Dertour UK targets ‘best of both worlds’ following Hotelplan acquisition

Dertour UK is seeking ‘the best of both worlds’ following its acquisition of four Hotelplan brands in August, according to new joint chief executive Ben Boesch.

 

The UK arm of Dertour Group – Europe’s second-largest travel group – now comprises 11 specialist businesses, after Hotelplan’s Explore Worldwide, Inghams, Inntravel and Santa’s Lapland joined existing UK brands Kuoni, Carrier, CV Villas, Journey Latin America, Jules Verne, Kirker and Solmar Villas.

 

Speaking to Travel Weekly in his first UK trade interview, Boesch said: “It is one of the largest acquisitions that Dertour has made.

 

“In the UK this means close to doubling our revenue.

 

“We now have more than 1,000 full-time employees working with us [and] a few hundreds in peak periods in the destinations.

 

“It is quite a substantial change.”

He said he is “a bit reluctant” to use the term integration, adding: “It is more about finding the best of both worlds. The four brands from the Hotelplan portfolio and the seven brands we already have excel in their domains.”

Boesch said he was “awestruck” at the breadth of offering, from skiing and walking to luxury and escorted tours, and emphasised continuing strong relationships with the trade.

 

“We are now trying to build the best home for those specialists [so] they can focus on what they do best, which is curate extraordinary experiences, take care of customers and take care of trade,” he told the webcast.

 

“With the support roles – technology, HR, finance, comms, sustainability – we make sure that they can grow further.

 

“Each of our brands has different strategies, different histories, legacies in regards to working with the trade. And that’s not something we’re planning to centralise.”

 

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

 

Dertour UK names Benjamin Boesch as joint chief executive

 

Commenting on technology, he said: “First and foremost, what does AI mean for us? How do we turn it into an opportunity to grow?”

He said Dertour Group’s owner, Rewe, has a long-term investment horizon “allowing us to grow”, and but also highlighted importance of the human touch alongside technological developments.

 

“I like ‘tech and touch’ as a summary. Travel and hospitality is a business of human connection…and it starts with the very first conversation that our customers have with our trade partners, travel agents or home-based travel consultants, or with the experts that we have in our businesses,” he said.

 

“Tech is an enabler to make that human connection better.

 

“I don’t see that this can be taken over by machines. You want to talk to an expert who has witnessed it before and hear about why this is the best place to go.”

 

He added: “I like to think of ourselves as the specialist for specialists.

 

“If you look at the UK portfolio, there’s not a giant brand which dwarfs the other smaller specialists.

 

“We are very well equipped to give each specialist brand what they need to grow.”

 

He highlighted another acquisition, Solmar, which has seen “rapid growth over the last few years under our ownership”.

 

“That’s what we seek to achieve with Inghams, Santa’s Lapland, Inntravel and Explore as well.”

 

Furthermore, he is eyeing growth for the brands in markets beyond the UK, thanks to the reach of the Dertour Group.

 

“We have ventured into other markets with our villa products, into Scandinavia, for instance; very soon [we will be in] Eastern Europe as well,” he said.

 

Another opportunity for international growth is the escorted tours market, with Jules Verne, Explore and Journey Latin America.

 

“Explore is already quite active in North America, operating out of a hub in Toronto, and in Australia as well,” he commented.

 

“There is great value in setting up tours that can address customers from multiple markets.

 

“Ultimately, we are also aware of the investment that this requires, so we take this step by step.

 

“I would love to see brands that have built such a beautiful and strong presence – in many cases leading positions – in the UK convey that to other markets.”