TUI China resumes business operations and offers domestic travel for vacationers in China. Three months after the subsidiary of the TUI Group had to completely stop selling travel, TUI is now offering short trips to mountain and Chinese beach resorts under the brand “TUI Selection”. Programs for vacations in larger cities are also included in the portfolio. This means that tourism and air travel will take place in China again.
“Our offices in Beijing and Shanghai were also in use during the crisis, but travel packages were not allowed to be sold. Now we see a clear need to catch up on vacation trips. TUI China will gradually expand its offers over the next few weeks”, said TUI CEO Fritz Joussen, referring to the TUI subsidiary’s business in Asia.
China was the first country with the coronavirus and imposed severe restrictions on public life. Now the country is on the way back to normal and Chinese people are allowed to travel within their own country. TUI China has put together programs for its customers near Beijing and Shanghai, but also to Sanya on the holiday island of Hainan. Destinations in known mountain and natural regions are also available. The safety of guests remains a top priority. When compiling the TUI Selection portfolio, care was taken to ensure that the hotels meet all health and safety standards for travelers. In addition, only the destinations where the pandemic has been fully controlled were considered.
In Germany and Europe, too, travel and vacation continue to have considerable relevance for people – despite the restrictions. The traffic on TUI’s online pages is 90 percent compared to the previous year, although currently no trips are possible. Incoming bookings for 2021 are also at a pleasing level.
“We have to get out of the crisis now. Tourism within Europe needs a reliable perspective and gradually opening up with the first countries. EU and its member states should develop a road map for travel within Europe and make vacations for 2020 possible. This includes opening up tourism and air travel to countries and regions of Europe that have made good progress and that are themselves campaigning for the return of vacationers such as Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, the Balearic Islands, Austria or Bulgaria. Vacationing in your own country is an offer, but it shouldn’t be the only answer for Europe and the Europeans”, said Joussen.
