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Turkey holiday bookings hit by migrant crisis, Tui says Turkey holiday bookings hit by migrant crisis, Tui says
(35 minutes later)
Thomson Holidays and First Choice owner Tui said holiday bookings for this summer in Turkey have tumbled by 40% amid fighting and mass migration in neighbouring Syria. Summer holiday bookings to Turkey have tumbled by 40% amid fighting and mass migration in neighbouring Syria, Tui, the owner of Thomson Holidays and First Choice, has said.
Around one-in-seven of Tui’s customers went to Turkey on holiday last summer but the current crisis has seen tourists opt for Greece and Spain instead. About one in seven of Tui’s customers holidayed in Turkey last summer but the current crisis has led tourists to opt for Greece and Spain instead.
Turkey is a particularly popular destination in Germany and Tui said many Germans looking for an alternative place in the sun are now also discovering the Caribbean for the first time. Turkey is particularly popular with German holidaymakers, however Tui said many looking for an alternative place in the sun were opting for the Caribbean.
The drop-off in Turkey bookings, coupled with continued weakness in North Africa due to terrorism in Egypt and Tunisia, did not stop Tui reporting improved results. The decline in Turkey bookings, coupled with continued weakness in north Africa due to terrorism in Egypt and Tunisia, did not stop Tui reporting improved results. Underlying losses in the first quarter, when tour operators traditionally operate in the red, narrowed slightly from €104.8m (£81m) to €101.7m on sales up 5.4% to €3.7bn. Tui expects to report a 10% lift in underlying profit at the end of the year.
Underlying losses in the first quarter, when tour operators traditionally operate in the red, narrowed slightly from €104.8m (£81m) to €101.7m on sales up 5.4% to €3.7bn. Its chief executive, Friedrich Joussen, said Tui had “delivered a good underlying performance in spite of the backdrop of geopolitical turbulence in some of our destinations”.
And Tui said it expects to report a 10% lift in underlying profit at the end of the year. The UK performed slightly ahead of the rest of Tui’s business, with bookings for the current winter 3% higher, compared with a flat market overall. The contrast is even more marked for summer bookings, with the UK up 9% compared with a 1% increase across the company.
Chief executive Friedrich Joussen said Tui had “delivered a good underlying performance in spite of the backdrop of geopolitical turbulence in some of our destinations”. The UK had been partly boosted by the strength of the pound against the euro, Tui said.
The UK performed slightly ahead of the rest of Tui’s business, with bookings for the current winter 3% higher, compared with a flat market overall. But bookings to long-haul destinations had also improved, up 16% to destinations such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The contrast is even more marked for summer bookings, with the UK up 9% compared with a 1% increase across the company. Tui is phasing out its Thomson brand, which it felt was often confused with Thomas Cook. It is expected to disappear by 2017.
The UK has been partly boosted by the strength of the pound against the euro, Tui said.
But long-haul destinations have also seen improvement, with overall bookings up 16% to destinations such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
Tui is gradually phasing out its Thomson brand, which it felt was often confused with Thomas Cook, with the familiar name expected to disappear by 2017.