TUI Group strengthens presence in Asia: New hotel projects drive growth in the region - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Ebel: “Asia is a growth region that attracts new customers to TUI. We are becoming a holiday provider in Asia for customers from the Far East. Our hotel clusters in Africa, Central America and Asia open up new growth prospects for TUI. We are becoming more independent of Europe”

Unique holiday experiences for new and existing guests

TUI Group is continuing its growth in the Far East. Following a visit to China and Vietnam, CEO Sebastian Ebel said: “Asia is very attractive – for TUI as a hotelier and in future also as a tour operator with package holidays as an export hit. The growing middle class, the increasing demand for high-quality holiday offers and the potential to implement sustainable tourism concepts make the region a strategic growth area for the TUI Group. We offer holiday packages for guests from Europe in the Far East and attract travellers from Asia who spend their holiday in the region. We are therefore tapping into new customer groups internationally, which will enable us to expand our global presence. This contributes to our goal of growing sustainably and profitably with more customers and more products. Our customer base is broadening and becoming more globally distributed. This will also make us less dependent on Europe, where the economy has recently slowed down.”

Today, TUI is one of the leading international leisure hoteliers and is represented in Asia by the global brands Riu and TUI Blue as well as the club brand Robinson. According to Peter Krueger, Member of the Executive Board and CEO Holiday Experiences, the portfolio is now being expanded: “We want to continue to grow globally with our 12 differentiated hotel brands. Our partners in the Far East trust in TUI's great expertise and the service quality of our hotels. We are offering more and more products in Asia and also for guests from Asia. In the coming years, we will more than double our number of the hotels in the region.” The first new projects have already been confirmed: predominantly with the TUI Blue brand, as well as for price-conscious holidaymakers with the TUI Suneo brand, which is scheduled to launch in China in 2025. In addition, a new offering is being created for guests looking for contemporary, laid-back luxury. A new-build project is planned for ‘The Mora’ brand in Bali, which will be realised in the coming years.

TUI Group currently has 18 hotels in six countries in Asia. Resorts in the Maldives, Thailand and Sri Lanka have been part of the TUI portfolio for many years. The next growth step followed in 2024: the destination of Vietnam was expanded, and hotels were opened in China and Malaysia for the first time. The Group is now also represented in the Thai capital for the first time with its own hotel brand, TUI Blue Maduzi Bangkok. Further milestones followed in December: The Robinson brand celebrates its debut in Vietnam, and with TUI Blue Berawa, the Group opens its first hotel on the Indonesian island of Bali. Further new openings are already being planned for 2025. The hotel projects are realised with local partners under management or franchise agreements.

TUI in Asia

With its incoming agency TUI China, the tourism group has been operating in China for more than 20 years and organises trips for European guests. TUI Musement also offers around 1,500 experiences in the region, in particular in Thailand and Indonesia. The expansion of the hotel business will now open up new markets for customers of TUI's European tour operators and increasingly appeal to holidaymakers from Asia. The independent TUI Care Foundation is also committed to sustainable development in the region with projects in Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Examples include the TUI Academy in Thailand, which creates employment opportunities in the tourism industry for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the TUI Sea the Change project in Bali, which restores coral reefs and raises awareness of nature conservation and ecotourism.

At a glance - TUI Hotel & Resorts in Asia (current portfolio/new projects):

China: 3 hotels (TUI Blue) / 9 further projects signed

Indonesia: 1 hotel / 2 projects signed

Cambodia: 2 projects signed

Maldives: 5 hotels (Riu, Robinson, TUI Blue) / 2 further projects signed

Malaysia: 1 hotel (TUI Blue)

Philippines: 1 project signed

Sri Lanka: 1 hotel (Riu)

Thailand: 4 hotels (Robinson, TUI Blue, TUI Suneo) / 3 further projects signed

Vietnam: 3 hotels (TUI Blue, Robinson) / 2 further projects signed

The 22 new hotels are scheduled to open within the next three years. Negotiations on further projects are already underway.

Image Credit: © TUI Group