Travel agencies raise the level of income despite the fact that the rise in prices puts pressure on reservations

Travel agencies will bookmark 2025 as a positive exercise for their business given the good performance of tourism, both on the sending and receiving sides. This is summarized in the balance presented this Thursday by the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), where eight out of ten agencies surveyed will close the year with a turnover greater than or equal to last year. For the president of the employers’ association, Carlos Garrido, the data is “reasonably positive” although, naturally, it represents a trend that is heading towards stability as already anticipated in the previous balance.

Balance photography brings a play of lights and shadows, given that up to two thirds of the agencies surveyed warn that The rate of reservations has been negatively affected by the rise in prices that the sector has experienced in the last year. Regarding the 65.4% of agencies that consider that the price increase has slowed down reservations, the vice president of CEAV, José Manuel Lastra, recalled that, although the escalation has moderated in 2025, “prices are still above the CPI and that has a direct impact on demand.”

In this scenario, travel agencies face 2026 with a climate of moderate optimism, in which 27.6% expect to increase their turnover, compared to 14.2% who assume a drop in income and 58.1% who see stability. Under these perspectives, the employers’ association has taken advantage of the presentation of its balance sheet to review the main challenges facing the sector. Among the ‘duties’ is Royal Decree 933/2024 on traveler registration, the rise of intrusion in the marketing and promotion of travel and the negotiation of the agreement.

Regarding the first aspect, the vice president has reiterated the will of the employers’ association in exempt agencies from this measure because “it does not improve the country’s security at all and causes duplicity and triplicity of data”, in addition to generating “enormous harm for companies”, as its president has added. From CEAV they trust that this exemption will be included in the ministerial order finalized by the Ministry of the Interior.

The employers’ association has also dedicated a space to warn the rise of intrusion and the impact it has on consumers. “We have a specific commission and a mailbox where agencies can send us their complaints. Intrusion has increased due to figures such as bloggers, influencers or photographers who, due to ignorance, are selling trips without knowing how to act” warned Mercedes Tejero, as manager of CEAV.

Finally, its president has highlighted the signing of the 2025 collective agreement – with a 3% salary increase – and the reactivation of the negotiation table with the unions, with the aim of configuring a labor framework that allows the industry to “maintain the competitiveness of the agencies” in a context of labor reforms and changes in the organization of working hours.