Shop in Mexico, entered Italy in January with Travelplan and Welcomebeds, and plans for France and Morocco. In 2024, established presence in Brazil and Argentina via CVC consortium, offering Special Tours circuits, Welcomebeds, and Welcome Incoming Services.

🏦 Great Place To Work (GPTW) included 63 companies in Spain's annual list for career development, with only three hotel chains: Hotelatelier, MarSenses Hotels & Homes, and Hilton in Barcelona. Hotelatelier, with a staff of over 600 and 41 hotels, ranked 7th among companies with 501-1,000 employees for Best Workplaces España 2025. MarSenses, with five 4-star hotels and a villa in Mallorca plus one establishment in Menorca, had employee satisfaction rates above 94%. Hilton, a global hotel leader with over 8,300 properties in 138 countries, was named number 1 by Great Place to Work and Fortune in 2023. Hilton Barcelona has 377 employees, with over 86% considering it an excellent workplace.

🏖️ In 2024, tourism accounted for 36.8% of Canary Islands' GDP, contributing €21.424 billion, a historic high, as reported by the Impactur study by Exceltur in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Employment. Employment in tourism grew by 9.4% in 2023, reaching 358,230 jobs, equivalent to 80% of the region's total employment. The quality of jobs improved, with 63,000 new permanent contracts since 2019, reducing seasonal jobs from 34.3% to 9.5%. Tourist spending increased by 55% compared to 2019, with a 29.6% rise in daily spending and a 19.7% rise in overnight stays. International and national markets, especially British and German, contributed significantly to growth. Taxes related to tourism in 2023 reached €3.134 billion, 39.7% of the total, supporting public services. Accommodation grew by 128,000 places from 2009 to 2024, with 103,000 from vacation rentals and only 25,000 from hotels.

📈 Simón Pedro Barceló, co-president of Barceló Group, in an interview with Diario de Mallorca, doubts the sale of Ávoris, projecting aggressive results that potential buyers may not acknowledge. Ávoris faced over €300 million in losses from 2020 to 2022, aiming for a swift recovery. With €4.5 billion in sales last year and an Ebitda of €45 million, 1% of sales, Barceló anticipates doubling the Ebitda this year, highlighting a significant growth in results.

📄 María Teresa Sancho, Imserso's director, is worried about the potential extension of the 2024 budget into 2025 if new budgets aren't passed. The tourism program for seniors risks maintaining its €72 million budget for the third year. Without a price adjustment, hotels and agencies face inadequate compensation; hotels receive €25-26 per night against a real cost of €34, and agencies earn €14.50 per sold seat. Recent seasons saw a decline in participating hotels and quality.

🏕 In Spain, major international hotel chains prefer franchising, with Marriott International, Accor, IHG, Hilton, and Wyndham leading. Franchise presence is gaining ground over leasing, the previously dominant model. The 455 hotels from 14 chains show a strong franchise preference: Wyndham with 15 establishments; IHG with 87.5% of 32 hotels; Hilton with 86% of 22; Marriott with 85% of 95; TUI with 61.5% of 39; Accor with nearly 57% of 95. Property ownership has surpassed leasing, with Allsun owning 100% of 27 properties, Pierre & Vacances nearly 95% of 39, and Leonardo Hotels around 89% of 18. Leasing accounts for 16.5% and management for 13% of operations. B&B Hotels notably leases all 52 of its Spanish establishments, while Accor manages 43% of its 95 hotels.

🚩 Certificados de Ahorro Energético (CAE) launched in January 2023; CAE system aims to provide over €25 million annually to the hotel sector by incentivizing energy efficiency actions worth more than €130 million. Balantia, since January 23, 2023, is authorized to purchase generated savings, offering the most competitive market prices. In Spain, 2024 data shows 15,554 lodging units renovated and 1,800 hotels need to invest in boiler and air conditioning upgrades annually. The CAE's economic impact exceeds 20% of the investment in efficiency or renovation, enhancing competitiveness and sustainability within the hotel industry.

📖 Paula Servera, Senior Vice President SVP Strategy & Growth at Dingus, delivered a masterclass titled "Las armas no secretas para que sepas qué motiva a tus clientes" during Updating Hotelero 2025, organized by Hosteltur tourism news. The event focused on hotel customer motivation strategies.

🕪 During Semana Santa, there is a 49% surge in Spanish traveler flow compared to Easter 2024. Short-distance trips make up 60% of bookings, with top destinations including Italy, UK, Morocco, Portugal, and Poland. Marrakech, Dublin, and Wroclaw are cities with a significant increase in demand. Morocco and Ireland bookings have quadrupled and quintupled, respectively. The average airfare cost on Kiwi.com is €180, 10% less than in 2024, while long-distance travel costs have decreased by 12%. Reservations in Spain favor destinations like Mallorca, Barcelona, Tenerife, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. April 16 and 17 are the peak travel dates, with an average stay of five days, down from eight days in 2024. Reservations for couples and families are slightly up, while group bookings remain stable.