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🏨 Sara Ramis, Chief Client, Marketing and Sustainability Officer at Barceló Hotel Group, emphasized the importance of financial solidity and consistent, value-based experiences for the success of Spanish hotel brands globally. Barceló's initiative, "Barceló Experiences," collaborates with over 200 SMEs to enhance local culture and gastronomy. Challenges for the industry include transitioning to sustainable tourism and managing talent to support sector growth. Emphasizing authenticity, consistency, and innovation, Ramis noted that long-term financial stability underpins the most robust and recognized brands.

🏖 The ITB Berlin tourism fair unexpectedly centered around the over-tourism debate in the Balearic Islands. President of the Mallorca Hotel Federation, Javier Vich, addressed criticism in Berlin, emphasizing that Mallorca is not overcrowded. The political climate in the Balearics favors measures against tourist saturation, linking increased tourism not to hotels, which have fewer spots than before, but to unregulated vacation rentals, influencing housing prices. Hoteliers advocate for quality tourism and oppose the rise of an eco-tax proposed to curb mass tourism.

🏨 Marriott International closed 2024 with "record annual signings" in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with 291 deals for about 34,000 rooms, and solid growth in the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA), adding a total of 358 hotel projects across these regions, representing approximately 42,000 rooms. The company's EMEA room offering grew by over 7%, adding 181 operational establishments (nearly 20,000 rooms) and expanded into new markets such as Luxembourg, Angola, and Senegal. Marriott International's total EMEA portfolio grew to 596 properties with 104,731 rooms by the end of 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year. In Spain, Marriott opened its first Moxy brand hotel in Barcelona and El Autor Hotel Madrid joined the Autograph Collection. Growth in the CALA region included 67 agreements representing about 8,000 rooms, with the company adding 30 hotels, reaching 528 open establishments and 92,736 rooms across 37 countries and territories. The all-inclusive segment has expanded to 36 hotels since 2019, with 19 properties (7,800 rooms) projected worldwide, 15 of which (5,800 rooms) are in CALA, representing 21% of the company's rooms in the region. Marriott also grew in the mid-scale segment through the acquisition of the City Express brand, with 153 open

🏨 The Federación Empresarial Hotelera de Mallorca (FEHM), led by President Javier Vich, aligns with the Govern balear's measures against tourism saturation while calling for no renewal of temporary tourist housing licenses. The FEHM opposes the tourist tax increase from 4 to 6 euros per night during June, July, and August. They argue for immediate housing release by reversing licenses, which have grown by 92,000 spots (+135%) over the past eight years, and tackling the problem of illegal vacation rentals. The FEHM is firmly against the projected tourist tax hike, believing it will impact tourists' spending power in the destination.

🌎 Govern balear proposes measures to curb tourism saturation: ban on new tourist accommodation in multi-family homes, increased fines for illegal offerings by 25% (up to €500,000), and a new vehicle tax (€30-€85) to fund public transport. Tourism Sustainable Tax (ITS) rates will change, with €0 in January-February, €1-€2.5 in June-August, and €4-€6 per night for high season. Rental companies can offset the tax with a full deduction of the vehicle tax. Measures await parliamentary negotiation.

📌 Booking's 413 million euro fine by the CNMC has been suspended by Spain's National Court as the company's appeal is pending. The travel search engine won't immediately need to alter two policies marked as abusive by Competencia, involving hotel positioning and a preferential accommodation program. The fine, set on July 30, 2024, was for limiting competition and affecting Spanish hotels, with Booking holding 70-90% market share in Spain. The European Court of Justice ruled on September 19, 2024, against Booking's price parity clauses for being anti-competitive. Up to 400 Spanish hotels are considering legal action for potential compensation from price restrictions.

🏖️ In 2024, Dertour Group reported a 28% year-on-year customer growth across 16 European markets. Christoph Debus, CEO since March 1, and Ingo Burmester, CEO for Central Europe, highlighted winter trends at Berlin's ITB, noting a 31% increase in long-haul travel interest. Top winter destinations included Spain (+14%), Egypt (+81%), and Turkey (+59%) for short/medium hauls, and the Middle East (+44%) and Thailand (+48%) for long hauls. Summer bookings for 2024 showed a 14% rise in travelers, with a 140% increase for New Zealand and a third opting for five-star hotels. The German market led with a 23% growth. Dertour's package tourism surged by 19%, and the acquisition of Hotelplan bolstered its presence in Switzerland, Germany, and the UK.

🏨 In Barcelona, 2024 saw hotels reach a revenue record of €2.2 billion, marking a 12% increase from 2023. The total hotel and hostel overnight stays in 2024 were 21.82 million, a marginal growth of 0.7%. However, Spanish traveler overnights decreased by 10.8%, while international guests increased by 2.6%. The average daily hotel rate (ADR) in Barcelona was €173, up by 8.1% from 2023, compared to Madrid's €153 (+16%) and Catalonia's €131 (+6.5%). The rise in hotel prices is possibly driving Spanish travelers to seek alternative, more affordable accommodations.

🍷 VI Feria Internacional del Enoturismo (FINE) held in Valladolid, highlighted by Charlotte Fougère, president of Calice Hospitality and Wines, introduced five new client segments to boost the wine tourism industry. Spain has over 2,000 wineries, attracting 3 million annual visitors, while Italy boasts 20,000 wineries with 14 million enotourists, and France has 10,000 wineries with 12 million tourists. FINE 2025 saw a 22% increase in participating tour operators and agencies, resulting in over 2,200 scheduled interviews. The event featured over 100 professionals from 26 countries, and the enotourism sector is projected to be valued at $332.5 billion by 2034.

🏖️ Germany's economy may be in crisis, but tourism continues to rise, defying common sense. The past season saw a 20% increase over pre-pandemic levels, with tourism sales reaching €83 billion and a 6% increase in bookings from the previous season. Traditional tour operators generated €40 billion, up 7%. For 2025, 25% of Germans plan to spend more on summer vacations, with early bookings suggesting an 11% rise in reservations. Last year, 62% of bookings were made through travel agencies, with cruise bookings up by 18%. Spain remains the top destination, with Turkey and Greece following, while Egypt and Albania are growing destinations.