Tui plans to move to a single digital platform across its markets in 18 months, having almost completed integration of its UK and Nordics’ business platforms.
Chief executive Fritz Joussen outlined the group’s digital transformation last week but dismissed a suggestion the digital focus would hit jobs.
He said: “We have significantly reduced our dependence on traditional tour operators. The transformation of our group will continue to develop Tui into a global platform organisation.
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“We’ll put emphasis on a common platform in all markets. We don’t have a separate IT platform for the Nordics anymore – it is with the UK – and in the next 18 months we won’t have any separate market platforms.
“The platforms will be just one – one system for software, for purchasing, for apps. If we have a new feature it will be available to all markets. We will maybe sell differently in each market, but on one system.”
Joussen explained: “Like with a Formula 1 car – a different driver might drive the car differently, but it is one car. We build it once but drive it in different ways.
“The system and the software will be one, but we’ll have different channels – retail, offline, online, different PNLs [profit and loss accounts]. But the software will be one.”
He insisted: “It will make our businesses more simple, more scaling”.
However, Joussen said: “I wouldn’t see there will be job losses. There may be changes to jobs – job profiles could be changing. [But] we are a people business and we stay a people business. Savings come from repurposing IT spend on more efficiency.”
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