Regulatory and Legal Affairs

📈 Brussels, 28 August 2025 – More than 15,000 European hotels have joined a collective lawsuit against Booking.com, alleging anti-competitive rate parity clauses. Supported by HOTREC and 30 national hotel associations, the action follows a European Court of Justice ruling on 19 September 2024. Majority participation came from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, and Austria. The lawsuit will be filed with the Amsterdam District Court by year-end, consolidating hotel data. Registration deadline is 29 August.

📈 Travel & Tourism contributes nearly $11 trillion to global GDP and supports 357 million jobs (2024). Governments collect over $3.3 trillion in tax revenues, accounting for nearly 10% of global tax income. Capping visitors in 11 major European cities could cost $245 billion in GDP and nearly 3 million jobs over three years. The WTTC suggests six steps for sustainable tourism growth, emphasizing organization, planning, evidence-based strategies, vigilance, investment in infrastructure, and resident empowerment. 🌍

📺 The Audiovisual Licensing Alliance (AVLA) settled copyright infringement with Britannia Hotels in Edinburgh's Court of Session. Britannia will now license all its UK hotels. AVLA represents audiovisual creatives, distributing most fees to rightsholders. Hotels must hold an AVLA license for TV access. Max Rumney highlights the importance of copyright compliance for supporting creators and ethical business practices. Non-compliance leads to legal and financial risks. AVLA urges unlicensed businesses to regularize to avoid these issues.

📈 UK, since October: The hospitality sector faced 89,000 job losses, over half of the UK's total cuts, as a consequence of NICs policy changes. This figure triples the initial forecast of 50,000 and represents a 4.1% workforce reduction, seven times the broader economic rate. UKHospitality, led by Kate Nicholls, urges the government to lower business rates, fix NICs, and cut VAT in the upcoming Budget to safeguard employment.

📑 By August 2025, Spain's short-term rental (STR) density decreased to 6.6 properties/km² from 6.8 in 2024. Notable declines occurred in Alicante (-1.2 points), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Pontevedra (-0.8 points). Alicante's density fell from 20 to 18.80 properties/km². Conversely, Malaga (+0.4 points), Seville (+0.5), and Girona (+0.1) saw increases. The national registry for rentals, implemented in July 2025, contributed to these changes, with Malaga reaching 19.31 properties/km².

📈 Outbound travel from the U.S. reached over 107 million departures in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. A 9% rise in inbound travel brought it to 72.4 million but still below pre-pandemic highs. A 2025 travel ban affects 19 countries, potentially costing $12.5 billion in international visitor spending. Challenges include stringent entry restrictions and labor shortages. Brand USA funding drops from $100 million to $20 million, while investments in infrastructure and AI continue.

💵 Hotel companies face legal challenges against Booking.com over unfair rate clauses and high fees. Despite these disputes, frequent travelers still prefer OTAs. Why? Convenience. OTAs provide streamlined booking, extensive hotel options, loyalty rewards like Hotels.com’s “Stay 10 nights, get 1 free,” user-friendly interfaces, and reliable customer support. To regain direct bookings, hotels must improve tech, offer tangible perks (free breakfast, late check-out), and ensure simple rewards, enhancing value over OTAs.

🏠 Spain recently removed 60,000 apartments from the rental market to address housing concerns. In Las Vegas, short-term rentals under 30 days are banned, influenced by casino lobbying to curb competition. This affects property owners seeking to rent their assets, as digital platforms face increased scrutiny. The debate centers around balancing property rights against corporate interests, challenging the traditional practice of holiday rentals in the platform economy era.