Blog

🛫 Biman Bangladesh Airlines celebrates one year since resuming flights between Rome and Dhaka, with a positive track record. Shahriar Ahmed, a board member, highlights Italy as the second-largest European market after Britain and the only EU country with direct flights to Bangladesh. Rome's Bengali community numbers nearly 200,000, contributing to a 90% load factor from Rome Fiumicino in 2025, signaling a growth trend. Francesco Veneziano from Distal notes that 48% of passengers to Dhaka chose Biman, crediting direct flights and national pride. The airline now targets Italian and European leisure travelers, leveraging a deal with Ita from November to connect to various destinations in Europe. Shahriar anticipates further consolidation and growth in connections next year, with Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur within 4 and 5 hours, respectively.

🌍 Dina Ravera, CEO of Destination Italia, aims to make the company the 'Alpitour of incoming' for Italy's tourism sector. Lacking a major player, the market is filled with small to medium enterprises. Ravera focuses on the high-spending market segment, with the U.S. accounting for 40% of presences and the company's strategic New York office opening. Destination Italia seeks to guide tourism flows and capitalize on the tourism traffic recovery and increased average prices.

🌍 European tourism increased by 6.3% in foreign arrivals in Q4 compared to 2023. Overnight stays rose by 4.8% annually and 5.9% from 2019. Tourists spent 7.8% more in 2024, totaling 705 billion euros. Iceland's winter tourism grew by 14% since 2019. Long-haul travel remains 5% below 2019 levels, affected by slow recovery in Asia Pacific arrivals, especially from China.

💸 Business travel maintains an upward trend in 2025, with the BTT Travel Value index by Uvet Group reaching 108 in January, marking an 8% rise from 2019. Transactions also grew to 81, while the average expense increased by 6 points from January 2024, with a BTT value of 132. The average flight expense rose by 4.3%, driven by an 11.3% surge in intercontinental flights. European flights increased by 6%, domestic flights remained stable at a 2.3% growth, and the hotel sector saw a 5.7% rise in average spending. The rail sector's average spending went up by 3.6%, while car rental experienced a slight decline of -1.8%.