Distribuzione e Revenue

🏕️ Italian tourists returning to India numbered 62,226 in 2022, below half the pre-COVID 2019 count of 128,720. The Indian Tourism Board's statistics are as of 2022. Ambassador Vani Rao emphasizes ease of obtaining an Indian tourist visa, now available online with a processing time of at least 72 hours, valid for a few days up to 3 years, with stays not exceeding 90 consecutive days. Additionally, over 8,000 Italians visited India for medical treatments last year.

💰 CDSHotels reports 8% revenue growth in the first 8 months of the year, with Terrasini Città del Mare and Riva Marina Resort witnessing a +17% and +13% increase respectively. Ada Miraglia, the commercial director, attributes success to quality service, customer care, and smart pricing, despite a volatile market due to unstable international affairs and economic challenges for middle-class families. Future outlook is positive, forecasting a 22% rise from September to December compared to 2023, with many properties fully booked in September and rising occupancy in October.

🏖 Foreign visitor spending in Italy grew by 8% in June, with a tourism trade balance surplus of €3.2 billion, up from €3.0 billion in June 2023. Italy's Banca d'Italia reports foreign travelers spent €6.1 billion and Italian travelers abroad spent €2.9 billion. The Q2 2024 balance hit €7.4 billion (0.4% of GDP), a rise from €6.7 billion in Q2 2023. EU travelers' spending in Italy surged by 14.4%, outpacing non-EU visitors' 5.4% increase.

📈 In Q2 2024, the market services sector in Italy saw a 0.3% increase in added value, offsetting a 0.8% decline in the industrial sector. The economy grew by 0.1%, with rental and travel agencies (1.4%), information and communication (1.2%), and professional activities (1.1%) leading the growth. However, wholesale trade connected to manufacturing fell by 0.4%. Service exports rose slightly year-over-year, representing 5.5% of Italy's GDP compared to France and Germany's 11.5% and 9%. Inflation in the services sector increased marginally to 3.1% in July and August from 2.9% in the previous quarter. Employment in the sector set a record, with a 0.2% increase in workforce units compared to 2022, driven by a 0.4% rise in salaried work. The financial and insurance activities (+0.3%) and the professional sector (+0.6%) saw employment boosts, while transport and hospitality services faced a 0.5% decrease, and communication and information services dropped by 1.3%.

🏨 In the 2024 Megahubs report by OAG, London Heathrow is ranked as the top connected airport, followed by Kuala Lumpur (Air Asia holds 35% of flights), with Tokyo Haneda in third place. Istanbul Airport has the highest number of connections with 324, while Frankfurt surpasses 300 destinations (304). Other top 10 European continental airports include Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The leading US airport is Chicago O'Hare International. Rome Fiumicino climbs from 42nd to 35th place, with Ita Airways being the top carrier there, having 35% of flights. Dominant carriers in top-ranked hubs include Vueling with 41% at Barcelona, easyJet 48% at London Gatwick, KLM 55% at Amsterdam, Air France 56% at Paris, the Lufthansa group 60% at Frankfurt, Turkish Airlines 79% at Istanbul, and Delta 75% at Atlanta in the US. For more information: www.oag.com.

📍 Albania's Tirana Airport welcomed a record 3.5 million travelers during summer (June-August), despite price hikes up to 90% in some areas. Compared to the same period in 2023, arrivals shot up by 45.8%. Out of these, 1.35 million flew between Italy and Albania, marking a 47% increase. From January 1 to September 10, 7.6 million passengers were recorded, surpassing the entire 2023 figure. The year-end projection is 10.5 million passengers. Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized absurd price increases in southern tourist spots like Ksamil and Sarande.

🏕 During summer, RHC Group's La Plage Resort in Taormina achieved a record occupation rate of 96%, up 8% from 2023. Hotel Raito and Relais Paradiso on the Amalfi Coast reached an average occupancy of 93%, a 7% increase, with full capacity at times. Clientele was international, from the USA, Italy, Northern Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Eastern Europe. CEO Giuseppe Marchese highlighted the importance of anticipating guest needs, establishing direct dialogue, and balancing artificial intelligence with human contact.

🏅 Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to keep large multicolored Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower until 2028 for the Los Angeles Games. Despite IOC consent, Parisians, including around 70 living descendants of designer Gustave Eiffel, oppose the change. The Eiffel Tower, attracting about 7 million visitors annually, is the world's most visited monument, standing at 330 meters tall, built for the 1889 Paris Exposition and owned by the city of Paris. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

🏨 Perdormire Hotel will showcase its premium bedding systems at various hospitality events in October 2024. Event dates and locations include INOUT in Rimini (9-11 October, Pad D1 Stand 049), DOLOMITI HORECA in Longarone (6-8 October, Pad B Stand 13-14 G), Hospitality Day in Rimini (8 October, Stand A4), ITHIC in Rome (17-18 October, Rome Cavalieri), and HOTEL in Bolzano (21-24 October, Pad AB Stand B08/28). The company promises unparalleled rest experiences for hospitality guests.

💰 Business travel in August saw the Business Travel Trend Index by Gruppo Uvet rise to 104, an 8-point increase from July, outperforming the annual average. Transactions climbed 6 points to 86. Average spending index edged up 1 point month-on-month, shifting from 120 to 121, indicating price stabilization. Flights surged 11 points to 94 in value and 6 points to 77 in transactions. Car rental transactions and value jumped from 130 to 163, and 144 to 185, respectively. Hospitality sector recorded 90 points in transactions, a slight drop from 95 in July, but with a steady value of 110. Rail remained consistent with the previous month at 65 in transactions and 71 in value but dipped slightly year-on-year. Domestic travels hit 103 points, European travels 105, and intercontinental journeys 104.