News & Stories

Tunis. Only three months after the attack at the Bardo museum in Tunis, which left 21 people dead, Tunisia is once again a victim of terrorism. Will Tunisian tourism survive the second despicable terrorist attack? Security has increased, and the government is already supporting the industry with specific measures.

Athens. The Greek financial crisis has a low impact on tourism… for now. Tourists are advised to take more cash, and bookings have started to slow down. A lot will depend on the next political steps.

Paris. As part of its strategy to reach the record number of 100 million foreign visitors by 2020, the French government announced last week in Paris, the creation of an investment fund worth hundreds of millions of euros exclusively dedicated to the tourism industry.

Milan. The announcement that the AccorHotels' distribution platform is now an open market place willing to list independent hoteliers is probably the news of the month in the European hospitality industry. Nevertheless, AccorHotels' plans are not limited to digital distribution, but still include ambitious developing projects. AccorHotels Italy has almost doubled its presence since 2007, and the group has identified a pool of 1,000 hotels attractive to the AccorHotels brands. Renzo Iorio, the Country CEO of AccorHotels Italy draws a 360-degree picture of the group's strategies in his home country. On one hand, it encourages the asset light move; on the other hand, the hotel group is looking for more investment opportunities. He criticizes the upcoming merger of Atahotels and UNA. Franchising remains a challenge.

Vienna. While the Austria National Tourist Office will be directing their focus on "Nature Reloaded" over the next two years, the unspoiled countryside lay in the background. The national tourism office has set its Strategy 2020 on three central spheres of activity.

Como. Currently, Italy's hoteliers are fighting against excessive taxes and fiscal injustice in their own country – as many of their colleagues are in Europe – and also against transnational OTAs and their terms as well as the Sharing Economy. The annual convention of the Italian hotel association Federalberghi clearly reflected the hoteliers' discontent. For them, there is still no silver lining on the horizon in a country, which is shaken economically and politically. The industry's performance figures from January until April are meagre. Against this backdrop, the reactions are understandable, but does it help? At least, the industry is now showing some self-criticism.

Dubai. From Egypt to the UAE: Tourism in the Middle East experiences a strong growth. Facts and figures from several countries attending the "Arabian Travel Market" Dubai in May give an overview of the development plans for the region's tourism infrastructure.

Dubai. The addiction to superlatives can hardly be stopped in Dubai and in the emirates as well as in other countries. Even if there is now more frequent talk of economy and midscale hotels, investors still prefer to flirt with the Upscale and likewise prefer to do so with the chains; and the wink back: Accor is even expanding its serviced apartment brand there in the premium segment. In Europe, they are reducing the product to Budget instead. However, this is only one example. Fundamentally, nothing goes in Dubai without – vast amounts of – hotels. Ultimately, the chains also have a brand ready for every theme park, district or complex. Although the prices have come under pressure in the meantime, the occupancy numbers are still allowing for the dollar signs to shine in the eyes of the operators and investors.

Dubai. Tourists from GCC countries spend more money than many other tourists. Exhibitors at ATM Dubai in May published facts and figures about the growing influence GCC travelers and presented their services, e.g. Halal food in Croatia.

Frankfurt. MICE planners still favor the destination Germany, requests from abroad grow. But: In some segments the German MICE providers show deficits, particularly free WLAN needs optimization. But the figures speak for itself: In 2014, more than 383 million people overall participated in meetings in Germany, representing a 3.3 percent growth over 2013 and the sixth year of consecutive growth. A new record. Additionally, 3.04 million conferences, meetings and events took place in Germany in 2014, up one percent. The latest developments revealed at IMEX which took place in Frankfurt this week.