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🍴 Six small towns in Spain boast Michelin-starred restaurants, offering high cuisine in rural settings with a blend of tradition and innovation. Anciles, at 1,200 meters altitude in the Aragonese Pyrenees, has a population of 180 and features the Michelin-starred restaurant Ansils, led by Iris and Bruno Jordán; two tasting menus priced at €95 and €70. Villanova, also in the Pyrenees, hosts Casa Arcas with three menus, the cheapest for hotel guests at €46. Sardas, with only 37 residents, holds the title of smallest town with a Michelin-starred eatery, La Era de los Nogales, offering menus from €70 to €95. Sant Martí Sarroca, in Alto Penedés, is home to Casa Nova, boasting two high-cuisine menus at €95 and €150. In the Valencian town of Carcaixent, Origen serves four tasting menus ranging from €58 to €75, featuring local eco-friendly produce. Tomelloso, a town with a rich history, features Epílogo with two tasting menus at €70 and €90, offering modern takes on Manchega cuisine. Alcalá del Valle, a white village in Sierra de Grazalema, houses Mesón Sabor Andaluz, with menus priced at €76 and €94. Lastly, La Salgar's Casa Marcial,

🏖️ International tourists spent €126.282 billion in Spain during 2024, a 16.1% increase from the previous year, with Catalonia, Canary Islands, and Balearic Islands leading in total expenditure and tourist arrivals. Catalonia saw €23.745 billion spending (+11.7%), Canary Islands €22.887 billion (+12.5%), and Balearic Islands €20.052 billion (+13.3%). Madrid had the highest spending per tourist at €1.827, with an average stay of six days.

🏖️ Durante FITUR, se discutió cómo las nuevas generaciones cambian el turismo, con énfasis en la inspiración de viajes a través de redes sociales como TikTok e Instagram, y la influencia de influencers. El 49% de los jóvenes busca inspiración en redes antes de reservar un destino turístico, y el 50% afirma que las publicaciones de influencers influyen en sus decisiones de compra. Además, la personalización y las experiencias omnicanal son claves para el 71% de los jóvenes que esperan interacciones personalizadas. Más del 50% de las cadenas hoteleras ya ofrecen funciones personalizadas, y el 71% de los jóvenes organiza sus viajes de manera independiente. La sostenibilidad también es importante, el 76% de los jóvenes desea prácticas sostenibles en turismo y el 54% pagaría más por ellas. En cuanto al lujo, el 72% de los jóvenes valora experiencias personalizadas y únicas sobre productos de lujo tradicionales, gastando un promedio del 29% de sus ingresos en viajes.

🏠 Pablo Bustinduy, Spain's Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030, unveiled a digital registry in Ibiza, revealing active tourist apartments violating regulations. The Ministry of Consumption's Analysis Unit compiled the data, highlighting the serious issue of thousands of irregular accommodations. The registry includes host and lodging details, aiming to assist administrations in intervention efforts. Bustinduy emphasized the link between illegal apartments and the national housing crisis, urging other authorities to join the crackdown.

🏢 In Spain, as of December 2024, there are around 150 public entities managing 54 fairgrounds over 5,000 square meters each and approximately 100 congress palaces, excluding hotel-associated and fairground-integrated ones. Fairgrounds generated €585 million in revenue, a 5.4% increase from 2023, representing 75% of the total sector income, while congress palaces earned €195 million, up 8.3% from the previous year. The Fira de Barcelona alone reported €300 million in revenue for 2024. Top five managing entities held a 66% market share in 2023.

🏡 Las energías renovables, provenientes de fuentes como el sol y el viento, ofrecen una opción sostenible para la industria hotelera sin generar emisiones contaminantes. La adopción de energías limpias en hoteles es vital para enfrentar el cambio climático y cumple con regulaciones ambientales. La inversión inicial en tecnología como paneles solares puede ser alta, pero los hoteles recuperan el costo en 5 a 10 años y pueden reducir su consumo de energía hasta un 50%. Energías renovables mejoran la reputación de los hoteles y atraen huéspedes interesados en sostenibilidad.

📆 During the 2025 Lunar New Year, ending on February 6, Spain set a record as a favorite destination for Asian tourists, with a 192% increase in bookings compared to 2024. Spain is now the number one European and third global destination outside Asia for these travelers. The longer 11-day holiday encouraged long-haul travel. Key markets include China, Japan, and South Korea, with the highest growth from Malaysia (179%) and Thailand (110%). Top Spanish cities visited are Barcelona and Madrid, but preferences vary by nationality, with Chinese tourists also favoring historic cities like Sevilla and Japanese tourists opting for gastronomic experiences in San Sebastián and Bilbao. Asian traveler train bookings in Spain rose by 211.5%, reflecting a trend towards sustainable and flexible travel.

🏨 In 2025, SiteMinder's Hotel Booking Trends reports over 125 million online hotel bookings. Foreign travelers accounted for 60% of hotel arrivals in Spain in 2024, driving bookings despite a 5% room rate increase to an average of €212, peaking at €247 in August. The high season extended to May (9.39%) and October (9%), and advance bookings grew by 6% to 39.41 days. Top booking channels include Booking.com, direct hotel websites, and Expedia Group. Direct bookings ranked second for the sixth year, with a global average revenue of €476 per reservation.

🏢 Key tourism news from Hosteltur.com on February 5 highlights Madrid's growing tourism, with a contribution of 8.6% to the regional economy in 2024 and over 15 million visitors. Aena announced an investment of over €1 billion in Canary Islands airports, with €800 million allocated to Tenerife airports for modernization and efficiency improvements. Spain led hotel night stays in 2023 with nearly 122 million, followed by the UK with 60.3 million and Germany with 42.6 million, with international tourists accounting for 53% of hotel guests and 66% of overnight stays.

🏨 Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a staple in hotel industry discussions, promising transformative effects but raising questions about its utility and effective application. To yield useful results, AI requires structured, relevant, and accessible data, but fragmented data across different hotel systems hampers its potential. The solution lies in centralizing all data into a unified system, allowing for real-time information flow and maximizing AI capabilities. Prestige Software offers an integral platform that unifies data and equips AI agents to process and act on it effectively, transforming hotel management by eliminating errors, providing a comprehensive business view, enabling advanced personalization, and facilitating strategic decision-making. AI agents improve over time with each interaction, making the system smarter and more efficient. This paradigm shift in technology investment optimizes hotel operations, enhances customer experiences, and ultimately leads to increased revenue and guest satisfaction. The adoption of AI is not a matter of if, but when, with the current pace of the industry indicating that now is the time to embrace AI as a strategic partner.