Distribuzione e Revenue

📣 Paid campaigns can account for 30-50% of official site bookings, with higher profit margins compared to OTA channels. Fixed budgets limit market expansion, reaction to demand changes, and campaign optimization, potentially leading to lost bookings and higher acquisition costs. A flexible budget approach allows hotels to adapt quickly, maximize campaign performance, and innovate in marketing strategies, thus enhancing direct sales channels and overall hotel growth. Adopting digital marketing as a strategic investment rather than an expense is key for higher returns and sustained growth.

📍 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.

💧 Emirates is offering a special deal until September 12, where passengers booking a round-trip ticket from Italy to Dubai for departures until October 3, 2024, will receive a full-day pass to Aquaventure Waterpark, the world's largest water park. The park features over 105 slides and attractions, including a kilometer-long private beach and a children's area with 16 attractions. The offer is valid for flights booked in any cabin class.

📌 Marriott International collaborates with Sonder, a luxury apartment and boutique hotel provider since 2014. Sonder reported a revenue of $603 million in 2023 and is seen as a future main competitor to Airbnb. The partnership allows Marriott to earn a percentage of Sonder's gross revenue. By the end of 2024, 9,000 Sonder units will join Marriott's portfolio, with another 1,500 to follow, all accessible via Marriott’s channels and the Marriott Bonvoy app’s new Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy collection. Sonder expects an increase in revenue per available room and improved liquidity by $146 million, appealing to a younger, tech-savvy demographic, with guests in Europe, North America, and the Middle East managing stays via a dedicated app.

🏖️ Nearly 40 million people in the EU couldn't afford a holiday in 2022, as reported by the Confederazione europea dei sindacati and Sole 24Ore. In Italy, over 6 million skipped vacations, mainly families with at least one child. With record inflation and low salaries, around 49% of Italians will stay home all season; those traveling did so in June or plan for September to save money. Holiday villages, campsites, hostels saw a price surge by 18.8% since June 2024, with a month-on-month increase of 14.5% for national holiday packages.

🇮🇹 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.