Tui China will now be operated by both companies until 2033, the operator has confirmed. The extension of the partnership follows a visit by Tui group chief executive Fritz Joussen to the country.
He said: “We are seeing new travel trends, in particular among young Chinese travellers. For a long time, the focus was on city breaks, culture and shopping. Young Chinese consumers are now discovering ‘Western-style’ sun and beach holidays, sports, wellness and relaxation.”
He added that Tui was “well prepared” for this second wave of Chinese outbound tourism thanks to its venture with CTS. Tui currently has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.
Tui believes China will become a travel hub within Asia. “We are aiming to offer Chinese customers holidays in Malaysia, Thailand or Vietnam the way we are offering travel within Europe for German, French or Swedish customers,” said Joussen.
“Winning an additional one billion euros in turnover and an additional one million customers, focusing on China – and all based on digitalisation”, this is TUI’s target by 2022.”
