It came as Nick Longman said Tui was braced for “big challenges” with the rebrand, which will see the Thomson brand being dropped at the end of next year, and that there would be no turning back if it proved to be unsuccessful.
Speaking at the ITT conference in Tel Aviv, he admitted: “There are big challenges, particularly with SEO. Nearly 60% of our sales are from online, so it is a real challenge.”
Longman said this was partly why the group had decided to retain the First Choice and Crystal Ski brand. “We want the First Choice brand to be there in case we do see the volume [for Tui] dropping in the rebrand.
“It can’t be rolled back,” he added. “Once we start the process that’s it. It’s about the execution, and doing it as well as possible.”
Longman insisted that the move was right for the group because it would enable it to broaden its offering and appeal to a younger demographic. “We have set ourselves a very ambitious five-year plan. There are lots of areas we don’t participate in. We don’t do tours and city breaks for example, and we want to get involved in all of these.
“We’re looking at getting into this area with the Tui brand. Legacy can be a disadvantage,” he added. “It can be hard to change people’s perceptions about a 60 year-old brand. Tui is perceived as a newer and younger brand, and we feel we can strengthen that in time.”
Longman also revealed that he had recently spent “a lot of time out and about” looking at new destinations. “We have lots of new aircraft coming out and we need to have places to send them,” he added.
