Spanish accommodation wholesaler Hotelbeds has developed a global leadership position
Leadership positions, strategic clarity and financial strength are key success factors for leisure travel companies according to Peter Long, Chief Executive of TUI Travel PLC, who presented the key note speech at the conference at VIII Foro Turístico Hosteltur 2012
According to Joan Vilà, Managing Director of Accommodation & Destinations Sector, TUI Travel PLC, and President of Hotelbeds, the profitability of Hotelbeds is based on growing and operating globally, working with large volumes, be more efficient and understanding that the price is fundamental
Madrid, May 2012.- The global market for accommodation wholesalers, which in 2011 reported sales of 18.2 billion Euros, is forecast to grow 7.3% by 2015 to reach 24.1 billion Euros. That has been pointed out by Peter Long, Chief Executive of TUI Travel PLC, in the VIII Foro Turístico Hosteltur 2012, where he stated that APAC and Americas will be the fastest growing segments in the next three years, with increases of 9.1% and 6.3%, respectively.
During his speech at the opening of the Forum, Peter Long pointed out that Spanish Hotelbeds, the worldwide accommodation wholesaler, has reached a market share that positions the company as the global leader in accommodation wholesaler ahead of its competitors. In particular, Hotelbeds, TUI Travel’s largest business within the Accommodation & Destinations Sector, reported revenues of 1.2 billion Euros for the year ended 30 September 2011, when the company sold 14 million room nights.
According to Long, the growth of Hotelbeds, formed in Spain and with its head office in Palma de Mallorca, is explained by the “strong international expansion” carried out by the company, which sells accommodation in over 45,000 hotels to travel providers such as airlines, tour operators and travel agencies.
Moreover, Hotelbeds American and Asian markets have also been the fastest growing source markets in recent years. Specifically, America has gone from representing a 10% in 2008 to 24% in 2011, an increase that has also experienced Asia, whose weight as a source market has increased from 2% in 2008 to 11% in 2011.
Market trends and key success factors
At the forum focused on discussing, sharing and reflecting on the profitability of the tourism industry, Peter Long unveiled the key success factors to TUI Travel’s growth in a global market where there is an increasing demand for leisure travel.
He pointed out that TUI Travel had achieved success through building leading brands, leveraging its scale and focusing on the customer experience and the online market. He explained that having an experienced management team and financial strength were also crucial factors behind TUI Travel´s success.
Joan Vilà, Managing Director of Accommodation & Destinations Sector, TUI Travel PLC, and President of Hotelbeds, pointed out that the profitability of Hotelbeds is based on “growing and operating globally, working with large volumes and being more efficient”.
During his speech in the debate of “Profitability in the tourism sector: unfinished business” at Foro Turístico Hosteltur, Vilà highlighted that, in 2000, the tourism landscape began to change completely: “We saw a great opportunity in the accommodation sector and understood that we should do so on a large scale. That is why we decided to build a platform that would allow us to operate at a global level and that has made us very efficient. Our approach has always been directed to grow, adding destinations, improving our product and incorporating new source markets”. “We also understood that we should be competitive from the start. Given that we are a business for masses, in which the price is fundamental, has automatically allowed us to have an efficient model in cost”, he added.
