Tui launches in a new direction from Monday by offering its holiday customers experiences in their own countries under the strapline ‘No passport needed’.
The Tui Group’s tours and activities division Tui Musement has partnered with live experiences platform Fever to provide leisure activities and experiences to clients year-round rather than just on holiday abroad.
It will initially offer more than 350 ‘Experiences for locals’ to customers in the UK and Germany, including in London, Manchester, Berlin and Hamburg and almost 40 other locations.
These will be available via the Tui and Tui Musement apps and websites, although group chief executive Sebastian Ebel said the experiences, which include exhibitions, theatre shows, comedy gigs and food evenings, will also be bookable via Tui retail outlets.
The initial offer of 350-plus experiences will be drawn from the more than 30,000 on New York-based Fever’s entertainment platform.
Tui said its strategy is to become “a provider of leisure activities year-round, abroad and at home”
Ebel said: “We have refined our strategy over the last months.
“Whilst we are well known to customers for their annual holidays or even city breaks, we are now moving into a new phase where we can be the day-to-day partner for leisure activities at home.”
His colleague Peter Krueger, Tui chief strategy officer and chief executive of the group’s Holiday Experiences division, said: “This new leisure offering builds on Tui’s strong global footprint in tours and activities.
“Traditionally, excursions, activities and attraction tickets are products to complement a holiday. We’re thrilled that we’re now able to offer local experiences at our customers’ home cities – thanks to the cooperation with Fever.”
Ignacio Bachiller, chief executive of Fever, argued travel “should be more than just visiting a place, it should be about truly experiencing it” and said: “Our partnership with Tui marks an exciting step forward by integrating Fever’s curated events into Tui’s offerings.”
Tui Musement chief executive Peter Ulwahn added: “Tui is committed to offering extraordinary travel experiences, yet we recognise not every memorable moment requires a journey abroad.
“We’re inviting local residents to break the routine, explore new interests, discover hidden gems and enjoy some ‘wow moments’ closer to home.
“The Tui app now serves as a dedicated resource for local residents seeking exceptional day trips, outings and weekend plans.”
Tui noted the collaboration with Fever would also expand the distribution of its in-house experiences with Tui Collection excursions added to the Fever platform.
Fever launched in 2014 and has developed a global experiences, entertainment and event-booking platform with extensive backing from private equity investors.