Get hold of spontaneous bargains at the airport? According to TUI boss Ebel, that should be difficult this year. If you are planning a summer holiday, it is better to book in good time. In many holiday resorts there are hardly any free hotels and accommodations.
According to TUI boss Sebastian Ebel, the time for cheap flights is finally over. “In 2023 there will be no ‘last-minute summer’ like there used to be,” said the head of the world’s largest travel group of the “Bild am Sonntag”.
“On the contrary: Shortly before departure, prices will tend to be higher rather than cheaper, because hoteliers and airlines also know that there are still a lot of bookings at short notice.” Spontaneous bargains will be the absolute exception, believes Ebel.
In the case of air travel, there is also the reduction in capacity at the airports. “The demand for holiday flights in particular exceeds the supply. That’s why these cheap offers, with isolated exceptions for marketing campaigns, will no longer be available as they used to be,” said the CEO of TUI AG.
Greece particularly popular
All-inclusive offers are particularly popular this year because all costs are covered. According to the CEO, the most popular travel destination is Greece.
In some holiday resorts there are almost no more free beds – for example on the islands of Kos, Crete or Rhodes. On the other hand, there is still capacity on Mallorca, the Spanish mainland and Turkey.
TUI has bottomed out
The travel company got into trouble during the pandemic, but claims to have bottomed out. “We will make a profit this year. We have paid back the state aid in full in the last few days,” said Ebel.
The state economic stabilization fund (WSF) and the state-owned development bank KfW had saved TUI from going under after the business slump as a result of the corona pandemic with capital injections, bonds and credit lines totaling around 4.3 billion euros. From the point of view of the WSF, the group has now left its pandemic-related problems behind.