Organisations & Operators,

TUI has completed its second rights offering this year.
The gross proceeds amount to around €1.1 billion.
The company share capital will thus be increased nominally by around €524 million euros to just under €1.6 billion.
The proceeds from the capital increase will be used to reduce the drawings on the KfW credit line and the banks’ cash facility (RCF).ADVERTISEMENTDuring the subscription period from October 8-26, existing shareholders were able to exercise their subscription rights and subscribe to new shares at a ratio of 10:21 for €2.15 per share.
Some 97.7 per cent of the subscription rights were exercised.
As announced, anchor shareholder Unifirm of the Mordashov family exercised the subscription rights in full.
Unifirm also acquired additional shares in the market and part of the unsubscribed shares and increased its stake in TUI AG from 32 per cent to around 33 per cent.
The unsubscribed shares subsequently went in full to qualified investors in a rump placement, part of which went to Unifirm of the Mordashov family.

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Jet2.com has added three more UK bases to its plans for summer 2023.
With summer sun in demand, the tour operator to leisure destinations across the Mediterranean and Canary Islands has put its programme on sale earlier than ever before.
With programmes going on sale today from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle Airports, this gives customers the opportunity to get that well-deserved summer break locked into the diary well in advance.
The exciting programme gives customers and independent travel agents fantastic choice and flexibility when it comes to their favourite summer destinations in the Canaries, Balearics, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal.ADVERTISEMENTOn top of six UK bases going on sale just last week, this means Jet2.com has its summer sun programmes on sale for 2023 across nine UK bases.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com, said: “Following the positive response to six UK bases going on sale earlier than ever before just last week, we are very pleased to be adding Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle too.
“We know that customers want something to look forward to more than ever before, which is why we are putting our exciting summer sun 2023 programme on sale now.”

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The newest name in sports travel, Destination Sport Experiences, has launched to the market.
The brand, created by Portman Travel Group, is set to cater for athletes who want to participate in the very best cycling, running and triathlon events across the world.
Destination Sports Experiences is headed-up by managing director, Brendan Fox, who alongside his team, has decades of experience working in the global sports travel industry.
The company will be offering travel packages and guaranteed entry to marathons, cyclosportives and long-distance triathlons around the world, together with VIP hospitality access to many of the top professional cycling events.
These start with L’Etape du Tour 2022, which is available now.ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking of the launch, Fox said: “We couldn’t be more excited to launch Destination Sport Experiences to the public.
“As you’d expect, a lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes, and continues to happen, to ensure our customers have an array of world-class events available to choose from.
“Destination Sport Experiences will provide athletes with incredible opportunities to take part in some of the best events and experiences that sport has to offer, while removing the stress from searching for travel and accommodation.
“We want to encourage everyone to do something extraordinary!”
Destination Sport Experiences are fully ABTA bonded with an ATOL licence, in line with the consumer financial protection requirements of UK travel law and will be launching travel products to new 2022 events over the next few weeks.

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Saga is launching a new brand campaign focused on changing the way people think about age and showing the more positive side of getting older.
The campaign is part of a wider data, digital and brand strategy, which champions what Saga is calling “Generation Experience” – the discerning, sharp and savvy over-50s.
The integrated campaign, based on deep customer insight, sees the launch of new TV advertising and will lean into digital channels.
The integrated campaign was devised by VCCP London, in partnership with VCCP Media, VCCP CX and Someone.
The over 50s are the fastest growing demographic in the UK, and one that holds the most spending power comparatively.ADVERTISEMENTSome 27.9 million people will be over the age of 50 by 2030 in the UK, and 63 pence of every £1 will be spent by people over 65 in 2040.
But despite the significance of this group – and rising awareness of the need for greater cultural representation of gender, race and disability – age is often left out of the conversation and either invisible or marginalised in cultural content.
Only 29 per cent of TV adverts feature characters over the age of 50, with just 12 per cent in lead roles.
Euan Sutherland, chief executive of Saga Group, said: “People are living longer than ever before; they are working longer; they are helping their families; they are contributing to society.
“We know our customers do not feel old – they feel as if they are experienced.
“They have lived full lives, have so much to give and fully intend to make the most of each and every day.”
Saga’s campaign will launch with a 60-second TV advert which will reveal the new creative direction of the brand.
Actor Nicholas Farrell (the Crown, Torchwood) brings a fresh take on perceptions of age, replacing negative connotations with a savvy and sharp-witted monologue – drawing on his own decades long experience as a screen and stage actor to embody the ‘Generation Experience’ attitude.

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Inghams has shared a sneak peek of its winter programme for 2021/22, Elevate Your Winter.
Highlights include fully-renovated chalets, new premium hotels and apartments, flexible booking policies and a new Covid-19 online hub, complete with a unique ski resort requirements section.
The programme was presented at the Inghams Winter Launch event in London this week, attended by trade partners, resorts and media, where the chief executive revealed that Inghams is on track for a strong recovery this winter.
The talking point of the evening was Inghams new Covid-19 online hub, an interactive resource for consumers, which went live this week and was presented for the first time during the launch event.
The hub provides information on the rules and restrictions in place across the countries Inghams operate in, from destination entry requirements to what to expect in resort. ADVERTISEMENTAnswers to how to get a lift pass, where face coverings on ski lifts are needed, if anything is required to enter bars and restaurants, what test centres are available in which resorts, and more, can all be found on Inghams’ bespoke Covid-19 hub.
The hub also includes details on Inghams’ flexible booking policies, discounts for UK test suppliers and Inghams’ In Safe Hands promise, which provides comprehensive financial protection for consumers booking with the operator.
New for this winter is Inghams’ ‘No fee from us’ booking policy, allowing customers to move their holiday up until 28-days before departure without fees, providing customers with even greater flexibility.
Commenting on the strong performance and winter outlook, Joe Ponte, chief executive of Inghams, said: “We’re delighted to see such strong booking numbers as we head into winter, and what’s even more encouraging is that 63 per cent of our direct customers are new to the Inghams brand, so it’s great to see that the work we have done during the pandemic has paid off.
“We want to make the return to skiing as safe and simple for our customers as possible, which is why we’ve launched the Covid-19 Online Hub and continue to upkeep our In Safe Hands promise.”
He added: “We hope that these resources along with the incredible chalets, hotels and apartments we have on offer this year will welcome customers back to the mountains feeling reassured and ready to ski, which is what we’ve all been waiting for.”
New accommodation features for the Inghams 2021/22 season include a number of renovated or new chalets, hotels and apartments.
At the launch, which took place in the atmospheric Après bar, London, and was hosted by snow sports competition commentator, Tim Warwood, Inghams provided a sneak peek of its ‘Elevate Your Winter’ campaign which launches week.
The campaign highlights Inghams’ plans to help people get back on the mountains and make this winter bigger and better than any before.

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Tui has launched its first major campaign since appointing creative agency Leo Burnett London.
The work will relaunch the brand with a fresh brand identity for the post-pandemic world against a backdrop of travel restrictions easing across Europe.
The Europe-wide campaign and platform, entitled ‘Live Happy,’ showcases the breadth of the Tui offer.
The campaign kicks off with a 60-second film, produced by Forever and directed by Kinga Burza, which will premiere during Coronation Street on ITV.
It takes viewers on a journey through a world of TUI experiences, from beach trips to exploring far flung islands by canoe and day trips around a Moroccan souk.ADVERTISEMENTWith this fresh and colourful take on what a new world of travel and holiday experiences can look like, TUI is looking to attract broader audiences who look for authentic local experiences on holiday, without alienating important package holiday buyers.
The platform is designed to be a long-term campaign that will run for years, repositioning TUI as a modern, progressive travel company and demonstrating that TUI has the expertise, range and scale to create the perfect travel moment for anyone and everyone.
Katie McAlister, chief marketing officer, Tui, said: “It was important for us to show that TUI helps to create much more than beach and sun holidays – with us you can ski, spa, explore cities, and everything else in between.
“In the past people may have believed Tui didn’t have the type of holiday they wanted to experience and Leo Burnett has helped bring to life our perspective on travel: that holidays are so much more than “just a holiday”.
“Ultimately, they enrich our lives for years to come – and it was this diversity of experience that we wanted to come across in the campaign.”

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The Competition & Markets Authority has launched court action against Teletext Holidays over inadequate progress on refunds to package holiday customers.
In May, the government body announced that Truly Holdings, the company that operates Teletext Holidays, and its sister company, the travel operator Alpharooms.com, had signed undertakings committing to refund package holiday customers for holidays cancelled during the pandemic.
After reviewing Truly Holdings’s final report on progress with repayments, the CMA wrote to Truly Holdings on September 16th stating it would take the company to court unless it took urgent action to improve how it handles refunds to package holiday customers.
The CMA does not consider that Truly Holdings has done enough to provide refunds to package holiday customers with outstanding claims, including recent cancellations, or to make sure that it pays all future refunds that are due within the 14 days required by law.
The CMA has therefore filed proceedings requesting a court order that outstanding refunds be immediately repaid and that, going forward, customers who are entitled to a refund are repaid within 14 days.
The CMA will also be asking the court to order that Truly Holdings puts in place appropriate processes to ensure it complies with the law in the future.
As the CMA considers that Truly Holdings is in breach of the law and that harm to consumers is ongoing, it is seeking that the claim be expedited, so that the case can be heard more quickly.ADVERTISEMENTHowever, it is for the court to determine a date for the hearing.
Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the CMA, said: “Companies must abide by consumer protection law and treat their customers fairly.
“After engaging with Teletext Holidays extensively, we are now requesting a court order to make sure that the company immediately pays back the money it still owes to customers and refunds people within 14 days, going forward.”
Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said more needs to be done to tackle errant companies.
He added: “It’s unacceptable that Teletext Holidays has not yet paid all outstanding refunds for cancelled holidays and is still failing to comply with the 14-day period required by law, so the Competition & Markets Authority is right to start court action.
“Teletext is just one of many holiday providers that have attempted to shirk their legal responsibilities to refund customers for cancelled trips, highlighting the need for industry-wide reform.
“The government must ensure there are better protections for holidaymakers’ money, while the Civil Aviation Authority and Competition & Markets Authority must be given stronger powers to take action against companies that break consumer law – including the ability to impose fines if necessary.”

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The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Neom have partnered for a new initiative focused on the future of tourism in Saudi Arabia.
The Tourism Experiences of the Future challenge will source innovative ideas and disruptive business models related to the tourism needs of the future, in line with growing demand for new experiences.
All proposals must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the UNWTO said, and should include the introduction or adaptation of digital and technological elements.
They will be focused on at least one of the following areas:

Optimising and maximising the potential of experiential tourism.
Harnessing the positive impact of new technology.
Alternative business models.
Innovative experiences.

The competition is the first national initiative dedicated to identifying new companies that will lead the tourism sector’s transformation in Saudi Arabia.
As well as established businesses, the competition also welcomes applications from Saudi Arabian start-ups and innovators with ideas capable of revolutionising and inspiring tourists by presenting new ways and reasons to travel.
Applications are open until October 24th, with great interest expected, and participants must be Saudi citizens with legal capacity to enter into a contract.
Successful projects will be selected based on various criteria, such as the degree of innovation, their viability and sustainability.
An affiliate member of UNWTO since 2019, Neom is located in north-west Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea.

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