TUI, the country’s leading tour operator, has announced its withdrawal from the Association of German Tour Operators (DRV), the largest industry association in Germany.
In a statement to its members sent out by the association on Friday afternoon, it was summarised in a nutshell: ‘The German Travel Association (DRV) regrets that TUI, a large and long-standing member, has decided to withdraw from the association at the end of the year. This withdrawal applies to all TUI companies that are members of the DRV.
The statement noted that DRV continues to work with all its might to represent the interests of the industry and its members and to positively shape the economic and political framework conditions for the travel industry.
TUI seeks its own representation of interests
We can only speculate on the reasons behind the withdrawal. However, TUI is on record as saying that it is aware that DRV wishes to cover very different issues due to its membership structure. “We are a long-standing member and, as such, we did not take this step lightly. But, considering the highly competitive international environment, we feel that a reorientation is the right thing to do and we want to intensify the representation of our own interests in the interest of outbound tourism,” the tour operator underlines.
Regardless of its participation in the association, as Touristik Aktuell reports in an article, TUI “will continue to engage in dialogue with all industry partners in order to strengthen package holidays and the interests of consumers”. After all, TUI’s main objective is ‘to achieve comparable conditions for package holidays, tour operators and travel agencies in competition with other market participants and to prevent additional burdens for companies and customers’.
The striking thing about this statement is that this is exactly what DRV is looking for. Among other things, it is also fighting in Brussels to ensure that international competition remains healthy – especially in view of existing and forthcoming EU regulations.
TUI wishes to put its own pressure on Brussels
These figures are negative for TUI: while German tour operators have to pay “high sums” to protect customers’ money in the DRSF, for example, “many international competitors are exempt from these requirements”. This gives them an advantage on the market to the detriment of German tour operators, package holidays and travel agencies.
“We see this as one of the focal points of our lobbying activities in the future,” says TUI. It adds: “TUI will strengthen the political representation of its interests with policy offices in Berlin and Brussels, as well as a destination policy team.”
Along with TUI, two current board members will also leave DRV at the end of December: travel agency representatives Peter Wittmann (pillar B) and Thomas Ellerbeck (pillar D).
However, TUI has been a member of the Association of German Travel Agencies (VUSR) for a year and will remain a member.
