Conferenze e Fiere

📍 The Welcome Travel Group is hosting the 'Casablanca connACTION' convention in Casablanca, bringing together over 1,500 travel agents and commercial partners from April 4 to 7. Key partners include Alpitour World, Costa Cruises, Moroccan National Tourism Office, Neos, Royal Air Maroc, Allianz Partners, Ita Airways, Mastercard, and Trenitalia. Despite an unstable international scenario, the network reports a 12% increase in leisure bookings for 2025 compared to 2024. CEO Adriano Apicella emphasizes the event's strategic importance and innovative approach to the tourism market.

🏃 Wizz Air launches the WIZZ Run Series 2025, offering runners across Europe the chance to win an "All You Can Fly" subscription for unlimited flights for a year. Runners accumulate points during the series, earning 1 point per kilometer run. Top 3 male and female runners win flight prizes: first place gets two "All You Can Fly" passes each, second place receives a €1,000 Wizz voucher each, and third place wins a €800 Wizz voucher each. Series runs from April to October, with winners announced in early December. Italy hosts three of the nine WIZZ running events in Milan, Rome, and Venice.

🏖️ Francesco Paradisi, commercial manager of NCL in Italy, outlines future company goals: 2024 marked a record year, a cautious 2025, and 2026 as key with new ships and routes. NCL's ship Luna, Norwegian Viva's twin, will join the fleet, increasing global capacity. The company will reintroduce weekly European cruises with more stopovers and return to Philadelphia port, historically linked to NCL. By 2026, a dock on NCL's private Caribbean island, Greyfield Cay, will be completed, ensuring weather-proof docking. The island is designed for relaxation, unlike other companies' resort-style islands, featuring a zipline as its main attraction. Another exclusive stop is Harvest Cay in Belize.

🛳 Seven Seas Prestige, an extra-luxury cruise ship, had its keel-laying ceremony at Fincantieri di Marghera. The ship, ordered by Regent Seven Seas Cruises, is set for delivery in 2026. Top executives from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Regent Seven Seas Cruises were present. The ship will accommodate approximately 850 passengers in 434 suites and feature advanced environmental technologies. It will be the inaugural vessel of the new Prestige class, following the Explorer series.

🎭 Disneyland Paris introduces new daytime and nighttime shows, enhancing the visitor experience with advanced technologies. Notable productions include "Disney Tales of Magic," "Disney Music Festival" (April 19 - September 7, 2025), "Disney Stars on Parade," "Together: A Pixar Musical Adventure," "The Lion King: Rhythms of the Pride Lands," "Alice and the Queen of Heart: Back to Wonderland" (May 17 - August 31), "Frozen: A Musical Invitation," and "Mickey and the Magician" (starting April 21). These offerings are designed to immerse guests in the stories of Disney and Pixar, with live music, special effects, and interactive elements.

🚨 French union Sud Rail, representing railway sector employees, announced a 6-week strike from April 17 to June 2. This marks the second strike of the year following a previous one in February, which caused nationwide disruptions. The strike concerns controllers' salaries and working conditions, particularly rapid shift changes due to new staff management software.

🏦 TAP Air Portugal and Avianca launched a shared business class lounge at Miami International Airport's South Terminal, covering 600 sq m and open 24/7. It accommodates up to 337 passengers, offering food, snacks, premium alcoholic beverages, and high-speed Wi-Fi, along with relaxation areas, workspaces, and a kids' zone. Access is granted to TAP, Avianca, and Star Alliance First and Business Class passengers, TAP Miles&Go Navigator and Gold members, eligible Star Alliance and LifeMiles Gold and Diamond members, and Priority Pass holders. Daily passes are available subject to availability.

📚 Woolex, part of FMTS Group, offers Summer Camps in England, Malta, Ireland, and Paestum, Campania, for 16 to 19-year-olds, lasting one week between June and July. Camps feature native-speaking teachers, local culture immersion, an Italian chaperone, and are a secure learning experience, according to Loredana Cozzaglio, director of Woolex. For 10 to 15-year-olds, camps in Paestum include educational activities. Specific study plans are created for each location including Burton and South Derbyshire College, Galway English Academy, and St. Catherine’s High School.

????️ Petra's Authority for Development and Tourism and the Colosseum Archaeological Park announced a partnership to enhance links between two world-renowned archaeological sites, both UNESCO World Heritage sites and named among the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli emphasized the strategic value of this initiative for cultural promotion and international cooperation. The agreement includes cultural, scientific, and promotional collaborations, such as conservation workshops, joint cultural events, reciprocal visits, and the sharing of promotional materials. Petra can now promote itself within the Colosseum, which attracts approximately 14 million visitors annually. Fares Braizat, Petra's development chief, and Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Park, both affirm the partnership as a step towards cultural exchange and enhancing global presence. This follows Petra’s 2019 twinning with Matera, the European Capital of Culture for that year.

✈ Starting May 30, Smartwings connects Lamezia Terme and Prague daily with the new flight, featuring Airbus A220 and Boeing 737-800, each with 189 seats. Flight schedules vary, with departures from Prague in late morning and returns in the early afternoon, except on Wednesdays and Saturdays for evening flights. This service not only boosts tourism but also cultural and economic ties between Calabria and the Czech Republic. Additional routes include charter flights from Lamezia Terme to Czech cities Brno, Pardubice, and Ostrava.