Dertour UK sees ‘recovery of demand’ thanks to diverse portfolio

The new Dertour UK joint chief executive has hailed the group’s diverse portfolio which helped it to repatriate clients amid the Middle East conflict and benefit from a bookings recovery in other destinations.

 

Ben Boesch said just over 500 customers were affected when the war began two weeks ago, mostly Kuoni and Carrier clients, both in the Gulf region and onward destinations reached via connecting flights, such as the Maldives.

 

“We could use the power of the Dertour Group. We organised quite a few charters, finding their way back from the Maldives to Frankfurt and then connecting flights into the UK,” he told a Travel Weekly webcast.

 

“Whoever wanted to go home has found a way home with connecting flights or charter flights.”

 

Now the group is seeing a “remarkable pick-up” in sales for other destinations, he added.

 

“It needed one or two weeks for customers to assess the situation themselves and then talk to their trusted advisors and ask them: Where do you feel safe going?,” he said.

 

He noted “substantial demand” in destinations served by Dertour UK brands in the Mediterranean and Europe overall, plus Africa, Mauritius, the Caribbean and Far East options such as Japan.

 

“We saw some hesitancy, especially in the first two weeks. Now we see across brands a slow recovery of demand, and in some pockets, even stronger demand than before,” he added, highlighting its villa specialist CV Villas in the western Mediterranean.

 

Commenting on the resilience of the UK market, he added: “I am super confident that in the next few weeks we see more of that resilience reflected in demand for other destinations.”

 

More: Dertour UK names Benjamin Boesch as joint chief executive

 

Boesch was appointed in December to work alongside Francis Torrilla as joint chief executive in leading the region’s 11 specialist businesses. 

 

It was anticipated that the joint leadership structure will remain in place for a year, with Torrilla intending to retire towards the end of 2026.

 

In August last year, Dertour completed its acquisition of Hotelplan, establishing a group of 11 specialist brands in the UK, which includes Carrier, CV Villas, Explore, Inghams, Inntravel, Journey Latin America, Jules Verne, Kirker, Kuoni, Santa’s Lapland and Solmar.

 

Boesch said the “number one” task is now to communicate to customers and agents about where people can travel.

 

“People will still want to travel, and it’s our task to help our trade partners to give confidence to their customers [about] what feels both safe and accessible,” he said.

 

“There are a lot of options out there.”

 

Asked if prices are increasing, he added: “It’s very hard to generalise. Airlines have to think about their business as well, and it is obvious that on Far East flights and the Caribbean, we see fluctuations in pricing.

 

“I am convinced that, in a very short period, we see that level out to some extent, and our task is to find the best options for customers and value for money, and I am sure we can find those options in Europe or in Africa.

 

“I am an optimist by nature. I’m drawing from past events where we have seen recoveries coming up, and that is what I hope to see as well.

 

“The economic importance of tourism is very high for these for these regions as well. I hope that we see an end of this conflict very soon.”