Hannover, 29 August 2024

Elie Bruyninckx, CEO TUI Western Region, leaves TUI Group after more than 20 successful years

  • Elie Bruyninckx, CEO Western Region and member of the Group Executive Committee, has decided to leave TUI to pursue other activities outside the Group
  • Sebastian Ebel, CEO TUI Group: 'Elie Bruyninckx was the main architect of TUI in the Western Region. Today, we are strongly positioned in the Netherlands and Belgium with our tour operators and airline business. In France, too, we are now reporting good figures after many difficult years. I would like to personally thank Elie for his tireless commitment to the growth of TUI and the development of its employees. His strategic insights and his personal contribution to the success of the Belgian, Dutch and French business can hardly be overestimated. We wish him all the best in all his future endeavours, both professional and personal.’

Elie Bruyninckx’ career with TUI Group began in September 2000 when he joined the Belgian tour operator Jetair. In May 2003, he launched the hybrid tour operator model, combining package holidays with seat-only sales. Later that year, he became the founding Chairman of the Belgian airline Jetairfly. Since 2015, Elie Bruyninckx has been a member of the Group Executive Committee and CEO Western Region with responsibility for the Dutch, Belgian and French markets.

During his time at TUI, Elie Bruyninckx played a decisive role in shaping and developing the tour operator and airline businesses in the three markets mentioned. Under his leadership, the TUI companies in the Netherlands and Belgium moved closer together and are now largely clustered under one leadership. Together with his strong teams, Elie Bruyninckx was able to exploit synergies and drive growth and innovation in the Western Region. The Belgian and Dutch markets, in particular, are at the forefront of the IT platforms of the future. With fundamental restructuring processes, Elie Bruyninckx also succeeded in reorganising TUI's business in France, including the sale of the Corsair activities. After several difficult years, TUI France is now performing well again.

With his departure, the markets of the Western Region will become the direct responsibility of David Schelp, CEO TUI Markets & Airline. Arjan Kers, Managing Director TUI BeNe, and Christophe Fuss, Managing Director TUI France, will report to him.

Elie Bruyninckx will leave TUI on 1 October, and will of course remain at TUI's disposal until then to concentrate fully on ensuring a smooth transfer of his responsibilities and knowledge.

As a next step in his rich career, Elie Bruyninckx will focus on launching and supporting new business initiatives, an activity in which he is passionate and where he can develop his creative entrepreneurial ideas.

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.