Four in 10 of Tui’s UK customers now book their holidays online, the travel company said today.
In an update before going into a closed period before its interim results are released, the business, which trades in the UK through the Thomson and First Choice websites, said 40% of its UK customers booked online for Summer 2013. In the Nordics the figure was still higher, with 67% of holidays booked online.
At the same time, the company said, UK bookings were up by 9% compared to the same time last year.
Germany-based Tui said it was particularly pleased with trading in the UK and Nordic markets, where revenue was growing in double digits. Both average selling prices and margins were up year-on-year across its key markets.
“This performance is testament to our growth strategy,” the company said in today’s trading update. “Demand for our unique holidays sold through our direct distribution channels, particularly online, continues to increase. This is against a backdrop of uncertainty in the Eurozone, highlighting that demand for the annual holiday remains resilient against a weak macroeconomic environment.
“We are confident that our strategy is driving performance and we continue to expect to be towards the top end of our roadmap guidance of 7% to 10% underlying operating profit growth for the 2013 financial year.”
Peter Long, chief executive of Tui Travel, said: “We have a clear roadmap for growth built upon a deep understanding of our industry and customers. Our strong operational performance over winter means we will deliver reduced winter losses. This very strong trading has continued into Summer 2013, leaving us well placed to achieve a full-year performance towards the upper end of our growth targets.”
