Giuridico e Amministrativo

🏖️ In the Visa Travellers Survey 2024, 77% of Italians prefer to vacation domestically over the next 12 months, 49% choose European destinations like Spain and France, and only 22% are looking at intercontinental travels. The estimated per capita budget for stays is €1,053 within Italy, €1,323 for Europe, and €2,719 for non-EU countries. Digital payments are preferred by 60% of respondents, citing convenience (69%), security (47%), and speed (44%) as main advantages. Bea Larregle, Visa Regional Managing Director, emphasizes digital payments' vital role in tourism.

🏖️ Gianluca Caramanna, national head of the Tourism department for FdI and advisor to the Minister of Tourism, highlighted the importance of luxury tourism for Italy, noting its growth not just in cities but also in historical residences, agritourisms, and mountain areas. In the last year, 55% of tourists in Italy were foreigners, partly due to high-quality non-hotel accommodations. The government is introducing the CIN (Identification Code for short rentals) to combat illegal rentals, set to start in September, currently in trial in Puglia, Sicily, and other regions. Caramanna also mentioned three main policy areas for the Meloni government: beach resorts, short-term rentals with the new CIN regulation, and travel agencies, with ongoing discussions and a task force for shared solutions.

🏖️ Gianluca Caramanna, responsible for the National Tourism department of FdI and advisor to Italy's Minister of Tourism, aims to place Italy among the top three global travel destinations. The Italian government values tourism's economic impact over visitor numbers, focusing on quality tourism that enhances the economy. Efforts include battling unauthorized services in tourism, and promoting slow, proximity tourism post-Covid. The imminent Jubilee and "Roma Caput Mundi" funds (€500 million) are expected to boost religious tourism significantly.

🛸 Paris airport workers' unions canceled a strike planned for today, 9 days before the start of the Olympic Games, following an agreement with Aeroporti di Parigi (Adp). The unions had demanded extra pay for the increased workload due to the Olympics, from July 26 to August 11, and the Paralympics, from August 28 to September 8. Adp, which employs 570,000 people across Charles de Gaulle-Roissy, Orly, and Le Bourget airports, agreed to certain economic incentives. Paris expects 15.3 million visitors for the Games, with 90% being French, half from the Île de France region.

🛫 Paris airport workers' unions called off a strike planned for today after reaching an agreement with Aeroports de Paris (Adp) just 9 days before the Olympics. The dispute was over "extra pay" due to increased workload for the upcoming Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11) and Paralympics (August 28-September 8). Adp, employing 570,000 people across Charles de Gaulle-Roissy, Orly, and Le Bourget airports, agreed to certain financial incentives. Paris expects 15.3 million visitors for the Games, 90% being domestic, half from the Île de France region.

💰 In Italy, the 2023 fiscal calendar shifted the tax payment deadlines from June 30 to July 1 due to the former falling on a Sunday. Travel agencies and tour operators face a congested period with the usual monthly VAT and withholding payments due on the 16th, combined with income tax balance payments for 2023 and the first 2024 advance payment due on July 31. The newly introduced Biennial Preventive Agreement alters the deadline for eligible parties to the month's end. Italian tax authorities are accelerating compliance document issuance, including presumed undeclared POS earnings alerts, to manage the August break. Adjusting the fiscal year-end to September 30 or August 31 could help companies avoid summer tax bottlenecks.

📃 FTI Voyages, subsidiary of German-based FTI Touristik, is now in administrative liquidation as declared by the Strasbourg court, with the sale open until July 22 but no buyers emerging. The company proactively canceled all bookings up to 2025, affecting thousands of clients, as confirmed by General Manager Ludovic Rigel. Bookings made via agencies with full or partial payments for GDS-based or low-cost flights packages are not canceled.

📍 Iberia has updated their seat selection policy, now allowing customers to change their seat at no extra cost using the airline's website or app. The new rule requires changes to be made to seats of the same or lower value; for upgrades, full fare applies. The unlimited changes also apply to Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, and Level flights.

🏖️ Italy's Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè addresses overtourism and short-term rentals, highlighting the Meloni Government's efforts to regulate these issues. No specific dates or numbers provided. Measures cited include a database for accommodation facilities, regulations for tour guides, support for lesser-known destinations, and sustainability initiatives.

💸 Lufthansa, responding to downward earnings revisions and an anticipated negative second quarter, initiates immediate cost-cutting measures including a 25% reduction in administrative material expenses, a 10% cut in marketing expenses, and a hiring freeze on vacant positions with a reduction of vacation days until the end of the year. CEO Jens Ritter outlined the areas affected in a letter to employees, citing stagnant ticket prices, a slow recovery in business travel, and increased personnel costs due to contract renewals. Further measures may follow.