Tui is to introduce city break packages to Salzburg and Alicante as it hailed strong sales growth for its cities and tours product.
The operator also reported “massive growth” to Poland, with a 200% increase in sales to Krakow moving it ahead of Amsterdam and into its top three city destinations alongside Dubai and New York.
Speaking at a dinner for journalists in London, UK & Ireland managing director Neil Swanson said a decision to boost dynamic package sales by offering more third-party flight options was paying off, saying the strategy “offered flexibility” while being “risk-light”.
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The operator has begun actively marketing flights with third parties for the first time under the tagline “more airlines, more choice”.
Sales and marketing director Bart Quinton Smith told a dinner for journalists: “There are people who always want to be on a Tui flight and in a Tui hotel but there are also people who absolutely want this [flexible options with other airlines].
“Our challenge is protecting what we are doing well while also embracing where we are going as a business.”
Tui sells flights from more than 40 airlines, with easyJet, British Airways and Ryanair its main partners.
It has sold almost a million non-Tui flights since focusing on its dynamic model, including 100,000 passenger bookings with Ryanair in the first four months since the companies struck a distribution agreement.
Further marketing activity includes a new advertisting campaign which is due to begin next week and will feature a return of the “talking luggage” which has featured previously.
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