Hanover, 6 May 2019

TUI Group to expand high-margin hotel business – more than 20 new hotels in 11 countries added to portfolio

  • Opening of own hotels and international concept hotels
  • Debut in Greece: 3 hotels in Kos acquired at auction
  • Executive Board member Sebastian Ebel: “TUI is consistently expanding its position as leading leisure hotelier.“

TUI Group is further expanding its position as the world’s leading leisure hotelier, strengthening the Group’s high-margin hotel segment. In the next few weeks, the Group is set to open more than 20 new hotels across eleven countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. Strong growth will be delivered, in particular, for the concept hotel brands TUI Sensimar, TUI Family Life and TUI Sensatori. The all-inclusive club brand TUI Magic Life will offer three new resorts this Summer, and the long-standing joint venture partners Riu and Atlantica will also expand their portfolios.

“Hotels & Resorts, Cruises and Destination Experiences are TUI’s major growth areas. We are consistently expanding these businesses, which already account for around 70 per cent of our Group’s earnings. The hotel segment is less cyclical than the highly competitive traditional tour operator business, now accounting for 30 per cent of TUI’s earnings. We are consistently investing in hotels, ships and the expansion of our digital platforms for destination activities,” said TUI Executive Board member Sebastian Ebel, in charge of the Hotels & Resorts and Cruise businesses. TUI Group currently comprises around 380 hotels and 17 cruise ships.

On 1 May alone, ten new hotels opened their doors for their guests on a single day. The expansion will continue over the next few weeks. By the end of the Summer season, significantly more than 20 new hotels and a yacht of the adults-only brand TUI Sensimar will complement the portfolio. “We are expanding both our own hotel portfolio and our concept hotel brands, in cooperation with long-standing joint ventures and other hotels partners,” said Ebel.

The acquisition of a vast hotel complex in the Greek island of Kos marks the debut of a special approach to hotel investments by TUI. Due to changes in the law in Greece, a public auction was held for the first time, at which TUI’s joint venture Atlantica successfully submitted the winning bid. The three former Lakitira hotels have now officially been integrated into the portfolio of the world’s leading tourism group.

In a special themed section this year's new additions to the TUI Hotels & Resorts portfolio are being presented in more detail. The section includes fact sheets and photos of the different properties that have already opened. It will constantly be expanded over the next few weeks, as new hotels join the TUI brand.

About Atlantica

Atlantica is the only Cyprus-based hotel company and a member of TUI Group, the world’s largest tourism organisation. The company’s portfolio includes a total of 50 hotels in Cyprus, Greece and Egypt.  

About Riu

The international RIU hotel chain was founded by the Riu family as a small family-run business in 1953. RIU Hotels & Resorts currently operates 93 hotels in 19 countries.

About TUI Group

The TUI Group is one of the world's leading tourism groups and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed in the MDAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and in the regulated market of the Lower Saxony Stock Exchange in Hanover. TUI Group offers its 19 million customers integrated services from a single source and forms the entire tourism value chain under one roof. The Group owns over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 17 cruise ships, ranging from the MS Europa and MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships in the HANSEATIC class to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships operated by Marella Cruises in the UK. The Group also includes Europe's leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms, for example for hotel-only or flight-only offers, five airlines with more than 130 modern medium- and long-haul aircraft and around 1,200 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels and cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in vacation destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a global tourism platform company.  

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, environmental and social action is at the heart of our corporate culture. With projects in 25 countries, the TUI Care Foundation initiated by TUI focuses on the positive effects of tourism, on education and training and on strengthening environmental and social standards. In this way, it supports the development of vacation destinations. The globally active TUI Care Foundation initiates projects that create new opportunities for the next generation.