Fusioni & Acquisizioni

⛷ Over 250,000 people visited Friuli Venezia Giulia's six ski resorts during the holidays, a 34% increase from the previous year. From December 23 to January 6, there were 250,597 first entries, up from 187,075 last season. Piancavallo saw a 61.3% rise in visitors, while Tarvisio led with 85,581, a 49% increase from 2023/24. Visitors came from Veneto, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

🏖️ Tui Group, under CEO Sebastian Ebel, evolves its business model focusing on strengthening and diversifying its travel package offerings. Aiming for full transformation towards a functional integrated market, it seeks to increase international presence and profit margins. A new unit targets growth in Eastern Europe, America, and Asia, adapting to global consumer travel trends with activities ranging from river cruises to tours.

📍 Hahnair welcomed 18 new carriers in 2025, expanding its network to over 350 airline partners globally. Travel agencies worldwide can now issue flights from these new partners with Hahnair's HR-169 ticket. Additionally, the company secured 12 more airline contract signatures currently in implementation. Seven new partner airlines have interline agreements available with their IATA codes on major GDSs, while the remaining 11 are classified as H1-Air or X1-Air products. New partners include carriers from Mongolia, USA, Hong Kong, Egypt, Peru, France, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Thailand, the Antilles, Denmark, Hungary, Netherlands, Costa Rica, UAE, Bhutan, Panama, and the Philippines.

🚂 Trenord saw a 7% increase in daily passengers in 2024 compared to 2023, from 713,000 to 762,000, with over 200 million journeys. Regio Express and Regional lines marked the highest growth, with over 9% increase, carrying 371,000 passengers daily. Suburban lines experienced a 4% rise on weekdays, reaching 356,000 passengers, while the Malpensa Express saw 35,000 daily movements. The S5 Varese-Milano Passante-Treviglio was the busiest suburban line with 58,000 weekday users, a 4% increase. The most popular RegioExpress was Milano-Brescia-Verona with 36,000 daily passengers (+10%). Regional lines peaked with Milano Cadorna-Saronno-Varese Nord at 29,000 (+11%). Saturdays and holidays surpassed pre-Covid figures, with a 19.7% and 16.8% increase, respectively.

🏕 MSC, through its Explora brand, is seeking to improve its presence in the luxury cruise market, as CEO Gianni Onorato acknowledges the company isn't as prominent as it should be. Onorato notes the challenge in Southern Europe, contrasting with more seasoned luxury cruise markets like the USA and Great Britain. MSC aims to design purely luxury itineraries to gain traction in this sector, encouraging Italian advs to favor the MSC brand, with optimism for significant satisfaction by 2025.

🏨 Velox Group, a national leader in hotel services, marks its 35th anniversary in 2025 and aims to exceed €100 million revenue in six years. In 2024, the company reported €65 million in revenue. The annual convention is set for January 10 at the Muraless Art Hotel, owned by Velox Group and part of BWH Hotels' WorldHotels Crafted brand. President Gianmaria Villa will outline new goals at the event, celebrating both the anniversary and significant achievements, emphasizing quality services and sustainable growth. Velox Group's expansion includes Velox Egitto in Cairo and Velox Hotellerie in Perugia, enhancing operational effectiveness and consolidating its leadership in outsourcing and hotel housekeeping.

🏨 Aldiana, the hotel division of Dertur, acquires Labranda Rocca Nettuno Tropea in Calabria, expanding Fti Group's offerings, which include the newly acquired Club Aldiana Andalucía. The Calabrian hotel features 290 rooms, a pool, restaurants, a beach bar, an open-air theater, and sports facilities. In 2023, Aldiana Club Side Beach opened in Turkey, while Aldiana Club Ampflwang and Fuerteventura were acquired. Aldiana Club Zanzibar Kwanza opened in November 2024, with further openings planned in Austria and Egypt.

🛫 Qatar Airways resumes three weekly flights to Damascus, Syria, starting January 7, 2025, after a hiatus due to mid-December political events. The airline's commitment to enhancing regional connectivity and passenger demand is the impetus for the resumption. Close coordination with authorities ensures necessary safety, security, and operational standards are met, as announced by CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of Damascus.

📈 In Italy, 770,000 jobs will be created in 2023, with two-thirds aimed at covering turnover, according to Excelsior Unioncamere. Sectors such as logistics, retail and wholesale trade, accommodation and food services, construction, and industry, highlighted by Adecco, are leading in hiring. The travel sector is particularly experiencing a high labor demand post-pandemic, indicating a significant 'mismatch' between job supply and demand.

🏖️ Toscana's tourism in 2024 marked a 2.2% increase in visitors, surpassing 46.8 million overnight stays and 15.1 million arrivals, with foreigners accounting for 57% (over 26.6 million nights). Hotels experienced a 2.4% rise, while other accommodations saw a 2.1% growth. However, for the first quarter of 2025, only 11% of Tuscan operators expect an increase in tourism, 65% foresee consistent volumes, and 23% anticipate a decrease. A dip of 1.9 percentage points in bookings compared to last year was noted, with weakened domestic demand and a slow down from key foreign markets. President Eugenio Giani highlighted global economic uncertainty and European economy downturns but noted Tuscany's appeal and positive signals from non-European countries.