Distribuzione e Revenue

📍 Calabria experienced a mixed summer season, as reported by Demetrio Metallo of Confindustria Alberghi. Despite a boom in tourist presence during peak summer weeks, June and July were challenging due to the collapse of German tour operator FTI Touristik, causing significant financial loss, particularly around Tropea-Pizzo and the Ionian coast of Cosenza. Improved connectivity via airports across Europe helped mitigate the impact, but local transportation services like taxis and buses remain inadequate.

📍 Summer 2024 sees a tourism boom in Naples, Amalfi Coast, and the islands, driven by international markets. However, Cilento, as per ISTAT data, experiences a steep decline with foreign tourist numbers plummeting from 600,000 in 2014 to 186,000, a 67.6% drop. Overall, tourist trends hold strong with a 10-15% increase compared to the previous year, thanks to many foreigners, with Alicost reporting 60,000 passengers transported from June 1 to August 15.

📈 CEO Stefano Pompili of Veratour confirms a 6% growth and an increase in average price, positioning the company in the high-end market segment. Over 30% of clients chose Italy in the summer's peak, with Veratour aiming to match its 2019 turnover. The company predicts a closing turnover of €250 million, marking a return to the 2019 revenue figure. Despite reducing exposure to the volatile Red Sea region, Tunisia has grown near 10%, partially covering the middle market. Direct sales channel accounts for a minor percentage, with the traditional agency model still in place. Long-haul destinations show the Dominican Republic meeting targets while Cuba disappoints, awaiting significant hotel infrastructure renewal.

🇮🇹 Italy saw a 23.9% increase in business volume for French travel agencies, becoming the country with the largest increase among European nations. Italy ranks fifth in absolute numbers for bookings, following France, Spain, Tunisia, and Greece. Tunisia, leveraging low-cost packages, maintains its third-place position from July 2023. Significant declines include Turkey (-35.5%), Egypt (-44.2%), and the Dominican Republic (-20.6%) in travel agency business.

✈️ Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, remains optimistic despite the airline's sharp profit decline in the last quarter. In 2023, Ryanair experienced a 30% growth due to the resurgence of air traffic. Wilson highlighted the company's long-term growth plans, including a recent order of 300 Boeing aircraft without debt. Comparing 2024 to the previous year poses challenges, but the next financial quarter is expected to show recovery, with plans for new bases in Italy.

🏠 Slovenia's tourism contributes 20% to the nation's GDP, with 38% of property buyers in the past year being foreigners. House prices nationally increased by 6.7% in 2023, following double-digit rises in previous years (11.5% in 2022, 15% in 2021). Ljubljana and Maribor saw a 6.7% increase in housing prices, while existing apartment prices elsewhere in Slovenia rose by 5% in 2023. Housing transactions dropped by 24% in 2023 after a 7.6% decline in 2022 and a nearly 20% surge in 2021.

🏖️ In Italy, clothing now accounts for 5% of family budgets, down from 10% twenty years ago, while spending on tourism has risen to 4%, up from 1-2%. Confcommercio's analysis of sales, set to end on September 4, shows a consumer preference shift from apparel to travel experiences. Despite last-minute discounts, retailers face challenges as the anticipated positive impact of the sales season falls short.

🏖️ During the summer season of 2024, the tourism sector is witnessing growth, with stocks of related companies benefiting from positive trends. The Italian stock exchange lists mainly small-sized tourism companies, unlike larger international firms found in Europe, such as InterContinental Hotels Group, Ryanair, and Accor. Stoxx Europe 600 saw its best week in three months on Ferragosto, with a 5% gain in the Travel & Tourism sector. Italian company I Grandi Viaggi's stock rose 10% since the beginning of the year, with Banca Akros upgrading its recommendation to "buy" and setting a target price of €1.05 per share. Emma Villas reported a 30% increase in bookings in Sardinia from June to September compared to 2023, aided by last-minute reservations.

🛫 Etihad Airways transported 1.7 million passengers in July 2024, a 33% increase from July 2023. The airline achieved an 89% load factor, signaling a strong summer season. From January to July 2024, the carrier handled 10.4 million passengers, up by 2.8 million from the same period in 2023. CEO Antonoaldo Neves reported the fleet expanded from 78 to 93 aircraft, serving 76 destinations, up from 66 a year earlier.

🏖 In Puglia, the beach resort union Sib reported a 20-25% drop in summer season results, alarming the sector. According to Fipe-Confcommercio, the decline is mainly due to the absence of middle-class families. Despite inflation and increased tax pressure, Sib states that only a 3.2% price hike in beach facilities contributed to the overall vacation cost, suggesting other factors deterred visitors.