Aperture

🚢 Alma Cruceros, a new cruise brand in Spain, plans to launch in summer 2025, with its inaugural trip from Las Palmas to Malaga in April. The Ocean Victory, a 186-passenger ship, will sail from Malaga, Barcelona, and Tarragona to destinations like Andalusia, North Africa, Costa Brava, Costa Azul, and the Balearic Islands, later expanding to Italy and France. Part of SunStone’s Infinity Class, it aims to blend luxury and sustainability with a strong Spanish identity.

🏨 Tivoli Hotels & Resorts opens its first hotel in Italy, the Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort & Spa in the Gulf of Trieste, specifically Portopiccolo. The resort features 58 rooms, suites, and 30 apartments, access to Purobeach Portopiccolo private beach club, Green Beach, and six pools including one for adults only. Positioned strategically, it's a 20-minute drive from Trieste airport and one hour from Venice, Treviso, and Ljubljana airports.

🏠 Terme di Saturnia Natural Destination reopened after renovation, updating the fine dining restaurant, a new winter garden, and a relaxation area overlooking the spring. La Stellata Trattoria, a country restaurant with a golf course view, relaunches on August 7th, offering traditional Tuscan cuisine with revamped interiors and a newly designed veranda and pergola. Salvatore Quarto, the executive chef, enhances the experience with an open artisanal grill and tableside dish preparation.

🏠 Minor Hotels to open its first dual-brand property, Tivoli-NH, in Yining, China by 2026. Located in a strategic position for both tourism and business, the hotel will feature 200 rooms for each brand. Yining, a key commercial link on the Silk Road, bridges Central Asia and Europe, boasting attractions like the Kazakh tourism area and Six Star Street. CEO Dillip Rajakarier anticipates appeal to both Chinese and international travelers due to the brands' European repute.

🏙 Saudi Arabia's promotional initiatives in Rinascente stores in Rome and Milan, running until the end of July, reveal 75% of respondents consider it a safe destination. The country issued 42,000 eVisas from January to June, a 17% increase from the same period in 2023, contributing to the total of 77,000 in 2023. Tourism is booming, with 1.4 million visitors from January to April and an expectation of 3.5 million by the end of 2024. Despite a gap between expected and actual spending (€1,500 - €3,000 versus €3,500 weekly), 8-10 day tours are popular among the over 50 demographic. New resorts are opening in the Red Sea area, including two Rixos in October and 2025, attracting honeymooners and cultural enthusiasts.

🏠 On 24 July, Terme di Saturnia Natural Destination reopened its resort, including the golf and the club, following a major renovation. The upgrades featured the 1919 Restaurant, a new winter garden, and an infinity relaxation area overlooking the spring pool. La Stellata Trattoria, a country restaurant with a golf course view, is set to relaunch on 7 August with a revamped interior and a new veranda. Since reopening on 3 September 2020 after a renovation affecting all rooms and common areas, the resort has demonstrated dynamic innovation in less than 4 years.

🚢 Victory Cruise Lines, after halting operations in February, was acquired by John Waggoner for $1.9 million. The 190-passenger vessels, previously named Ocean Voyager and Ocean Navigator, are now Victory I and Victory II, set to sail in Spring 2025 from Toronto on April 27 and from Chicago's Navy Pier on May 12, respectively. Bookings are open for 9 to 15-night itineraries on the Great Lakes from Chicago to Toronto or Montreal.

🏕 Explora 2, the luxury twin of MSC's Explora Journies brand, will launch in under 60 days, offering another 900 spots on a 248-meter yacht with 461 sea-view suites ranging from 35 to 280 square meters. Roberto de Blasi, sales manager, revealed a 3.5 billion euro investment for 6 ships. The fleet will sail the Caribbean in winter and the Mediterranean, including Greece, Turkey, Spain, and Morocco, in summer. By winter 2025/26, Explora 1 will return to the Caribbean while Explora 2 heads to Dubai.

🏡 Preferred Hotels & Resorts expanded its portfolio with 30 new properties between April 1 and June 30, 2024. Included are diverse accommodations like adults-only all-inclusive resorts and historic villas. Italy featured with Boutique Hotel Stresa, Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort in Naturno (Bolzano), and Hotel Excelsior Spa & Lido in Pesaro, all part of the L.V.X or Lifestyle Collections. The expansion highlights destinations such as Saudi Arabia (6 new properties), the United States (5), and Africa (4).

🏖️ Princess Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of two new luxury resorts in Jamaica, Princess Senses The Mangrove and Princess Grand Jamaica, set for September 15. Princess Senses The Mangrove, an adults-only all-inclusive beachfront property at Green Island, features 401 ocean-view suites and 14 overwater villas, each with an infinity pool. The Princess Grand Jamaica offers family-oriented all-inclusive amenities, including a water park, kids club, and nanny service.