Giuridico e Amministrativo

✈ Airports El Prat and Valencia in Spain ended 2024 at overcapacity, with El Prat handling over 55 million passengers, reaching its limit, and Valencia serving 10.8 million passengers, 300,000 more than its full capacity. Despite record passenger numbers, the expansion plans struggle to take off.

✈ Turkish Airlines resumes flights to Benghazi, Libya, starting January 14, 2025, adding to a total of 64 African destinations. The route operates until March 27, 2025, with three weekly frequencies on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday using B737-78D aircraft. CEO Bilal Eksi highlights historical ties and anticipates boosted tourism and trade potential in Africa.

🏖️ Travel Experts, a travel consultancy network with roots in Belgium and a partner of Virtuoso since 2007, has over 120 experts across four countries. In its original market alone, it generated 100 million euros last year and aims to reach 250 million euros in the next five years. CEO Mickey Creyf of Bts Travel Group, mentioned Italy's untapped upscale/luxury travel market potential, alongside expansion in Portugal, Sweden, and soon Eastern Europe. The first 20 Italian travel experts will be selected diversely, aiming for agents with high-profile clients and adept travel designers. The group offers competitive selling conditions with margins between 15-20%, no network joining fees, and a possible 300 euro contribution to the company's guarantee fund.

♈ Vueling connects 12 zodiac signs with travel personalities, recommending destinations like Gran Canaria for Aries; Catania for Taurus; Barcelona, its main hub, for Gemini; San Sebastián for Cancer; Paris for Leo; Copenhagen for Virgo; Palma de Mallorca for Libra; Tangier for Scorpio; Dublin for Sagittarius; Düsseldorf for Capricorn; London for Aquarius; and Amsterdam for Pisces, aiming to match their traits with the travel experience.

📌 Starting in 2025, Italy introduces a new tax system for short-term rentals (

🇨🇺 Biden Administration to remove Cuba from the state-sponsored terror list, a decision driven by the liberation of dozens of political prisoners, as reported by Ansa. Trump had re-added Cuba to the blacklist on January 11, 2021. The current U.S. administration claims no credible evidence of Cuba supporting international terrorism, leading also to a slight easing of economic pressure on the island.

🏖️ Ministero del Turismo of Italy has extended the deadline for applications to create and upgrade tourist rest areas by an additional week. As of now, 209 applications have been submitted and 905 are in the process of being filled out. The new deadline is set for 12:00 PM on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The funding available for this initiative is nearly 33 million euros.

🏖 Argo, the tourism and hospitality sector accelerator by CDP Venture Capital and the Italian Ministry of Tourism, targets startups bringing innovation to the digital, sustainable, and high-performing aspects of the industry. The third edition invites early-stage startups with innovative solutions across various tourism categories to apply by April 30, 2025. Selected startups will receive up to €75,000 in pre-seed investment and a possible grant of €25,000 from the Ministry. Previously, Argo accelerated 17 startups, raising €3.8 million and initiating over 30 industrial collaboration projects.

🌞 Zicaffè SpA, a family-owned Sicilian coffee roasting company founded in 1929, opposed Zara's trademark application for "Zacaffè" for its coffee shops on December 25, arguing it's too similar to their 1971 trademark. Zara, part of the Inditex group with €36 billion in revenue, applied for the trademark on October 7, 2024. The EUIPO will rule on potential trademark infringement and consumer confusion. This case highlights intellectual property challenges for family businesses against global corporations.

🍸 The "Remember the Maine" cocktail was added to the IBA's official list in early 2024. Charles H. Baker Jr. mentioned it in his 1939 book, having drunk it in 1933 in Havana amidst a revolution. The cocktail likely originated in the prohibition era at the Hotel Nacional's bar, frequented by Americans. It disappeared post-1960 with Hotel Nacional's closure but reemerged with mixology's renaissance. The IBA recipe includes 60 ml rye whiskey, 22.5 ml red vermouth, 15 ml cherry brandy, and 7.5 ml absinthe. A Scottish variant, "Remember the Annie Jane," substitutes with Highland Park 12-year whisky and drambuie.