- New name underscores strategic realignment
- Digitalisation enables more bespoke offers
- Portfolio expansion through acquisition of Destination Management from Hotelbeds
TUI Destination Services, which looks after TUI Group’s customers and pools all services such as transfers and excursions in the holiday destinations, has been renamed TUI Destination Experiences. The new name underscores the strategic realignment of the segment. “We are aiming to customise the holiday experience for our guests through the digitalisation of our business and expansion of our product portfolio. This goal is now also reflected in our name”, said David Schelp, Managing Director TUI Destination Experiences.
Alongside Hotels & Resorts and Cruises, TUI Destination Experiences has been defined as one of TUI Group’s three growth pillars. Since Q1 2018, all three business units have been separately carried as the ‘Holiday Experiences’ segment within the earnings reporting. TUI Group sees, in particular, great potential to grow through more personalised offers for customers in the holiday destinations. In fiscal year 2018 alone, the Group expects TUI Destination Experiences to deliver an increase in its result of 15 per cent.
The growth is to be driven by greater digitalisation of the business. As a result, customers will benefit from considerably more personalised offers and be able to contact TUI around the clock during their holidays – via the TUI App, by phone, SMS or Chat function linking them with the TUI Experience Center, or via the website www.gotui.com. As before, TUI reps in the destinations will also be available to support the guests. As every customer contact is recorded in a uniform IT system, TUI will be able to create even more personalised offers and destination experiences for every customer.
The segment recently also announced the acquisition of Destination Management from Hotelbeds Group. The planned acquisition, which is still subject to anti-trust approval, will further expand the range of offers for customers in the destinations. In future, all services for the around 14 million customers will come from a single source, from transfers via services in the destination all the way to the implementation of excursions, round trips and activities. In addition, they will be personalised and show a consistently high quality level.
TUI Destination Experiences currently employs around 6,500 people in 23 countries and is headquartered in Palma de Mallorca.