Top News

🏖️ The New York Times included Valencia and Canfranc station in Aragon, Spain, in its annual list of 52 recommended destinations for 2025. Valencia showcases a mix of historical heritage and modernity, with the renowned City of Arts and Sciences, Mediterranean beaches, and famous paella. Canfranc station, after being closed for 50 years, reopened as a luxury hotel and cultural site. This recognition may boost Spain's tourism sector by attracting more international visitors and encouraging local businesses to create specific tourist packages.

🏖️ Costa del Sol welcomed 14.47 million tourists in 2024, a 3.17% increase from the previous year, with tourism revenues reaching €21.223 billion, showing a 10.9% growth. Employment in tourism rose by 7% to 137,408 jobs, according to the Active Population Survey (EPA), while average revenue per available room (RevPAR) in hotels increased by 6% to €94.85. The international market grew by 6.9%, led by the UK with 1.18 million visitors (up 7.2%), Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland with significant rises. The US saw a 26.1% increase to 220,615 travelers. Spanish traveler numbers declined by 7.5% to over 2.45 million. Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport reported 12.4 million passengers, an 11.7% increase, with a 10.7% projected rise in flight seats for early 2025. Regulated accommodation capacity expanded by 13.5% to 659,030 places, while these establishments hosted over eight million travelers, a 1.2% increase, resulting in 30.5 million overnight stays, 3.4% more than the previous year.

🎮 AccessibleEU European Event, focusing on strategies for more accessible tourism, will be held on January 23, 2025, at IFEMA in Madrid during Fitur 2025. This free event, organized by ENAT, Fundación ONCE, and Ilunion Accesibilidad, targets public administrators, policymakers, tourism businesses, researchers, and users. The program, from 10 am to 1:30 pm, features English subtitles, Spanish interpretation, and International Sign Language. Fitur 2025 also hosts the second edition of Fitur 4all on January 24-25, with international experts discussing social sustainability and technology in accessibility.

🏢 Fitur, a major global tourism fair, celebrating its 45th anniversary, serves as a crucial platform for hotel brands to enhance growth and visibility. The fair is a hub for forming strategic business relationships, with the 2025 event highlighting Artificial Intelligence's significant role in tourism, including personalized experiences and customer service innovations. Fitur's upcoming program promises enriching content across ten specialized sections, including FITUR 4all, FITUR Cruises, and FITUR TechY, focusing on accessibility, the cruise industry, and tourism technology respectively.

🛫 Viajes El Corte Inglés plans a staff reorganization, transferring central services professionals to commercial outlets and introducing an incentivized retirement plan for employees over 59. The goal is to enhance customer service and optimize central services through new technologies and processes.

✈ Aena initiates a public tender for the technical assistance of the project for remodeling Alicante-Elche Airport with a budget of €19.8 million. The project includes terminal expansion, new commercial spaces, improved access, and increased energy efficiency but excludes a second runway. It aims to accommodate growing passenger demand, which is nearing capacity limits, especially during high season. Valencia Airport lacks a firm plan despite facing similar operational collapse risks. The Alicante project is part of the DORA III investments for 2027-2031, with Valencia's capacity nearly reached at 10.5 million passengers in 2024.

🛫 In the EU's updated air safety list, 129 airlines are banned, including 100 from 15 countries with insufficient safety standards. Notably, 22 Russian and seven from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Suriname, Iran, and Iraq have serious issues. Air Tanzania joins others like Air Zimbabwe and Avior Airlines facing restrictions. Air Koryo and Iran Air have model-specific limits. EU lifted bans on Pakistan's PIA and Airblue Limited, grounded since 2020, after they met safety criteria.

🏖 Oceanflights, developed by Maarlab, is revolutionizing the tourism sector by enhancing direct hotel sales and attracting new traveler segments. Raúl Domínguez, CEO of Maarlab, envisions it changing tourism experience commercialization. Paraty Tech's CEO, Gina Matheis, sees Oceanflights as an unmet market demand response. Hotels implementing Oceanflights can increase direct sales by 10-15% and reduce cancellations by 94%. This solution provides hotels with real-time market demand data, pricing freedom, and a smoother user experience for travelers. Oceanflights will debut at Fitur 2025, signaling a significant shift in direct hotel sales.

🏥 Ramón Aragonés celebrates 15 years with NH Hotel Group, notably internationalizing and consolidating its global presence. He will receive the Hosteltur Personalidad Turística 2024 Award on January 23 at FiturtechY. Rafa Nadal, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo venture into lucrative tourism investments, including luxury hotels and exclusive restaurants. The top 10 most profitable air routes, highlighted by high demand for premium services, include London-New York and Doha-London.

🌍 HBX Group predicts solo travel, digital disconnection, and AI-driven hyper-personalization will influence travel decisions by 2025. Women represent 71% of solo travelers, facing high costs (65%) and safety concerns (61%). Interest in 'disconnection' vacations reaches 85%, with Gen Z's 41% preferring all-inclusive resorts for convenience and luxury, and 39% liking easy booking. Technology, especially AI, enhances client experience and operational efficiency, with VR transforming destination previews. Adventure travel, including astrotourism and nocturism, is expected to grow 16.2% annually until 2033.