Everything is ready for the Immerso trips, and the process is moving forward after the Central Administrative Tribunal for Contractual Resources rejected the appeal brought by a group of tour operators. The decision keeps a plan in place for travelers to begin their journeys in the second half of the year, with October cited as a likely start month, according to information from the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030.
The challenge this year lies in the tender for three lots covering the peninsula coast, the island coast, and domestic tourism, which ended up awarded to a single company. The Ávoris group, owned by Barceló, prevailed over Mundiplan, an interim collaboration that includes Iberia, IAG, and other partners; the severance plan package known as 2.0 included the Nautalia consortium; and fade. These three entities then decided to file a lawsuit, a move that paused the program for roughly two weeks.
As a result, responsibility now rests with the body reporting to and directing the Minister of State for Social Rights. The minister, accompanied by key officials, will continue to sign contracts with the winning bidder, Ávoris, and subsequent accreditation letters must be sent to traveling users. These letters provide the authorization details that agencies will use to begin marketing immediately, enabling retirees to make travel reservations as soon as possible and helping the travel season commence within the coming month.
The Immerso travel program has long been a source of controversy. The Competition Authority warned about limited competition in several bankruptcy processes about four years ago, noting that a single operator won the tender. While this has led to legal challenges from some of the opponents for years, it has not always caused significant delays for users. One notable moment occurred in 2019 when the hotel association CEHAT objected to the program’s specifications due to perceived low prices.
The 2023-2024 season is approaching 900,000 available places, a figure higher than the previous season by about 70,000. The allocation splits into three segments: approximately 443,887 places for excursions to the peninsula coast, about 30,039 places for the island coast, and around 212,343 places for getaway tourism. This year’s award criteria prioritize the quality of offerings over price. Emphasis is placed on selecting the best hotel categories, improving accessibility, expanding choices for healthier eating regimens, accelerating transportation, and broadening city and municipal offerings to diversify the travel portfolio available to customers.
Additionally, the new catalog expands coverage to include all provinces and their capitals. It adds 34 new travelers who have not previously journeyed, increasing the total to 52 participants. It introduces nature tourism with 19 new routes to destinations such as Sierra Nevada in Granada, the Sierra de las Nieves in Malaga, and the Ríos Lobos Canyon Natural Park in Castilla y León. There is even discussion of piloting additional destinations as part of a potential expansion if the program proves successful. The portfolio now features 10 cultural cycles with thematically driven itineraries, including literary tours, music-focused trips, and theater festivals.