Giuridico e Amministrativo

🏡 Valencia sets a 2% cap on tourist apartment rentals within each district to preserve the residential nature of the city. The new regulation will block new licenses in areas like Ciutat Vella or Cabanyal, where the limit has been exceeded. The bureaucratic process for the rule might begin as early as next Friday, despite opposition's dissent.

🌍 Volonline Tour Operator boosts Africa travel following a successful 2024, with strong bookings for 2025, particularly for Namibia and South Africa. Angelo Cangemi highlights dry season travel and nearly 250 online itineraries. Clients include honeymooners, families, and youth. A strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines enhances connectivity and affordability. Ombretta Michieli mentions collaborating with South African Tourism Office and offers travel agent events across key Italian cities. Tours combine African destinations with Indian Ocean islands, with Kenya and Tanzania also offered as standalone destinations.

🌿 Italea, a project of Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched in 2024, aims to foster the return of Italian emigrants and their descendants, as part of the 2024 "Anno delle Radici Italiane nel Mondo" under the Pnrr project, backed by NextGenerationEU funding. In 2024, travelers of 'root tourism' spent approximately €5 billion, with expectations to reach €5.5 billion by 2026. Last year, arrivals for 'visiting the place of origin' exceeded 6.6 million, a 6.2% increase over early year predictions, generating about 34.4 million tourist stays. This form of tourism highlights areas often overlooked by mainstream Italian tourist routes, promoting sustainable tourism in regions affected by low growth and depopulation, from where 95% of Italian emigration originated.

✈ Air Transat announced its direct summer flight plan from Italy to Canada, offering up to 19 weekly flights during peak season. Starting April 19 with Rome-Montréal becoming daily from June 15. Rome-Toronto begins May 2, daily from June 9. Venice-Toronto launches May 3, Venice-Montréal on May 5, and Lamezia-Toronto on June 12. Air Transat has operated in Italy for 37 years, offering direct flights from Rome Fiumicino, Venice Marco Polo, and Lamezia Terme to Toronto and Montréal, plus connections to Lima, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Florida, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Tiziana Della Serra, Rephouse's managing director and head of sales & marketing, highlights Air Transat's long-standing collaboration with Italian trade and operators.

🛫 Lufthansa acquires 10% of Air Baltic with a €14 million investment and will finalize the deal in Q2 2025, subject to EU Antitrust approval. The German airline also secures a seat on Air Baltic's board, strengthening their existing partnership. Previously, Lufthansa took over Ita Airways and surpassed Air France-KLM for a 20% stake in Air Europa.

🌊 Celebrity Cruises orders 10 river cruise ships, accepting bookings this year for cruises starting 2027. President Jason Liberty of Royal Caribbean Group cites half of their guests are interested in river cruising. Laura Hodges Bethge, Celebrity President, aims to redefine sea travel with high-quality hospitality and authentic itineraries. This move is expected to enhance customer engagement and loyalty within their vacation offerings ecosystem.

💸 Wizz Air, a low-cost airline, revised its net profit forecast downwards for the second time for the fiscal year ending March, now expecting between €250-300 million instead of the initially anticipated €350-450 million. High costs and unresolved Pratt & Whitney engine issues on its A321neo fleet, which grounded 20% of the planes, influenced the adjustment. Subsequently, Wizz Air's stock dropped 12 points on the London Stock Exchange after a third-quarter loss of €241.1 million compared to €105.4 million in the same period in 2023. CEO Jozsef Varadi remains optimistic about the company's growth capacity.

🌊 Google Maps, following a U.S. executive order by President Donald Trump, will rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America for U.S. users. Globally, the area will be recognized by both names, while in Mexico it will remain Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, Alaska's highest peak will be called Mount McKinley in the U.S. Changes reflect government official updates, as stated by Mountain View's giant in a post on X.

🏆 Italy announces its first national tour guide competition today at 18:00, with applications open until February 27. Over 4,000 candidates expected to participate. Entry requirements include a secondary education diploma and a €10 fee. The competition involves three stages: a written exam with 80 multiple-choice questions, an oral test requiring knowledge of a foreign language, and a practical test of conducting a guided tour. Successful candidates will join the existing list of 10,000+ accredited guides.

✈ Air Europa and Sas signed a codeshare agreement at Fitur in Madrid, linking Spain to Scandinavia. Air Europa will add its code to flights between Madrid and Copenhagen and connections from Copenhagen to Aarhus, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Bergen. Sas will code-share on Air Europa flights to Spanish destinations including La Coruña, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife Norte, Vigo, and to Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. The deal introduces 20 new routes, enhancing flight planning and service consistency for SkyTeam members. This summer, the agreement will also include Air Europa’s intercontinental routes to Marrakech, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and Salvador de Bahia.