Tony Loeb

🛩 Air France-KLM has expressed interest in acquiring TAP, Portugal's national airline, by the end of November 2025. Competing parties include IAG and Lufthansa. CEO Benjamin Smith noted no recent contact with Portuguese authorities, despite a previous visit to Lisbon being stalled by political turmoil and elections. Negotiations are expected to progress within two months. The Portuguese government plans to retain approximately a 50% stake in TAP.

📅 In 2024, Saudi Arabia saw an increase of 322,000 Italian tourist arrivals, marking a 65% rise from 2023, totaling 1.7 million stays. Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè led a delegation, including Ferrovie dello Stato and Ita Airways, to bolster Italian tourism presence. Italy's exports to Saudi Arabia are valued at €2.9 billion, with 79 Italian companies employing over 10,000 people and generating nearly €2 billion in revenue.

🌍 Explora Journeys has launched a new website in November 2025, enhancing its digital and visual brand presence. The platform offers an intuitive navigation system with detailed journey information: ship name, duration, number of destinations, rates, and highlights. This update aligns with the needs of discerning travelers and travel consultants. Following the launch of Explora I in 2023 and Explora II in 2024, the digital update coincides with the anticipated debut of Explora III.

📰 Bipartisan agreement reached in the U.S. Senate to fund the federal government until January 30, ending the shutdown. The vote on Obamacare is deferred to December. Democrats secured measures for rehiring federal employees and retroactive pay for furloughed workers. Chuck Schumer, Democratic minority leader, opposes the bipartisan plan, risking its potential collapse.

🗺 Ancora tanti giorni di ferie da sfruttare e soprattutto tanta voglia di viaggiare. Tra i sogni che gli italiani desiderano realizzare entro il 31 dicembre, il 39% dei nostri connazionali vorrebbe viaggiare verso una nuova destinazione da sogno, il 13% vorrebbe visitare una città iconica e il 10% desidererebbe immergersi nell’atmosfera di un mercatino di Natale. Sono questi alcuni dei dati che emergono da una nuova ricerca Mastercard che ha coinvolto oltre 20.000 intervistati in tutta Europa, in vista delle spese da sostenere prima della fine dell’anno. “Le prenotazioni per dicembre, sino a qualche settimana fa, erano in ritardo; vediamo ora un progressivo recupero, oggi molto vicino al pareggio. Speriamo questo dato possa poi andare in area positiva” dice Davide Catania, ceo del to Alidays Travel Experience. L’indagine rivela che tre italiani su cinque sperano ancora di spuntare entro l’anno almeno uno dei desideri della propria wishlist e la Gen Z si conferma la più impaziente. “I giovani oggi cercano vacanze smart, flessibili, prenotabili velocemente, e con contenuti da vivere e condividere. In quest’ottica, st

✈️ Ethiad Airways expands its network in the Far East with 16 new aircraft deliveries since September and plans for 26 routes by 2026. From Milan Malpensa, frequency increased to 17 flights. Enhancements run from November 1 to January 31 to meet high holiday demand, raising second-half 2025 capacity by 36%. New routes include Krabi, Chang Mai, Medan, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, and Hong Kong, catering to strong demand.