Divers

🏖 Gîtes de France® sees a 3.5-point increase in year-end holiday bookings compared to previous year, with occupancy rates hitting 76% from December 21-28 and 77% from December 28 to January 4. The top winter destinations include Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin at 87% occupancy, followed by Vosges and Haute-Savoie at 81%, demonstrating the network's appeal for gatherings in diverse locales like countryside, seaside, and mountains.

💎 La Sivolière, an established hotel in Courchevel for over 50 years, introduces BĒNĒDICTE jewelry, merging vintage aesthetics with modern influences. The collection, embodying timeless elegance, debuts on December 5th, aiming to captivate La Sivolière's guests with unique pieces that highlight feminine beauty fitting all occasions. Florence Carcassonne emphasizes her commitment to offering clientele the finest in craftsmanship and style with this partnership.

🎱 Palm Angels and The Setai Miami Beach launched two distinct but complementary capsule collections in December 2019 to celebrate Palm Angels' 10th anniversary and The Setai's 20th anniversary. The Setai collection features Palm Angels' essentials in orange and black, reflecting the hotel's beach vibe. The Palm Angels boutique in Miami offers pieces in yellow and gray, including a bowling shirt and swim shorts. These collections are part of a yearly limited edition release since 2019.

🎉 On December 11, 2024, Skal International Côte d’Azur hosted its end-of-year event at La Maison de Bacon with President of Skal Budapest, Adrienne Tilli, and six club members attending. The evening highlighted the gastronomy of the region and featured renowned Château Demonpère wines, provided by Anne Chevenas-Paule. The event emphasized friendship and collaboration within the Skal community.

🚨 Sunwing removed 26 Cuban hotels from its portfolio due to quality issues and power supply problems reported by customers. Electrical outages in Cuba, affecting tourist areas like Varadero and Havana, disrupted visitor experiences, leading to holiday cancellations and postponements. Despite this, the majority of Sunwing's hotels were minimally affected, with some clients relocated to other accommodations. The situation has stabilized, and 100% of Cuban facilities are now powered again, as confirmed by the Cuba Tourist Board.

🌎 Nouvelle-Calédonie Tourisme launches a new campaign to revive tourism, promoting nature and rejuvenation in the Pacific. The campaign, titled "Nouvelle-Calédonie, nouveau départ!", parallels travelers' fresh start with the archipelago's recovery. Despite reduced traffic, local tourism providers remain active and eagerly anticipate new visitors. The campaign is part of a five-phase destination relaunch strategy, aiming to reassure travelers and revitalize the destination's image internationally.

🎄 In December 2024, the Office of Tourisme of Marseille offers free festive activities on 4 weekends (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th). Partners include Marseille Centre for guided tours, and bakery artisans for selling "pompes à huile" at €2 per slice, benefiting Soliane association for families of children with disabilities. The Christmas Market and Santon Fair are also featured on La Canebière and Vieux-Port, respectively.

🍕 In Istanbul on December 5th, Bereket Döner, a prominent Turkish cuisine brand, presented an academic study supporting Turkey's bid for EU recognition of the döner kebab as a traditional product. The study counters Germany's objections by providing historical evidence of the döner's deep roots in Turkish culture and history, referencing 16th-century mechanical designs by Takiyeddin Efendi and the ideas of Evliya Çelebi.

🚠 Uber, enhancing customer experience through immersive events, announced an immersive experience from December 6-22 for Notre-Dame's reopening. In the past year, Uber offered boat reservations in Mykonos, hot-air balloon flights in Turkey, and a luxury Coperni collaboration during Paris Fashion Week. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, they introduced "Uber Cruise" for Seine cruises and "Bubbles" for Champagne cellar tours. Uber France's GM Laureline Serieys highlighted the aim for quality experiences over mere commerce. The company doubled available French cities in two years and introduced services like Uber Reserve and Access for the mobility impaired. Experience-driven marketing differentiates Uber amid competition and supports their service diversification strategy.

💰 In 2023, the CPSTI's regional mediators saw a 110% increase in mediation requests, totaling over 8500 cases. Nearly 50% of these requests resulted in actual mediations. The surge is attributed to the Urssaf's resumed enforcement actions in February 2023. Requests often fail due to independent workers not taking preliminary steps with the concerned organizations. Mediations address Recouvrement, Maladie, and Retraite issues.