Tui Group plans to carry 1.5 million holidaymakers to Turkey this summer, increasing capacity across all source markets compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
One million of these passengers will fly to Antalya as a key destination in the travel group’s growth strategy.
The operator is naming its new Boeing 737- 8 aircraft after destinations as part of a fleet modernisation scheme.
The latest aircraft, which flew from the Netherlands, was named Antalya by world champion gymnast Ayse Begum Onbasi.
Tui offers multiple hotels in Antalya and has 26 properties in its hotels and resorts portfolio across Turkey, including Tui Blue, Robinson, and Tui Magic Life. Sixteen of these are in Antalya.
Senior purchasing manager Hasan Ozturk said: “Tui has many long-standing relationships across Turkey.
“As our capacity increases, we will be looking to grow our exclusivity working with new and existing partners, to continue offering customers holidays that can only be booked with Tui.”
The company announced this week its global hotel brand Tui Blue is again focusing on expansion and aims to grow to more than 300 properties.
Antalya is one of the regions where Tui hopes to expand the brand. An important driver for future growth are international partners who will operate Tui Blue hotels under management and franchise agreements.
Meanwhile, the management team of Tui Hotels & Resorts has been repositioned with the departure of managing director Thomas Pietzka “to pursue new professional challenges”.
He is succeeded by Bernd Kaiser, previously group director treasury.
Kaiser’s unit will continue to manage the group’s own hotels and joint venture investments as well as drive portfolio development and investments.
His team will also be responsible for advising a global hotel fund initiated earlier this year.
“The strong financing and investment structure enables further growth in the hotel sector, but in a less capital-intensive way,” Tui said.
The division more than doubled its operating profit between 2013 and prior to the pandemic in 2019, according to executive board member Peter Krueger, responsible for group strategy, mergers and acquisitions, as well as Tui’s airline, cruise and hotel assets and joint ventures.