Tourism Tui Suisse continues its upswing
The tour operator Tui Suisse continues to see an upswing. Following the increase in the past financial year, bookings for the current winter season and the coming summer are also up on the previous year.
23.01.2025, 13:05
23.01.2025, 13:06
SDA
Swiss business in the 2023/24 financial year (as at the end of September) was roughly on a par with the Group as a whole, said Tui Suisse CEO Philipp von Czapiewski in an interview with the news agency AWP on the sidelines of a media conference in Zurich on Thursday. Europe's largest travel company had reported double-digit sales growth.
This means that the slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic is finally behind us. In the past financial year, Tui Suisse achieved a better result than in the pre-coronavirus year 2019, said Czapiewski. However, he did not provide any figures. Greece and Turkey had even achieved record results.
Egypt makes up for war diver
And now things are continuing to improve. Bookings for the current winter season were up on the same period last year for almost all destinations. The most popular of the short-haul destinations is Egypt, which has overcome the decline caused by the war in Gaza. The bankruptcy of competitor FTI also brought Tui vacation guests. FTI had been strong in the country on the Nile and the Red Sea.
Business was also particularly good in Cape Verde, which ranked third behind Thailand, said the Tui Suisse boss. In the long-haul segment, Thailand was ahead of the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates, both of which were up on the previous year.
Beach vacations most popular
The 2025 summer business also got off to a very good start. The booking curve is rising, according to the report. Bookings from families are disproportionately high. Regular guests wanted to secure their preferred hotel as early as possible, explained Czapiewski.
Once again, beach vacations were the most popular form of travel among Tui guests. The Turkish destination of Antalya was the undisputed leader ahead of Majorca. It was followed by the Greek islands of Crete, Kos and Rhodes. Booking levels are already high.
The long-haul countries are also experiencing promising growth in customer numbers, according to the report. The USA remains the top destination. Thailand has moved up to second place, ahead of Zanzibar, which was in fifth place last year. The Maldives are also being booked more frequently than a year ago.
Willingness to pay still high
The willingness of the Swiss to pay is still higher than before coronavirus. Czapiewski does not expect any further increases in prices, some of which have risen significantly in recent years. Prices are likely to remain very stable across all destinations this year.
The announced sale of the competitor Hotelplan by Migros will have no effect on the business of Tui Suisse. The company was already on course for growth before the sale was announced a year ago and still is today, said Czapiewski.
"As a matter of principle, we do not comment on speculation in the market. This also applies to Hotelplan," said Czapiewski. "We generally concentrate on growth from our own resources."
