TUI to partially restart Summer 2020 programme

TUI said on Tuesday that it plans to partially restart its Summer 2020 programme.

The travel company will first resume operations in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, with a limited number of destinations from mid-June and beginning of July. It expects remaining markets such as the UK and Nordic region to follow suit later in the summer.

TUI said it intends to operate around 30% of its original capacity in the fourth quarter.

"TUI's Executive Board together with operational management is continuously evaluating leisure travel policies and safety guidelines, and we will manage our capacity depending on customer demand and in line with the specifications as well as requirements of the authorities in our source markets and destinations," it said.

The group plans to reopen about 50% of its hotels from the beginning of July and said this may increase as travel restrictions ease through the summer.

TUI has already sold around 25% of its summer capacity, with the average selling price up 14%. Meanwhile, Winter 2020/21 bookings for the UK are up 6% with the ASP 5% higher, while Summer 2021 "continues to look promising", TUI said.

"Since the suspension of our programme in mid-March, online enquiries have indicated that holidays remain important to our customers and we have seen our customers committing for future seasons.

"Following the recent easing of travel restrictions in Europe, we have seen a notable increase in bookings for our summer holidays over the last week with Germany and Belgium seeing strong recovery week on week."