The tourism industry and tourists have two more difficult years ahead of them, but we can hope that everything will return to normal by 2025 and it will be possible to travel around the world normally. Although most factors affecting the tourism sector are unpredictable in development, the tourism industry has proven its resilience during the covid, and the overall prospects allow us to count on the best, even despite the energy crisis around the world and the Ukraine factor. This was stated by Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group, the largest tour operator in the world, speaking to 400 participants of the Travel Talk Congress in Antalya.
“No one expected such a rapid recovery of tourism, which was in April-May,” he said, assessing the prospects of the tourism industry. At the same time, according to the expert’s forecasts, there are two more difficult years ahead for the tourism sector, and the main factors that will affect tourism are unpredictable – inflation, incomes of the population, as well as the political situation – primarily the factor of Ukraine and Taiwan.
The head of the largest tour operator also said that TUI is “aimed at profitable growth”, but the tour operator will “watch carefully how demand for leisure in Europe grows”. He also did not forget to mention that the “sanctioned” Russian main shareholder of the tour operator – billionaire Oleksiy Mordashov, “no longer has any influence in the company”, but admitted that he has “very strongly supported TUI” over the past 10 years.