TOP NEWS

🏩 Gruppo UNA, now UNA Italian Hospitality, rebrands to emphasize authentic Italian hospitality. The group's 66% revenue comes from international guests. Collections split into 20 upper-upscale "UNA Esperienze" and versatile "UNA Hotels". New website launched for enhanced user experience. Financials: 7% revenue increase in 2024 over 2023, occupancy over 76%, growth in ADR and RevPAR. Italian hotel market set to expand with 25,000 new chain hotel rooms by 2025, possibly surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

🏢 The Tax Free market in Italy saw a 20% growth with a CAGR of 6.6% from 2019-2024. The USA leads Tax Free spending in Italy at 25%, followed by China (11%) and Gulf countries (10%). (U)HNWIs, making up 3% of shoppers, account for 30% of Italy's Tax Free expenditure. Italy welcomed approximately 152 million travelers in 2024, with international tourist inflows rising about 3% compared to 2023. Italy's offline retail market is valued at 240 billion euros, with 53 billion euros in sectors such as Fashion, Perfumes, Shoes, Leather, and Jewelry. In 2024, Milan confirmed Italy as a top EU shopping destination, with Tax Free spending by non-EU visitors growing 15%, influenced by the new 70 euro minimum spending threshold. Key growth was seen from Turkish (+39%) and Chinese (+35%) shoppers. Ready-to-wear accounted for 34% of spending, with an average spend per shopper of 1,200 euros. Global Blue's "Trend&Insight 2025" event, hosted in Milan on March 25, 2025, in partnership with Fashion Magazine, highlighted these insights.

🏨 Gruppo UNA rebrands to UNA Italian Hospitality to strengthen its position as a symbol of authentic Italian hospitality. Amid rumors of a possible sale by Unipol, the company focuses on two collections: UNA Esperienze (upper-upscale) and UNA Hotels (upscale). CEO Giorgio Marchegiani highlights the group's growth, with two-thirds of revenue from international guests. A revamped website, www.unaitalianhospitality.com, developed with Unipol's Digital Experience team, features improved booking and enhanced MICE segment interaction. Financially, the group saw a 7% revenue increase in 2024 over 2023, EBITDA growth, over 76% occupancy, and higher ADR and RevPAR year-over-year.

🏠 International visitors' spending in Italy represents a key growth factor for the domestic offline retail market, with one in five purchases (worth 240 billion euros total) made by foreign travel shoppers, who demonstrate a higher economic vitality than domestic consumers (+5.6% for Europeans, +3% for non-Europeans, vs. 0.4% for Italians). These travelers favor discretionary shopping in sectors like fashion & clothing (24 billion euros), perfume & cosmetics (11 billion), leather goods & bags (7 billion), and watches & jewelry (6 billion). In 2024, excluding accommodation costs, tourists' total spending is estimated at approximately 54 billion euros, a 5% increase from 2023, with 26% attributed to shopping, up by 10.6% from 2023. There's a significant correlation between tourism influx, shopping expenditure, and Italian exports, exemplified by the 30% of fashion & clothing exports to the US, corresponding to 48% of targeted spending in Italy by American tourists.

📈 Belinda Coccia, Commercial Director at Futura Vacanze, reflects on the company's performance, which mirrors the trends of 2024, with excellent early 2025 results boosted by early booking strategies. A slowdown followed, except for the Red Sea region where Egypt showed surprising numbers. Futura Vacanze's 2025 target includes a 30% revenue share from foreign markets, aiming to double revenues from Egypt compared to 2024. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, the company crossed a revenue threshold of over 100 million euros, envisioning a significant growth over the next five years and strengthening its management team. ????

📈 Adalte reports significant growth in early 2025, with bookings through its platform in January and February equaling half of all 2024 bookings. CEO Davide Galleri highlights partner growth. Since January, 27 new tour operators from 10 countries have joined, mainly using Community.Travel tools. South America leads in new active channels, notably Argentina and Mexico. The Italian market remains a focus, with Imperatore Travel, a renowned Italian brand, newly collaborating with Adalte. Tania Patalano, CPO of Imperatore Travel, anticipates increased bookings and customer base expansion through this partnership.

🐶 Club del Sole acquires Roseto degli Abruzzi Easy Camping Village in Abruzzo, showcasing a strong dog-friendly approach, designed with Dog-in Dog-out for exclusive pet services, including a Dog Pool and Dog Spray Park. The operator now totals 27 villages across 8 Italian regions, offering over 9,000 housing solutions. CEO Francesco Giondi highlights a broader development plan with 7 new facilities since 2024 and ongoing investments, aiming to provide nature, comfort, and freedom year-round.

🏡 Castelfalfi, a Tuscan resort managed by Roberto Protezione, earned its first entry into the Forbes Star Awards 2025 with a five-star rating. Key to their success is investment in quality, standards, and personnel, citing a 100% staff retention in some departments. The resort introduced the 650 square meter event space Aria and renovated Il Rosmarino restaurant, opened Ricci suites in November 2024, and invested heavily in its spa, including staff training in Thailand. Target markets in 2025 include South America, Canada, the UK, Australia, and the USA, with Indian ownership contributing to its success.

🏦 International visitors in Italy spent 240 billion euros, with one in five purchases made by foreign travel shoppers. The report by Global Blue and Deloitte, "Travelers' Retail Market Italy," shows foreign travelers to Italy demonstrate higher economic vitality (+5.6% Europeans, +3% non-Europeans) compared to local demand (+0.4% Italians), particularly in discretionary shopping: 24 billion euros in fashion & clothing, 11 billion in perfume & cosmetics, 7 billion in leather goods & bags, and 6 billion in watches & jewelry. In 2024, international tourists' total spending in Italy, excluding accommodation, is estimated at 54 billion euros, a 5% increase from 2023. Shopping accounts for 26% of this spending, up 10.6% from 2023. The correlation between tourism, shopping, and Italian exports is notable, with 30% of fashion & clothing exports to the USA corresponding to 48% of targeted spending by American tourists in Italy.

🏘 Outdoor hospitality spaces blur the indoor-outdoor divide, providing all-season comfort with bioclimatic pergolas, mood lighting, and high-tech surfaces. Wellness areas feature integrated pools and spas. Pratic's Opera bioclimatic design evolves with Set, a modular deck that compensates for ground unevenness, customizable with any outdoor flooring. Its adjustable slats (0-140 degrees) ensure sustainable comfort, and Glass Series panoramic windows protect from elements, making spaces welcoming year-round.