Iberostar billed 5% more in 2019 and created 2 thousand jobs

2019 was a crucial year for Grupo Iberostar, which made significant progress in its commitment to responsible tourism. In an environment marked by economic and political uncertainty, the company closed the year with a turnover of 2,353 million, 5% higher than 2018 (excluding Almundo.com from both years), and created 2,000 jobs, exceeding 34,000 workers on a global scale
The sale of Almundo.com, during the last quarter of 2019, allows to concentrate the business of bedbank (or bed bank, in Spanish) and receptive in the subsidiary of Grupo Iberostar, W2M (global tourism provider of the Group), which expanded the scope of its activity with the development of receptive services in several countries and reinforced its team with the recent incorporation of Gabriel Subías as head of responsibility.
2020 is presented as an ambitious year for Grupo Iberostar, immersed in the consolidation of its leadership in responsible tourism through its 2030 agenda. The company understands responsible tourism as a holistic reality and integrated into the business center, which begins in the same hotel construction and encompasses the care of the environment, the well-being of people, healthy gastronomy and entertainment that, without losing fun, strengthens the education of the youngest in values.
The result is a differential customer experience, characterized by quality, impregnated with the Group's DNA and linked to its brand purpose. This experience joins a strong investment in commercial intelligence, efficiency, talent and digital transformation to shape the key aspects of the future, already present, of the hotel chain that poses a careful expansion plan for this year.

2020 expansion
Iberostar Group will open 11 new hotels in 2020. It continues to grow in city hotels with three major openings: Iberostar Grand Fontana di Trevi, a 5-star hotel in the center of Rome; Iberostar Selection Teatro Albéniz, the second hotel in Madrid, 5 stars next to the Puerta del Sol; and Iberostar Selection Miraflores, a four-star city hotel in the heart of Lima, Peru. All are framed within the segment of city hotels of the chain that brings together hotels in privileged locations and unique buildings in the heart of cities with tourist attractions.
Likewise, Grupo Iberostar continues betting on traditional destinations such as Mallorca, where it reaches 17 hotels and incorporates the Iberostar Heritage Llum Portocolom hotel, a 5-star hotel located in a fishing port and decorated from organic materials, and the familiar Iberostar Cala Domingos and on the beachfront. In parallel, the Group continues to grow in Montenegro with three new hotels: Iberostar Bijela Delfín and Iberostar Bijela Park, two four-star hotels ideal for families, and Iberostar Selection Kumbor, a 5-star hotel located on the front line of the Bay of Kotor. In addition, the company continues to bet on Cuba with three new hotels: Iberostar Selection Almirante, the only 5-star beach in Guardalavaca; Iberostar Selection Esmeralda in Cayo Cruz and Iberostar Bella Costa on the beachfront Varadero. 2020 will also be a key year for the progress and consolidation of new projects in Los Cabos and Litibú (Mexico) and Aruba, among others.
The company prioritizes the care of its hotel heritage as a key to quality and evolution. The investments are presented with a strong seal of innovation that ensures maximum respect for the environment. In 2020 they will open, completely transformed, the Iberostar Royal Andalus hotels, on the beach of La Barrosa (Andalusia, Spain) and the Iberostar Hacienda Dominicus (Bayahibe, Dominican Republic). Both join the recent opening, after a profound renovation, of Iberostar Selection Bávaro and Coral Level at Iberostar Selection Bávaro. Coral Level is a new hotel concept designed for customers to live a superior experience in exclusive spaces within a resort. Its clients, in addition to accessing all the services and facilities of the resort, have their own lounge, reserved area on the beach, outdoor pool and buffet restaurant with show cooking or à la carte, as well as other personalized services, special discounts and gourmet services .
In the words of Sabina Fluxá, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Grupo Iberostar, “thanks to everyone's efforts, we have become a benchmark for responsible tourism based on quality. Our conception of responsible tourism responds to a holistic vision, and therefore that transcends through all processes. We start from a responsible construction to which we incorporate our values ​​and our DNA, a healthy diet, the physical well-being of our clients and entertainment with values ​​for the little ones. And none of this would happen if we didn't have the best talent and strong commercial and technological intelligence. ”

2030 Agenda
The Iberostar Group's commitment and leadership in responsible tourism, understood as the double commitment to the environment and people, was recognized in the last edition of the WTM in London, where the Wave of Change movement received two important awards. The Group advances tirelessly on the three pillars of Wave of Change - elimination of single-use plastics moving towards a circular economy, promotion of responsible fish consumption and coastal health care - with outstanding achievements, among which following:
Single-use plastics were eliminated from all rooms on a global scale, which allowed for a saving of 523 tons of plastic waste in 2019.
It was the first hotel chain in Spain, and the fourth in Europe, to obtain the certificate of chain of custody of sustainable fish. It currently has 7 certified restaurants in Spain, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In the first 18 months of certification, 130 tons of this fish have been consumed and 75 new specific products have been certified. 15% of its suppliers, who contribute more than 60% of the volume consumed, have also been certified.
The company advances in coastal health research from its coral laboratory in the Dominican Republic, opened in June 2019.
The Iberostar del Mar chair, which the Group created in collaboration with the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), has awarded 10 scholarships this year for the study of marine ecology.

In 2020, Grupo Iberostar places the circular economy at the center of its strategy as evidenced by the company's accession to the CE100 platform of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world leader in circular economy. This implies the incorporation into a pre-competitive innovation program to implement innovative initiatives in the tourism sector. In addition, Iberostar joined the UN-led Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C campaign in December 2019 to reduce emissions to zero before 2050.