The group’s pre-close trading update, released today (March 29) showed that the UK market also saw a growth in demand for cruise, as well as the Canaries, mainland Spain and Cape Verde - offset partly by lower demand for Turkey and Egypt.

The number of customers booked for the same winter period was also up 12% year-on-year, while the group said bookings for summer 2017 remained “in line with expectations”.

Total revenue for the UK market for the summer period is up 11%, and customer numbers up 3%.

Tui added that similar to its winter booking patterns, summer ’17 had seen lower demand for North Africa and Turkey, which was offset by higher demand for destination such as the western Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Like Thomas Cook, which released its pre-trading statement yesterday, Tui added that Greece had also seen a growth in booking numbers, “with a further shift away from Turkey (having already reduced significantly as a destination in the prior year)."

It added: “UK revenue and selling price performance reflects continued growth in long haul and cruise (with the 
launch of TUI Discovery 2 in May), as well as the impact of currency inflation for Euro based destinations”. 


Friedrich Joussen, chief executive of Tui Group, said the proceeds from the sale of Travelopia and Hotelbeds had provided "strong cash flows" to aid the group’s transformation as "the world’s leading integrated tourism business focussed on own hotel and cruise brands".

He added: “Winter 2016/17 is closing out as expected, with a good performance by Hotels and Resorts, Cruise and growth in source market revenues, increasingly booked via our direct and online channels. Overall, Summer 2017 remains in line with our expectations, with almost half of the Source Markets’ programme sold, further openings scheduled in our Group hotel brands, and cruise ship launches in both Tui Cruises and the UK.

“Whilst the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges is evident in certain source markets and destinations, our balanced portfolio of markets and destinations, our focus on growth in own hotel and cruise brands and our strong balance sheet put us in a robust position. We therefore reiterate our guidance of at least 10% growth in group underlying Ebita in 2016/17”.