Hanover, 7 March 2018

First TUI Blue hotel opens in Tunisia

Tunisia continues its comeback, recording strong growth at the world’s leading tourism group TUI, in particular from the German-speaking markets and France. Moreover, the country is among the destinations with the highest customer satisfaction levels. TUI Blue, TUI Group’s new lifestyle hotel brand, has now opened its first hotel in Djerba and provides authentic holiday experiences in the island.

“We welcome TUI's commitment in Djerba and the opening of the first TUI Blue hotel in Tunisia. We are delighted to see that TUI is investing in the future of tourism in Tunisia and opening up new career prospects for many young women and men. With its dreamlike beaches and diverse culture, Tunisia is a very attractive destination for all TUI customers”, said Selma Elloumi Rekik, Minister for Tourism of Tunisia.

Apart from creating an Oriental atmosphere due to its architecture, the TUI Blue Palm Beach Palace hotel offers its guests comprehensive insights into the art, culture and culinary delights of the North African island. “TUI Blue targets holidaymakers wishing to obtain an authentic experience of their holiday destination”, said Artur Gerber, Managing Director TUI Blue. “Our Blue Guides share their knowledge of the region and offer our guests insider tips tailored to their individual needs.” The hotel manager, for instance, personally takes part in a cooking class and reveals his family recipes, and an Arabic language workshop provides basic communication skills.

TUI Blue guests can discover the island on one of the authentic excursions. Jilani, Djerba’s most famous artist, exhibits impressive works of art, both his own works and those of other local artists, in his atelier only a few kilometres from the hotel. By contrast, Erriadh, a traditional village, was turned into ‘Djerbahood’ by artists from countries around the world. They created many different murals and street art, forming an interesting contrast with the leisurely pace of village life. The so-called Flamingo Island, an Eldorado for the pink water birds, is also close to the hotel.

TUI Blue Palm Beach Palace has 261 rooms. As its focus is on adults and couples, the minimum age of its guests is 16. The hallmarks of TUI Blue Palm Beach Palace are regional architecture, a modern interpretation of Oriental cuisine, cutting-edge technology, and the innovative Bluefit concept for fitness, wellness and nutrition.

About TUI Blue

TUI BLUE offers experience-oriented lifestyle travellers a hotel product tailored to their individual needs – for adults, families or holidaymakers interested in local culture and authentic experiences. BLUE Guides provide great hospitality with a personal touch and the BLUE App offers guests lots of activities at their choice. The experiences are tailored for all ages and range from entertainment in a relaxed atmosphere to a holistic fitness and well-being programme as well as a variety of excursions. TUI BLUE hotels stand for food experiences with a local touch, including authentic regional dishes while also catering for all dietary needs or nutrition plans. The hotel brand has more than 90 hotels worldwide and expanding its portfolio with a strong focus on Asia, the Middle East and Africa. TUI BLUE is a global brand of TUI Hotels & Resorts‘ leading leisure hotel portfolio.

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.

Contact