Distribuzione e Revenue

📦 Barbarhouse, founded in 2007 in a small town in Puglia, Italy, has seen a yearly revenue growth of 20% until the COVID period, which significantly boosted demand for their private villas. The company now exclusively manages 1,500 properties across Italy and partners with local operators for around 2,000 more. In 2021, sold nights increased by 73%, followed by a 27% rise in 2022, and a 13% growth in 2023, despite industry stagnation. The year 2024 concluded with a 14% increase in sold nights. Barbarhouse targets 50% of operations through its multilingual reservation center, 45% via OTAs, and aims to involve small travel agencies more by offering them a quality portfolio, with only 5% of current operations handled by travel agencies. They operate two brands: Barbarhouse and 'Perle di Puglia', the latter featuring around 300 luxury properties. The clientele is 65% Italian, with France, Germany, Australia, and the United States as significant international markets, and emerging interest from Eastern Europe.

🌍 Baobab expands to Morocco after success in Turkey, with TH Group expecting to exceed 2,000 passengers this year. Morocco, with over 17 million tourists in 2024, offers unique, guaranteed tour packages even for single passengers, confirmed instantly on a B2B platform, combined with low-cost flights from 13 Italian airports. Nearly daily departures are available from cities like Bergamo, Bologna, Catania, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Rome Ciampino and Fiumicino, Turin, Treviso and Venice. Tours start in Marrakech, Casablanca or Fès, lasting a week with two circuits: the classic Imperial Cities and Marrakech with the Sahara. The operator, with nearly €45 million in revenue and over 40,000 customers in 2024, aims for €60 million in 2025. A catalog is online and will be distributed to over 4,000 agencies, with potential co-marketing with Morocco's tourism board.

🏖️ Tunisia closed the year with $2.3 billion in tourism revenue, a 7.8% increase compared to the previous year. In 2024, international tourist arrivals exceeded 10 million, with arrivals from Italy increasing by over 20%. To sustain growth, Tunisia is investing in infrastructure development, promoting cultural tourism, and diversifying its tourism offerings, focusing on adventure, wellness, and ecotourism. The new international institutional advertising campaign, 'Vivi l’istanTe, vivi la Tunisia,' will launch next spring.

????️ 10 finaliste cities for 'Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2027' announced, including Alberobello, Aliano, Brindisi, Gallipoli, La Spezia, Pompei, Pordenone, Reggio Calabria, Sant’Andrea di Conza, and Savona. Selection showcases a strong southern presence with three cities from Puglia and a maritime theme, complemented by three northern towns. Jury led by Davide Maria Desario picked finalists from 17 candidates. The winning city, to be declared by March 28, will receive a €1 million fund for cultural and innovative project initiatives as per the Ministry of Culture.

📈 Italian companies are expected to see real revenue growth of +1.2% in 2025 and +1.4% in 2026, recovering from a decline of -0.9% in 2024. The services and tourism sectors are projected to be high-performing, with info and communication increasing by +12.95%, tourism and catering by +9.17%, and renewables installations by a staggering +139.12% from 2023 to 2026. However, geopolitical uncertainty, US tariffs, monetary policy, and international tensions could impact this positive trend.

🏖️ Eurostat reported 2.99 billion tourist overnight stays in the European Union for 2024, a 2% increase (53.4 million more) over the previous year. Growth driven by international guests (+58.7 million), despite a slight drop in domestic stays (-5.3 million). Accommodation-wise, hotels and similar establishments accounted for 1.9 billion stays (63%), followed by holiday homes with 711 million (24%) and campsites with 396 million (13%). Luxembourg (+22%), Malta (+13%), and Latvia (+7%) saw the highest rises in 2024, while France and Belgium experienced slight decreases (-1% each), and numbers remained stable in Sweden, Finland, and Italy.

✈️ Aviation had a historic year in 2024, offering a record 5.85 billion passenger seats globally, surpassing the previous high of 5.72 billion in 2019. Despite a 2% increase in seat capacity, the total number of scheduled flights in 2024 was 36.4 million, 5% below 2019 levels, indicating a shift towards larger aircraft. American Airlines led in passenger seats, followed by Delta, United, Southwest, and Ryanair as the top non-US operator. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remained the busiest with 62.7 million seats, followed by Dubai International with 59.7 million. The Seoul Gimpo-Jeju route was the busiest, with over 15 million seats annually.

🏖 A Skyscanner survey found 51% of Italian travelers consider January key for making new year travel plans. However, 82% face indecision, and 96% cite overall trip cost as significant. To combat decision fatigue, neuroscientist Faye Begeti offers tips: narrow options, prioritize key decisions, align vacation with mental state, leverage anticipatory dopamine, and explore new destinations. The phenomenon, termed 'WanderLOST', affects travelers globally, indicating budget is a prime concern for Italians when planning trips.

🏦 Italy's hotel sector investment soared to €2.1 billion in 2024, a 36% increase from 2023's €1.54 billion. With a 47% overall growth to nearly €10 billion, hotels ranked second in investment volumes. The fourth quarter alone saw €650 million, highlighting value-add investor confidence, especially in leisure markets and major art cities. Rome led in transactions and value, while Milan attracted high-end investments. Notable acquisitions included Torino's Golden Palace Hotel and the Grand Hotel Poltu Quatu in Arzachena.

💰 Alpitour World closed 2024 with a consolidated turnover of nearly €2.1 billion, marking a 7% increase from 2023, and transported 2.3 million passengers with Neos, including 206,000 foreign tourists to Italy, reaching a total of one million customers. Despite a challenging start with booking collapses in Egypt due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, the summer saw a significant recovery. Prospects for increased demand are high, but there are concerns about whether the supply, including airports, planes, and railways, can keep up. Neos plans to expand its fleet from 16 to 19 aircraft, with the 17th expected in April. The demand for luxury hotels continues to grow, with a 35% increase in Italy, although supply still falls short of demand, as seen by the 73% occupancy rate of Alpitour's eight five-star VRetreats hotels, aiming to expand to 10. U.S. funds represent 80% of the total invested in Italian hotels last year, driving up property prices.