Palma, 3 May 2019

TUI significantly expands guest service for 2019 summer season

  • Official season start in Mallorca
  • Group now present in 49 countries with its own employees
  • New innovative service "TUI On Demand" being trialed 
  • Number of employees in call centers almost doubled

TUI Destination Experiences, under whose umbrella the TUI Group bundles its activities, excursions, tours and guest services, officially opens for the 2019 summer season. The world's leading provider of destination experiences once again expects around 14 million holidaymakers in the various destinations this year. The season kick-off traditionally took place in Mallorca, where the company's approximately 1,000 employees on the Balearic Islands prepared for the summer season with a small ceremony. With over 1.2 million guests from all over Europe, Mallorca is one of the TUI Group's most important destinations.

With the takeover of Destination Management from the Hotelbeds Group, TUI is now present in 49 countries worldwide with 9,000 of its own employees as of this summer season. The local reps ensure an all-round carefree service for TUI guests, from pick-up at the airport to support at the hotel and assistance with complaints. TUI Destination Experiences is constantly exploring new ways to make experiences for holidaymakers as individual as possible. 

This summer season, for example, the company is testing the new "TUI On Demand" service in Thailand for guests from the Scandinavian countries. Using a digital tool, guests can arrange an individual appointment with the rep – either in person or by telephone. With this service, holidaymakers can decide when contact with the rep is most convenient for them, regardless of the usual office hours at the hotel. The desired date will be confirmed by SMS. Based on the results of the trial phase lasting several months, TUI Destination Experiences will decide to what extent "TUI On Demand" will also be offered in other holiday destinations in the future.

TUI Destination Experiences has almost doubled the number of its call center agents for this summer season compared with the previous year. TUI guests can ask their questions to the company around the clock during their holiday. In addition to local reps, around 370 call center employees will in future be responsible for looking after holidaymakers from TUI's European markets. Most of the agents, which are around 280 of them, work in Palma de Mallorca. Holidaymakers can direct their enquiries to TUI's call center employees by telephone, e-mail, SMS and via the TUI App.

"We are once again significantly expanding our service this summer season to make the holiday experience even more unique for our guests," says David Schelp, Managing Director TUI Destination Experiences. "We are convinced that the holistic care of our guests represents a significant differentiation from the competition, especially in relation to online providers".

About TUI Group

The TUI Group is the world's leading tourism group and operates worldwide. The Group is headquartered in Germany. The TUI share is listed on the FTSE 250, the leading index of the London Stock Exchange, and on the Regulated Unofficial Market in Germany.

The TUI Group offers integrated services from a single source for its 28 million customers, 21 million of whom are in the European national companies. The entire tourism value chain is represented under one roof. This includes over 400 hotels and resorts with premium brands such as RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson and 15 cruise ships, from the MS Europa and MS Europa 2 in the luxury class and expedition ships to the Mein Schiff fleet of TUI Cruises and cruise ships at Marella Cruises in England. The Group also includes Europe's leading tour operator brands and online marketing platforms, five airlines with more than 100 modern medium and long-haul aircraft and over 1,000 travel agencies. Besides the expansion of its core business with hotels, cruises via successful joint ventures and activities in holiday destinations, TUI is increasingly focusing on the expansion of digital platforms. The Group is transforming itself into a digital company.

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

About TUI Musement

TUI Musement is a leading Tours & Activities business that combines a scalable digital platform with local service delivery in more than 140 countries worldwide. Available in all major holiday and city destinations to travellers around the world, including the 28 million annual TUI customers, there are currently more than 170,000 ‘things to do’ – including excursions, activities, tickets and transfers. These are distributed through the Musement and TUI websites and apps, and B2B partners, including the world's leading OTAs, tour operators, cruise lines and travel companies. TUI Musement is one of the major growth areas of TUI Group and in FY19 generated a revenue of EUR 1.2bn, delivered by 9,000 colleagues.