Hotel, Organisations & Operators,

The Riu family has taken complete ownership of the Riu Hotels & Resorts brand in a deal with TUI Group.
The holiday giant had held 49 per cent of the company, but has sold its share for €670 million as it looks to reduce debts built up during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Riu Hotels & Resorts has a portfolio of 19 hotels, with two properties in development.
Riu and TUI continue to have a 50:50 joint venture, with 100 hotels and resorts worldwide.
This joint venture will continue to manage and distribute all Riu hotels – including the 21 properties that will be fully owned by the Riu family.ADVERTISEMENTTUI said the sale means it is “strengthening its core business with holiday experiences”.
“The group intends to grow primarily with its international hotel brands Tui Blue, Riu, Robinson, Tui Magic Life and the management of these hotels, but in doing so will tie up less capital in land and its own real estate in the future,” added a statement.
The international Riu chain was founded in Mallorca in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family.
Cancellations
Also today, TUI has cancelled more trips because of “ongoing uncertainty” around travel restrictions.
Holidays to Aruba, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Jamaica and Tanzania have but cut until June 13th.
Trips to Greece, including Crete, Halkidiki, Kefalonia, Preveza, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thassos and Zante, as well as Spanish destinations including Formentera, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and La Palma, have also been suspended.
Finally, Tui Lakes & Mountains holidays are cancelled up to and including the same date.
The news comes in addition to a raft of cancellations announced earlier this week.

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Frank Comito has stepped down as chief executive and director general of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA).
During his tenure he led the association through the Covid-19 pandemic, several devastating hurricanes and numerous global challenges impacting the industry.
The transition to new leadership comes at the conclusion of nearly 40 years of service to local and regional private sector organisations in the Caribbean.
In a message to members, Comito, who will serve as a part-time special advisor to the organisation, said he was proud of how quickly and effectively CHTA adapted over the past ten months, working in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders to address the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that Covid-19 remained a critical concern, and declared the industry needs CHTA, its regional public sector ally, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), and local private and public sector tourism associations and entities working together towards the industry’s recovery now more than ever.

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“Our work has a bottom-line impact on restoring tourism and economies,” he stated.
Looking to the future of Caribbean tourism and CHTA, he voiced optimism that despite the headwinds facing the tourism sector and the association, industry leadership working with local and regional tourism associations will address immediate needs, mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, and help to steer a course to the future.
Comito was hired by CHTA six years ago when he made a five-year commitment to help refocus the organisation and address several longstanding challenges the organisation was facing.
The leadership of the CHTA had endorsed Vanessa Ledesma in assuming the post of acting chief executive officer and director general.
Formerly chief operations officer with CHTA, she has been noted for her skills, experience, integrity and deep passion for the industry.
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Hotelbeds has signed a strategic partnership with Thomas Cook.
The new online-only holiday business was launched recently following the acquisition of the brand by Fosun Tourism Group.
Thanks to this collaboration, Thomas Cook will gain access to more than 180,000 unique hotel properties in 140 countries worldwide.
León Herce, global sales director at Hotelbeds, said: “All of us at Hotelbeds are immensely pleased to see Thomas Cook relaunching and we are delighted to be able to support their new model.
“Hotelbeds has the experience, technology and hotelier relationships available to help Thomas Cook attract travellers with the best possible service and hotel product.

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“We look forward to watching it grow once again into one of Europe’s leading holiday brands.”
Thomas Cook joins Hotelbeds’ existing 60,000 travel trade buyers – such as tour operators, travel agents, airlines and points redemption schemes.
Emma King, head of commercial product, Thomas Cook, added: “When we were developing our new Thomas Cook we wanted to offer our customers the widest possible choice of hotel accommodation – and to be able to do that quickly without the need for direct contracting.
“Our relationship with Hotelbeds as a strategic bedbank partner, gives our customers access to a huge portfolio of exclusive and competitively priced hotels worldwide.”
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