TUI is using some of the cash it amassed from selling companies such as Hotelbeds to buy a business from ... Hotelbeds. Maybe its taken a bit of time for the management to realize that tours and activities are strategic and a potential growth area.
TUI Group is slowly building up quite a formidable cruise operation. How long before it starts to consider buying out joint venture partner Royal Caribbean?
With TUI accumulating so much customer data, it makes sense to deploy that knowledge to its transfers, and tours and activities business. The sector is still fragmented and a player with deep pockets like TUI should be able to make inroads.
Laws have been changed to supposedly eliminate gender bias but the problem at senior levels still persists. Companies first need to admit they have a problem, then they can do something about it. Perhaps there should be greater consideration of quotas.
Common wisdom among tour operators has always been that to have a good year, you needed to have a good January, and it is still no different. While the reasons for booking holidays early might hark back to the pre-Internet era, the consumer pattern hasn't changed very much.
TUI Group has used proceeds from sales to invest in hotels and cruise ships. This asset-heavy approach has its risks, but it does give the company more control.
TUI's chief executive is nailing his colors to the mast when it comes to blockchain and its benefits for the travel industry. In theory the technology is great — and TUI has already identified an effective way to use it — but will the hype be justified?
Tour operators have longed for Turkey and, to a lesser extent, Egypt and Tunisia to return to their previous popularity. All of these destinations offer better value to consumers than Spain, which is at close-to-full capacity and more expensive. Their return is also good news for the people who rely on tourism for a living.
While TUI's CEO is right to point out the macro benefits of tourism in Spain, the company ignores the myriad of local issues in places such as Barcelona and Majorca that are turning locals against mass tourism. It is a self-interested issue to address for virtually the entire travel industry.