News & Stories
Shanghai. Today the first ITB China is closing its doors. The premiere of the new travel fair in Shanghai obviously was a great success – the event was already fully booked three months in advance, as reported. From Europe, TUI Group took the opportunity to announce its plans for China.
Frankfurt/Main. Protectionism, political instability and protests have an influence on real estate-economic business models, all over the world. Especially Trump has caused great anxiety among investors. Nonetheless, stones remain high in the favour of the investors. This is especially true of hotel properties in Germany, as became apparent at the "Urban Leader Summit" in Frankfurt recently. On the other hand, hotel insiders were criticising the dependency on investors as well as the jumble of operators, and they see signs of a bubble.
Rome. Just in time before a promising summer season, Alitalia is financially touching down – and giving Italian hoteliers reason to worry. The airline has just been put under temporary receivership. After this, the carrier will be sold or will finally declare itself insolvent. Or even earlier if it runs out of money. This will definitely hurt tourism.
Salzburg. So far, the winter in Austria has recorded a loss in overnight stays. Nevertheless, it was the fifth most successful winter in the historical comparison. But the resort hotel industry is currently better off than the city hotel industry, which is unable to compensate the tax increase, amongst other things.
Dubai. For a year already, Dubai has been the first of the world's countries to introduce a state "Minister of Happiness". Ohood Al Roumi is the name of the woman with the nice voice who tells everyone her story on board an Emirates flight. Dubai itself tells a somewhat different story – one of an oversupply of rooms, falling revenues, personnel cuts and of a new 5% VAT rate, set to be introduced in 2018. Because 2017 again began positively, the short-term memory of Dubai's citizens again appears to select out the bad news. The news from the world of superlatives doesn't stop: theme parks, water shows, the new opera and the launch of the first passenger drones...
Alexandria, Virginia. The modern business traveler is concerned – about his personal safety. Corporate travelers simply request more security, a survey revealed. It has become a top priority in a short time.
Paris. Last Thursday, Paris was once again the scene of violence. A man who hated police forces, shot dead a police officer and injured two others on the iconic Avenue des Champs Elysées. Potential links to Islamic State are still being investigated. Hoteliers are worrying about the summer season although there have been no booking cancellations so far. Are tourists becoming resilient to terrorism?
Palma. Hotelbeds Group, a global bedbank and business-to-business provider of services to the travel industry, has announced plans for GTA to join its Bedbank business unit.
Dubai. Once more, building cranes prevent nice pictures of the changed skyline, and again, people get stuck in traffic jams. After the first day in Dubai, you know one thing: the city is still booming. It is heading on to the next mega event at top speed: EXPO 2020. Only three years to go. And that is why there was a strange mood at this week's "Arabian Travel Market", which switched between total optimism and noticeable nervousness. The hotel construction boom goes on and on, and operators have already dropped 2016 as a poor year. The first quarter 2017 was brilliant again, after all. These hoteliers consider the glass half full. But for many others, it is half empty.
Milan. The phrase Albergo Diffuso originated in 1982 in Carnia, within a technical working group whose aim was to restore small centres, which were destroyed by the earthquake devastating the area in 1976. Successively the model has been engineered by Giancarlo Dall'Ara, consultant and tourism marketing expert, and was recognized for the first time by the Sardinian region with a specific law in 1998. Other regions then followed, adding definitions of Albergo Diffuso endowing it with the same dignity of more traditional forms of hospitality, such as bed and breakfast, hotels, rural farmhouses, chalets, etc. Today, market leader Sextantio can charge 2,000 euros per night in its top Albergo Diffuso.