Distribuzione e Revenue

🍷 Tuscany's wine industry shows positive trends with a production of 2.6 million hectoliters and a 4.8% increase in volume and 10% in value for still DOP wines' exports in the first ten months of 2024. The Consorzio dei vini Igt Toscana, established five years ago, oversees a diverse range of wines, including renowned labels like Masseto and Tignanello. With 400 members, including 15 cooperatives, representing 1,600 grape producers, the consortium manages 90 million bottles, 820,000 hectoliters (over 30% of the regional output), across 15,000 hectares, generating approximately €500 million, 69% of which comes from exports. The Igt Toscana Consortium is expanding to include Igt Costa Toscana wines with 1,500 hectares, 5 million bottles, and 64 producers, aiming to further increase its influence and visibility on international markets.

📊 Osservatorio Immagino di GS1 Italy and NielsenIQ analyzed over 138,000 products, identifying sales-impacting claims. The Italian flag icon led with presence on more than 15,000 products, generating nearly €7 billion in sales, followed by the FSC certification and "100% Italian" claim, both over €4.9 billion. The study, observing Italian consumer trends from July 2023 to June 2024, also highlighted claims related to food intolerances, free-from products, and rich-in ingredients. The full report and a special "Ten years of the Immagino Service" can be downloaded from osservatorioimmagino.it.

✈ Southwest Airlines plans to lay off 15% of its workforce, totaling 1,750 jobs, the largest cut in its 53-year history, to streamline operations and reduce costs. CEO Bob Jordan aims for a leaner, more agile company structure targeting executives and managers, anticipating savings of $210 million in 2025 and $300 million in 2026.

🏠 HomeExchange, in collaboration with Metrica Ricerche, surveyed over 1000 Italians aged 18-75, revealing that 54% prioritize comfort in home choice, while 34% value geographic location. A strong emotional attachment to their homes is felt by 44%, with the sentiment most pronounced in the South (53%) compared to the North (40%) and Center (39%). Additionally, 53% of respondents place high importance on time spent at home.

🚀 Neos, an Italian leisure airline, experienced success with its New York route and is now expanding to daily flights from June: 4 from Malpensa, 2 from Palermo, and 1 from Bari. During the pandemic in 2021, Neos converted a cargo slot at JFK into a passenger route. Sales Manager Elisa Speziale reports a strong winter season with March bookings reaching sold-out status. The airline focuses on both the Italian outbound and American markets, with significant incoming traffic in Palermo. Neos is enhancing its premium economy offering to appeal more to Americans. The fleet will be completed with a new Boeing 737 Max by July, and plans to solidify new routes, including Lagos and Dakar, are underway.

🏖 Boscolo's Commercial Director Salvatore Sicuso confirms an increase in group travel with a 2024 revenue of approximately €115 million. Boscolo offers 18 monographic catalogs for 2025, curated by destination managers. Long-haul destinations like Japan, the United States, and unexpectedly, Vietnam, are increasingly popular, with expanded programming for Central and South America. Despite a focus on long-haul, Boscolo's core business remains Italy and Europe, aiming to be the largest Italian DMC selling Europe, with direct programming. The company targets travelers around 50 years old and offers Active tours for a younger demographic.

💸 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%.

🌍 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.

🌍 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.

🛫 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.