TUI enters partnership agreement with Accor
| Service |
Hanover, July 21, 2003
Dr Michael Frenzel, TUI AG chairman, and Jean-Marc Espalioux, CEO of Accor S.A., today signed a contract in Paris concerning strategic co-operation: from summer 2004 TUI group tour operators will include 180 Accor hotels of the brands Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis in their European range.
From winter season 2003/04 onwards, Accor travel agents will sell products from the new TUI brand, which arrives on the French market in autumn.
Dr Michael Frenzel, TUI AG chairman, said: "This co-operation between TUI and Accor will greatly benefit both sides. The well-known Accor hotel brands mean TUI tour operators have an excellent complement to their range, in particular in the growing city tour segment. For its part, Accor has gained a strong new partner with more than 20 million customers."
TUI, the world's leading tourism group registered in Hanover and Berlin, encompasses 81 tour operator brands throughout Europe with around 20 million customers per year. The Group also includes 3,700 travel agencies, 32 destination agencies, and carriers with around 90 aircraft, belonging to well known brands such as Hapag-Lloyd Flug and Britannia Airways. Its hotel holdings portfolio contains about 285 hotels with around 150,000 beds.
Accor has facilities in 140 countries, a workforce of 150,000 and is market leader in Europe in the hotel and service industries. Accor is a top player world-wide in vacation trips, tourism and services. Accor (Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Frantour) and Seletour formed the Alliance travel agents network, operating 1074 travel agents together with their partners CIT, Lusitania, Verny and Wasteels.
For further information please contact:
Björn Beroleit, phone +49 511 566-1310
Nicola Gehrt, phone +49 511 566-1435