Fusioni & Acquisizioni

🌊 Travel giant Tui cancels a "small number" of holidays to flood-hit Lanzarote with hotels currently inaccessible. Last-minute cancellations were due to lack of alternative accommodations during Easter holidays. Affected customers are offered a full refund or can rebook another Tui holiday with a rebooking incentive. About 1,500 tourists have been relocated to different facilities due to the flooding.

🏕 Bluvacanze, Ota Viaggi, and Gnv, in a five-year alliance, aim to boost Italy Sea sales for summer with value-for-money, family, and pet-oriented travel offers. Despite pre-pandemic agency numbers, the market slows, as noted by Claudio Busca, Retail Director at Bluvacanze. The return of Egypt as a competitor is not unexpected, according to Massimo Diana, Commercial Director at Ota Viaggi. They advocate for the right pricing on 14 four-star facilities across Basilicata, Calabria, Puglia, Sardinia, and Sicily, catered by Gnv's enhanced and modernized connections. Gnv introduces Gnv Polaris and smart ships Splendid and Rhapsody, totaling over 2,000 cabins daily, with pet-friendly options and improved onboard services, including Starlink Wi-Fi.

✈ Smallfly launches new air connections today from Marina di Campo Airport on Elba Island to Florence, Pisa, and Milano Linate. Additional flights are introduced for the April and May holidays every Monday from Elba to Milano Linate and back. The new routes, falling under OSP (Public Service Obligation), offer facilitated maximum fares for Elba residents, disabled individuals, those over 70, island workers, students, retirees, and passengers traveling for health reasons. Tickets can be purchased without extra costs at Marina di Campo Airport or through associated travel agencies on the island.

🚢 MSC will manage Ancona port's cruise terminal for the next 35 years; the bid concluded in mid-March. Ancona's 2025 cruise season faces challenges with an inadequate current terminal, awaiting a new gull-wing shaped one in 2026. This year anticipates 41 total dockings, 15 fewer than in 2024.

🏡 Savona 18 Suites joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts Lifestyle, a collection with 600 properties in 80 countries, including over 50 in Italy. Blu Hotels' Nicola Risatti expressed pride in the integration, highlighting the hotel's modern design and attention to detail. Roberta Possenti of Preferred Travel Group noted the expansion in Italy and praised Savona 18 Suites' authentic hospitality and modern renovation. The partnership marks Blu Hotels' dynamic approach to growth.

🌍 Japan, after a record-breaking 2024 with 37 million international visitors, continues its positive trend in early 2025, reaching 10.53 million visitors in the first quarter, and aims for 40 million by year-end. In March alone, coinciding with cherry blossom season, the country welcomed 3.49 million tourists. Factors such as lifted Covid-19 restrictions and a weaker local currency, which reduces travel costs, are driving the tourism boom. The annual White Paper on Tourism highlights the concentration of foreign visitors in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, with plans to spread tourism to rural areas.

📦 Italian Exhibition Group acquires 51% of Fenagra in Brazil, strengthening its presence in the agrobusiness sector. Fenagra, organized by Editora Stilo, is now part of IEG Brasil's portfolio. The 18th edition of Fenagra will be held from May 13-15, 2025, in São Paulo with a record 230 exhibitors from 17 countries and 16,000 square meters of exhibition space. Brazil's agrobusiness is worth $170 billion and accounts for 50% of total exports. Specifically, the animal nutrition sector, where Fenagra is a key player, aggregates a market of about $45 billion with a predicted growth of +3% over the next 5 years. The pet food market in South America, with Brazil as a key market, is expected to reach $30 billion by 2025. In the last two years, IEG has acquired 100% of Expo InfraFM and MundoGeo and now has 12 fairs in its portfolio in Brazil, aiming to become one of the country's top five exhibition organizers.

🏨 Hotel Bellevue di Pesaro joined BWH Hotels Italia & Malta under the Sure Hotel Collection by Best Western brand. It offers 60 rooms and family-friendly services, including a mini club and babysitting. Lucia Signorini sees this as a chance to strengthen their offering, especially for the summer season. The hotel features a restaurant, bar, sea-view pool, jacuzzi, gym, and free bicycle rental. Fabrizio Doria of BWH Hotels highlights Pesaro as a strategic summer destination; the hotel's prime location meets tourist demand for relaxation, comfort, and cultural attractions.

🏖️ Mapo Travel now manages four properties with the acquisition of the Mapo Hotel Club Perla di Casablate in Lecce, joining their locations in Ostuni, Porto Cesareo, and Santa Cesarea Terme. The new addition features 67 sea-facing rooms and focuses on couples and families. General Manager Barbara Marangi highlights the "two holidays in one" concept, blending sea and culture. The company strengthens its team by hiring Francesco Ciccarone and continues agency training across Italy.

💸 In Italy, online purchases are expected to grow by 6% in 2025, reaching over €62 billion, with services sector up by 8% to €22 billion and product eCommerce increasing by 6% beyond €40 billion. Food & Grocery and Beauty&Pharma sectors predict a 7% growth. Online retail penetration in the product sector hits 11.2%, up 0.5% from 2024. Italian eCommerce companies with websites have grown by 3.4% to 91,000, with a marked increase in capital companies by 8.5%. Lombardy, Lazio, and Campania lead in distribution, with Milan, Rome, and Naples as main hubs. In 2025, 35.2 million Italians shop online, an increase of 1.5 million from the previous year, with 89% of transactions happening at the time of order, and Digital Wallets (30.8%) and credit cards (26.4%) as preferred payment methods.