Spanish anti-tourist protests ‘no threat to our bottom line' – Tui
Ilaria Grasso MacolaAnti-tourism protests in Spain do not pose a threat to Tui’s operations and bottom line, according to group chief executive Sebastian Ebel.
Ebel told journalists on Wednesday (15 May) the protests are mainly about the negative impacts of tourism on housing and rising costs and therefore won’t affect Tui.
The protests, which erupted in the Canary Islands in mid-April, have now reached the Balearics, with demonstrations set to take place over the next few days in Majorca and Ibiza.
When asked whether the anti-tourism protests would affect Tui’s business, Ebel replied: “No threat, definitely no threat. The protests started because of the impact of tourism on housing and rising costs and not from our tours.
“The negatives we do see have nothing to do with our package tourism because every customer we bring to the islands has a bed in our hotels.
“We have apartments and houses built for our employees and we bring our customers by bus to the hotel instead of having them go on individual car rides."
He added: “We support all the actions taken to reduce the burden on people. If the locals are happy, our customers are happy.”
Tui’s flexible approach to demand and supply patterns means the group can easily promote destinations away from the Canaries and the Balearics such as Egypt, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.
“If you look at Egypt, it’s a very different situation,” he added. “Tourism is part of the country’s recovery and wealth creation and we take that into account in our strategy."
He noted how Tui believes sustainability means "social sustainability".
Ebel’s comments on Wednesday (15 May) came as Tui confirmed its full-year guidance after shrinking its losses for the three months ended 31 March to €188.7 million (£162.3 million) owing to a strong lates market.
In the call, Ebel stated his intention to increase Tui’s retail presence in the UK “not by 100 or 200 [shops] but smaller numbers” while the company continues to build relationships with independent agents.
Last year Tui outlined plans “redress the balance of recent years” and work with more third-party agents.
“[Working with independent agents] is going very well,” Ebel said. “The feedback I get from third-party retailers is very good. We have regained a lot of trust and this has led to good numbers.”
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