Agustina Arena

Spain, a global tourism powerhouse… and the challenge ahead Spain has just consolidated its position as the 2nd most visited country in the world, with 83.7 million visitors in 2024, only behind France and ahead of giants such as the U.S. and China. This is a huge achievement and great news for our economy, as tourism accounts for between 12% and 13% of the national GDP. But, as with every major success, it also comes with a challenge. When such a significant part of the economy relies on a single sector, we run the risk of it becoming our Achilles’ heel. The key is to transform this tourism leadership into a real improvement in wages, which have been stagnant for years and place us at the bottom of the EU. This is where, in my view, robotics and artificial intelligence can be our greatest allies: - Enhancing productivity and service quality in tourism. - Creating a new tech industry where Spain is not yet a relevant player. - Raising wages and diversifying the economy. If we can combine our tourism leadership with innovation and technology, we won’t just maintain this position, we’ll turn it into a springboard for Spain’s economic future. #TurismoEspaña #InnovaciónTurística #EconomíaSostenible #IAyRobótica #FuturoEconómico

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What Hoteliers Should Know: Travel is no longer a break, it’s a mirror. Last week, I had a few eye-opening chats with hoteliers in the booming Comporta, Portugal, a destination that’s evolving fast but still deeply rooted in nature and slow luxury. What stood out? They’re not just asking how to host, but how to transform. After years of designing wellness-driven experiences and translating my customer engagement and journey expertise from the boutique fitness industry into hospitality, I’ve been speaking with GMs across regions and seeing a clear pattern emerge: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹. What I’m experiencing firsthand: › Wellbeing, food, and identity alignment are now primary decision drivers. › Bleisure and lifestyle-led itineraries are growing fast. › Tech-enabled personalization is moving from “nice-to-have” to baseline. So what does this mean for forward-thinking hoteliers? 1. Wellness is moving from amenity to ethos. It’s not about spas, it’s about energy, recovery, and purpose. 2. Rooms must flex. For work, reconnection, and rejuvenation. Space is now functionally emotional. 3. Personalization is the new luxury. Guests want to feel anticipated, not just accommodated. 4. Your property is a stage for transformation. The more you support their personal journey, the deeper the loyalty. The future of hospitality isn’t just about better beds or beautiful architecture; it’s about aligning with who your guest wants to become. Curious how to embed more wellness and transformation into your hotel journey? DM me, happy to share what’s working. #Longevity #HospitalityInnovation #WellnessTravel #HotelStrategy #Bleisure #LuxuryTrends #LongevityEconomy

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“Not enough waiters in Spain” “Italy scrambles for seasonal staff” “Croatia faces service delays due to staff shortages” 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄. They are symptoms of a deeper, ongoing crisis in Southern Europe’s hospitality sector, a mix of acute labor shortages and extreme fragmentation that hits hardest during peak season. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 😓 Tourism booms in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, and Croatia during the summer. Great for the economy. Tough for hospitality operators. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! The supply? Unreliable and disconnected. Every summer, restaurants, cafés, and hotels rush to find workers, but it is often: ⚠️ Too late ⚠️ Too slow ⚠️ Too competitive 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼: ❌ Overworked staff ❌ Lower service quality ❌ Lost revenue & frustrated customers And yet, the cycle repeats year after year! 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: A Real Problem 🧩 More than 90 percent of hospitality businesses in Southern Europe are small, independent, or family-run. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: ⛔ No dedicated HR teams ⛔ Outdated hiring methods ⛔ Word-of-mouth, Facebook posts, handwritten signs 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁. Most digital tools are made for large hotel chains, not for a local taverna in #Puglia or a beach bar in #Split. 𝗦𝗼 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲? 🔧 We do not need more generic job boards! We need solutions made for this industry reality 👇 ✅ Centralized talent platforms designed for all operators ✅ Fast, affordable candidate verification ✅ Cross-border recruitment pipelines to access wider talent pools ✅ Simple, intuitive tech adoption for non-digital-native users We are working actively on a solution to change the way companies hire, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲? #Digitalization #Scaling #Hospitality #Hiring #Solution

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