Hanover, 12 August 2019

TUI Group to sell German specialist tour operators “Berge & Meer” and “Boomerang Reisen” / Group sharpens its profile

  • Divestment of specialist tour operators Berge & Meer and Boomerang Reisen to private equity investor GENUI
  • CEO Fritz Joussen: “Crucial step in order to further sharpen TUI’s tour operator business. Markets are moving closer together: Focus on greater efficiency through harmonisation of tour operators".

The TUI Group is further restructuring its traditional tour operator business and sharpening its profile. The tourism group has concluded an agreement to divest its two German specialist tour operators Berge & Meer and Boomerang Reisen to equity investor GENUI. Hamburg-based private investment firm GENUI will acquire the two companies for around 100 million euros. The agreement was signed in Frankfurt today. Fritz Joussen, CEO of TUI Group: “The transaction will sharpen TUI’s tour operator business and our position as a vertically integrated tourism group. Berge & Meer Touristik and Boomerang Reisen pursue different business models and have a different strategic alignment. Both therefore hardly generated any synergies with TUI's other business sectors. With the new owner, both companies will be better equipped to tap their full potential and thus have better growth opportunities. At the same time, TUI further reduces its dependence on the traditional tour operator business".

The traditional tour operator business is characterized by volatility for the entire industry. TUI has taken decisive steps to align the markets in the tour operator business, and will continue to further harmonise and standardise this segment.

The closing of the transaction is subject to the necessary approvals by the relevant authorities and is expected for 1 October 2019. Rengsdorf-based Berge & Meer with around 260 employees is a specialist for round trips. TUI holds a 100 per cent stake in the company through TUI Germany. Boomerang Reisen offers tailor-made long-haul trips to Oceania, Africa, and North/South America. The Trier-based company employs around 60 people. For the current financial year 2019, the two companies are expected to deliver combined revenues of around 276 million euros.

About TUI Group

The TUI Group is one of the world's leading tourism groups and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. TUI shares are listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, in the regulated market of the Lower Saxony Stock Exchange in Hanover and in the FTSE 250, an index of the London Stock Exchange. TUI Group offers its 19 million customers integrated services from a single source and forms the entire tourism value chain under one roof. The Group owns over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 16 cruise ships, ranging from the MS Europa and MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships in the HANSEATIC class to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships operated by Marella Cruises in the UK. The Group also includes Europe's leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms, for example for hotel-only or flight-only offers, five airlines with more than 130 modern medium- and long-haul aircraft and around 1,200 travel agencies. In addition to expanding its core business with hotels and cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in vacation destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a global tourism platform company.

Global responsibility for sustainable economic, environmental and social action is at the heart of our corporate culture. With projects in 25 countries, the TUI Care Foundation initiated by TUI focuses on the positive effects of tourism, on education and training and on strengthening environmental and social standards. In this way, it supports the development of vacation destinations. The globally active TUI Care Foundation initiates projects that create new opportunities for the next generation.