TUI Sees Summer 2021 Bookings at ‘Encouraging Level’

Photo source: TUI

Europe’s leading tour operator TUI recently announced that bookings for the summer season of 2021 have reached 2.8 million so far.

According to an announcement, although below the 2019 levels by 60 percent, TUI Group’s bookings for summer 2021, including rebookings and voucher redemptions, “remain at an encouraging level of 2.8 million guests”.

Since February, TUI has recorded a total of 180,000 new customer bookings for the key holiday months of its fourth business quarter – July, August, September.

Overall, capacity for the peak summer travel months – from July 2021 – has been adjusted to 75 percent from 80 percent in 2019.

“The flexible business model allows for demand-driven capacity management and for the peak summer travel season we are aiming for good load factors and improved margins again,” TUI said.

The Group remains flexible to increase capacity again in the short term as further progress is made on Covid-19 pandemic response and vaccination campaigns, travel restrictions are lifted and customer demand increases.

TUI said its goal is to provide safe and responsible holidays with very high standards of hygiene during travel.

Photo source: TUI

Pent-up demand in German, UK markets

In the German and UK tourism markets, TUI expects holidaymakers to show considerable pent-up demand. Increasing interest for holidays in the summer season is evident across all distribution channels.

In Germany, TUI supports the initiative of the airlines and the German government to test all travelers at their holiday destination during the Easter holidays before flying back to Germany.

In addition, many guests from the UK who had planned a holiday before 17 May 2021, and are affected by the adjusted program, have rebooked for a later travel date in 2021. For example, bookings for October 2021 are up 12 percent at TUI UK.

“We continue to see strong pent-up demand and the desire for travel is evident in the UK with bookings for next summer 2022 now around 120 percent higher compared to summer 2021 bookings. Bookings for May 2022 in particular are recording an increase of more than 150 percent compared to bookings for May 2021,” TUI Group said.