Fusion & Acquisition

🏀 France's basketball team lost to the USA led by NBA star Stephen Curry, who made four three-pointers in two minutes. McDonald's France humorously contemplated removing their curry sauce for "at least four years" in an Instagram post following the defeat. The joke garnered around 30,000 likes and CNN confirmed it was in jest referencing Saturday's game. Ironically, the curry sauce was already replaced by szechuan sauce ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

💰 Founders Kevin Cohen, Julien Madar, and Joffrey Ichbia announced that Indian giant Oyo, supported by Softbank with over 17,000 hotels worldwide, acquired Checkmyguest. The company valuation is close to €100 million.

🍽 In California, the Michelin Guide's latest release on August 5 highlighted seven new 1-star and three new 2-star restaurants, with Aubergine in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Sons & Daughters in San Francisco, and Vespertine in Culver City each earning 2 stars, and Vespertine also receiving a Green Star. The state now boasts 84 starred restaurants, including six 3-star, thirteen 2-star, sixty-six 1-star, and sixteen Green Stars. Ten more establishments have been added to the Bib Gourmand list, totaling 132, and the 2024 selection features 577 establishments offering 60 different styles of cuisine.

🌍 Overcrowded beaches, streets, and long queues at tourist attractions are signs of overtourism. Despite rising travel costs, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicts record tourism for the season. McKinsey found that 66% of travelers are more inclined to travel now than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Overtourism is driven by the increasing demand for travel and the limited capacity of popular destinations. Lucerne, Switzerland, faces high volumes of day tourists, causing traffic jams without economic benefits of longer stays. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok contribute to overtourism, as seen in Hallstatt, Austria, which saw about 145,000 overnight stays last year. Travelers are avoiding popular destinations due to overcrowding, commercialization, and poor maintenance. Concerns over overtourism affect 61% in Spain, 49% in France, and 46% in Italy. Alternatives include traveling during the off-season or choosing less crowded destinations, as shown by a 2.2% and 3.0% increase in off-season tourist arrivals in Spain's Balearic Islands between 2016 and 2023. Valencia, Spain, saw a 9.8% increase in tourists in 2023 compared to 2019, particularly from January to April, with a 29.4% increase from 2019 to 2024.

Le groupe Lavorel renforce sa position à Lyon-Décines avec l'acquisition de la LDLC Arena pour 160 millions d'euros, site où le groupe opère déjà un Kopster Hotel et détient un partenariat exclusif jusqu'en décembre 2026, promettant des synergies entre l'hôtellerie et l'événementiel. [[[POST_SCORE: +3.5]]].