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March 25, 2025

65 posts

Virtuoso 2025 Continental Europe Forum highlights strategic focus

🏕 At the 2025 Continental Europe Forum, Virtuoso, a leader in luxury travel, showcased its 239% sales increase over 2019, with hotel sales at the forefront. Future bookings for 2025 and 2026 are up over 30%, with high-end and premium cruise bookings increasing by 51% and 49%, respectively. Slovenia saw a 473% surge in popularity among cooler European destinations. Virtuoso also introduced marketing tools, like the Social Media Content Centre, and enhanced hotel program amenities, resulting in up to 50% more revenue for participating properties.
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Ban on parity clauses leaves Booking.com cold

🏨 In Switzerland, despite the Lex Booking law enacted in 2023 to ban parity clauses, hotels still struggle with OTA dominance. As of 2025, 60% of bookings are direct, chiefly aiding small, rural hotels, while OTA bookings rose from 27% to 36%, notably in larger hotels. Hotel profits suffer due to OTA commissions between 12-20%, with ongoing issues of restricted customer data access and non-transparent OTA discount strategies. OTAs also engage in undercutting practices, challenging hotel revenues.
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  • 2 min

Dear tourists: Do not come

🚩 Majorca, Mar 25, 2025: Local groups, including SOS Residents, call for tourists to avoid the island amidst a 32% population surge over two decades, housing crises, and overstressed infrastructure. Despite a new Sustainable Tourism Tax, Majorca faces a record 20 million visitors in 2025. Campaigners urge for tourist caps and curbs on foreign property investment as quality of life for locals deteriorates, with some living in caravans or departing the island due to housing shortages and high living costs.
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  • 2 min

How the travel industry can help solve overtourism

🏖 On Mar 25, 2025, travel industry stakeholders, including companies like Booking.com and Wyndham, are acknowledged for their role in alleviating overtourism by shaping traveler behavior. Key approaches include offering sustainable options, promoting less-known destinations, enforcing visitor limits, and educating about off-peak travel. Collaboration among travelers, businesses, governments, and destinations is emphasized as essential in addressing overtourism. Government policies alone, such as Venice's entry restrictions, may not suffice without significant costs to deter visitors.
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  • 2 min

Inside the rise of female solo travel

🗺 Female solo travel has seen an 800% increase in searches, with 60% of WeRoad travelers now being women. As of Mar 25, 2025, the travel industry has evolved, offering women-only accommodations, guided tours, and online safety resources. Influencers like Kyra-Mae Turner boost the movement through social media. Despite the rise in solo travel, common sense and safety practices are still crucial for female travelers.
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