Innovazione

📍 Global Blue has installed tax-free shopping invoice validation kiosks at Naples Capodichino and Bergamo Orio al Serio airports to expedite VAT refund processes for non-EU tourists. Stefano Rizzi, managing director of Italy for Global Blue, emphasizes the enhancement of the customer journey for global shoppers and collaboration with institutions. The initiative aims to support the Customs and Monopoly Agency while ensuring a pleasant travel experience for tourists leaving Europe.

📡 United Airlines to activate Starlink's satellite wi-fi service on their planes by spring, with Embraer E-175 conducting the first commercial flight equipped with this technology. Initial tests by SpaceX begin by February, but access will only be free for MileagePlus members. United aims to expand the service across all regional aircraft and the first long-haul flight by the end of the year, planning to extend it to the entire fleet eventually.

🏖 Tik Tok and artificial intelligence are set to influence travel choices by 2025, as reported by National Geographic Traveller UK. Tik Tok travel views have increased by 410% in the past three years. The European Travel Commission notes that 73% of Europeans travel between October and March, up 6% from the previous year, to avoid high costs and overtourism. Hashtags like #dupesdestination have gained over 400,000 posts, leading travelers to alternative destinations like Albania over Greece. Skyscanner indicates a 25% user interest in experiences like “sleeping under the stars” post-Beyoncé’s album "Cowboy Carter". 2025 will also introduce low-cost long-haul travel, with trains becoming a significant focus.

🏨 Self check-in systems enhance operational efficiency and guest satisfaction in hospitality. Chekin offers a digital identity verification and automated communication for quick, secure check-ins, reducing wait times and staff costs. Essential steps include evaluating guest needs, choosing the right technology, and staff training, followed by system monitoring and optimization using feedback and data analysis. Chekin aids in staying competitive by centralizing management and providing dedicated customer support, aiming to improve service quality and increase revenue.

📲 Many countries, including Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, the UAE, the UK, Italy, the USA, India, and others, are transitioning to digital passports, driven by facial recognition and smartphone technologies. Singapore serves as a model, with over 1.5 million people using a system allowing travel without physical documents. Digital passports reduce theft risks but may introduce new, currently unclear challenges. Economic strength doesn't directly link to digital passport adoption, as even countries with weaker economies are implementing it successfully.

🎢 Clayton Reid, ex CEO of Mmgy Global, stated that the cruise market will see normalizing growth in 2025 post-pandemic. Seven new ships to launch, including MSC World America, with Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean opening new destinations and facilities in the Bahamas and Alaska. Royal Caribbean will also develop a new port in Juneau, Alaska. AI and marketing in 2025 will further push the sector to offer on-board experiences traditionally land-based, following the successful launch of Icon of the Seas with its six-slide water park in 2024.

📍 Ryanair invests $3 billion in 29 Boeing 737s to be delivered in 2025, featuring 16% lower CO2 emissions, 40% less noise pollution, and a 4% increase in passenger capacity. The planes will serve low-cost airports in EU countries like Italy, Sweden, Spain, and Poland. The expansion aims to grow passenger numbers from 200 million in 2024 to 210 million in 2025 and create 2,000 jobs, as stated by Jade Kirwan, Ryanair's head of communications.

📍 In 2025, the air travel industry will see new generation aircraft like the Airbus A321XLR enabling routes such as Madrid-Boston and Dublin-Nashville. US airlines, including Delta and United, are planning record numbers of transatlantic flights with new destinations like Nuuk, Bilbao, and Dubrovnik. Airfares will rise, with the UK's APD reaching $275 for premium seats to the US, Singapore's Changi airport fees increasing from $35 to $49, and Maldives doubling departure taxes. Air Canada will start charging for carry-on luggage in economy from January 2025. Airports will cater to over 5 billion passengers with biometric screening and AI systems, and airlines like American Airlines and Air France-KLM will offer innovative reward programs.

🍕 Roberta Garibaldi predicts that 2025 will be a year where tradition and technology converge for immersive and sustainable experiences in Italian enogastronomy tourism. Ten trends are noted: enriching travel experiences with food (15.3%), increase in lesser-known rural destinations (8.8%), enotourism evolution, hyper-personalization, authentic local events, social and TV series influence, AI in travel planning, exponential growth in food & beverage in hospitality, rural landscape enjoyment with 59.3% tourists prioritizing it, and the emergence of Gastrodiplomacy.

🚂 Trenitalia invests 850 million euros for 100 new regional trains by 2025, in line with FS Italiane's Strategic Plan 2025-2029, targeting over 430 million travelers. By 2024, 540 new trains were delivered, totaling 875 modernized trains. By 2027, 80% of the regional fleet will be renewed with 1,061 new trains at a cost of seven billion euros. Automatic compensation for delays introduced for digital regional ticket holders, with digital ticket sales reaching 43% in 2024. The 'X-GO' program has been improved for easier point accumulation, and the 'Viaggi in Regionale' initiative, in partnership with Lonely Planet, highlights five scenic train routes. For the 2025 Jubilee, Trenitalia launched new routes and a travel book for pilgrims.