TUI hails strong UK performance
TUI says it is confident of achieving profit growth of 12.5% to 15% this year after ending the summer with sales up 1% and average selling prices up 2%.
In a trading update, the operator said it has seen a particularly strong performance from the UK.
Joint CEOs Peter Long and Friedrich Joussen said: "The season is now almost fully sold, with bookings and average selling prices ahead of the prior year.
"Winter 2015/16 is trading in line with our expectations and we have seen a good start to UK sales for summer 2016."
In the UK, winter bookings are up 8% driven by long-haul growth, enabled by the expansion of the Boeing 787 fleet.
Hotels and resorts are performing well, said TUI, with rising occupancy rates and yields despite the impact of the shootings in Tunisia in June.
It has seen a strong growth in cruise bookings following the launch of Mein Schiff 4 in June and Mein Schiff 5 on sale for next year.
This summer, 69% of TUI’s sales came via its controlled channels, up two percentage points on the previous year, and 39% of its bookings were made online, up three percentage points.
TUI will issue its annual report for the full year to the end of September on December 10.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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