Tendenze del mercato

🏨 Marriott International's CEO Tony Capuano reveals a downturn in Chinese tourism post-Covid, with China's mainland RevPAR (revenue per available room) falling about 4 percentage points last quarter. China, being Marriott's second-largest market, prompts a 3-4 percentage point downward revision in annual RevPAR forecast, mainly due to mainland China's weaknesses.

🇬🇧 Talea Collection in Puglia is no longer impacted by the lack of Russian tourists, as Georgians and Poles become prominent guests, often traveling in large family groups seeking authentic experiences. The US market remains top for Talea, followed by UK and France, with cooking classes and boating outings as favored activities. Bookings are surging from South American countries, notably Argentina and Brazil, as well as from Australia and Canada, diversifying Talea's clientele.

✈️ Cagliari Airport, managed by Fabio Mereu, saw 2,890,747 passengers from January to July 2024, a 7% increase from 2023. The growth was spurred by national (+6.2%) and international (+9.3%) routes. July alone brought in over 600,000 travelers, a 5.1% rise from July 2023, setting a new record. The airport offered 81 routes, including 33 national and 48 international across 20 airlines, reaching 68 destinations in 19 countries.

✈ Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury predicts a greater role for Italy in the company's future, following a Covid-19 recovery and a production demand exceeding supply capabilities. Despite a reduced 2022 delivery goal from 800 to 770 aircraft, Airbus is ramping up production, with a target of 1,505 airplanes in two years, nearly meeting the initial 1,520 target. The Chinese Comac is emerging as a competitor, with the C919 jet using Western technologies like Cfm engines. Airbus supports 12,000 jobs in Italy and spent €600 million in the country last year, with projections to spend more this year.

💾 Motels in the United States are experiencing a resurgence, highlighted by the NY Times and La Repubblica. The Covid season has been pivotal, offering increased privacy for travelers. In their heyday in 1964, there were over 61,000 motels, now reduced to one-fifth but revitalized through social media, with design celebration pages garnering hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. About ten years ago, the count dropped to 12,000. Companies like Nomada Group have been modernizing motels, such as the Skyview in Los Angeles, purchased for nearly $2 million in 2016. Modern amenities include restaurants and unique designs, with examples in Saratoga Springs, Nantucket, Portland, New Orleans, Missouri's Ozark Mountains, Miami's Vagabond Hotel, and the Motel Inn in San Luis Obispo, dating back to 1925.

🏖 Rome leads European tourism growth with a 45.2% increase over the previous year, according to the City Travel Report by the City Destinations Alliance. Surpassing London (+32.1%) and Vienna (+30.6%), the Italian capital hit a record of 50 million tourist presences in 2023. In the first half of 2024, presences rose by 4.89% and arrivals by 6.5%, while average stays extended from 2.3 to 4 nights.

💸 Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) forecasts that business travel spending will hit $1.48 trillion by the end of 2024, surpassing the previous record of $1.43 trillion in 2019. By 2028, spending is expected to exceed $2 trillion. In 2023, the business travel sector regained approximately $675 billion of the $770 billion lost in 2020, reaching 93% of the pre-pandemic peak. The estimated breakdown of 2023's $1.34 trillion includes $501 billion on lodging, $282 billion on air travel, $245 billion on food and beverages, $165 billion on ground transportation, and $142 billion on other travel expenses. Rapid growth regions in 2023 are Asia-Pacific (36%), Western Europe (33%), and North America (25%). Financial and insurance activities may see the largest spending increase (72%) by 2028, while retail trade, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing are expected to grow the least (41% and 32%, respectively).

📝 Between December 8-19, 2023, Accor's commissioned OnePoll survey included 5,000 travelers from five European countries, focusing on those who stayed in a hotel or resort within the past 12 months. Results show that 97% of holidaymakers read previous guest reviews before booking, and 67% disregard reviews older than six months. In fact, guest reviews and ratings are the second most important factor after rooms and services in the booking decision-making process. Cleanliness is the top concern for 52% of respondents, followed by value for money (27%) and friendly staff (19%). Couples and families most value reviews, with 85% considering them crucial, while 66% of solo travelers and 55% of business travelers do the same. Around 57% of guests write reviews for at least half of their stays; women are more active than men in this regard (90% vs. 84%). Poles (95%) lead the way in frequent reviews, followed by Spaniards (94%), Germans (85%), and French (84%), with UK guests being the least likely (79%) to regularly leave reviews. Lastly, 71% appreciate when hotels respond to their comments, seeing it as an indication of good customer service.

🏖️ In Italy, a shortage of 135,000 seasonal workers affects businesses, particularly from July to September when more than 270,000 are needed in tourism, recreation, and beach resorts, with 204,000 in catering alone. Half of the companies cannot find the required labor. Luciano Sbraga of Fipe Confcommercio suggests improving work-life balance, training, and employee loyalty. Samantha Merlo of Uiltucs calls for wealth distribution and stable work scheduling.

💰 Air France-KLM reported a lower-than-expected Q2 result of €513 million (down 30%) in 2024, a €220 million drop from the previous year, due to increased costs and fuel prices. The Olympics had a negative impact, costing Air France an extra €40 million. CEO Ben Smith cited a challenging context for aviation with fuel price rises and cost pressures, leading to hiring freezes and cost reductions.