Tony Loeb

🏆 Wizz Air set a record in 2024 by transporting nearly 63 million passengers on over 300,000 flights, the highest annual passenger traffic for the airline. In Italy, the carrier flew over 18 million passengers, a 15% increase from the previous year, with more than 90,000 flights. Last year, Wizz Air launched almost 100 new routes and added 34 new aircraft to its fleet, which grew by 15%. For 2025 and early 2026, the airline expects 50 new Airbus A321neo and A321XLRs. Tamara Nikiforova, Wizz Air's corporate communication manager, credits the 20th anniversary success to operational improvements and customer experience investments, including a new Training Center in Rome and plans for further growth in Italy in 2025.

📦 Barbarhouse, founded in 2007 in a small town in Puglia, Italy, has seen a yearly revenue growth of 20% until the COVID period, which significantly boosted demand for their private villas. The company now exclusively manages 1,500 properties across Italy and partners with local operators for around 2,000 more. In 2021, sold nights increased by 73%, followed by a 27% rise in 2022, and a 13% growth in 2023, despite industry stagnation. The year 2024 concluded with a 14% increase in sold nights. Barbarhouse targets 50% of operations through its multilingual reservation center, 45% via OTAs, and aims to involve small travel agencies more by offering them a quality portfolio, with only 5% of current operations handled by travel agencies. They operate two brands: Barbarhouse and 'Perle di Puglia', the latter featuring around 300 luxury properties. The clientele is 65% Italian, with France, Germany, Australia, and the United States as significant international markets, and emerging interest from Eastern Europe.