TUI Balances Expansion Against Cruise Disruption Ahead of December 9 Annual Results

TUI is heading into its December 9 annual results presentation with a mixed operational picture: fresh hotel signings and a 2028 cruise programme on one side, repair-driven cancellations and a customer-service restructure on the other. The company will publish figures for the period through September 30, 2026 on that date.

On the expansion front, TUI Blue signed contracts for eight new hotels across Egypt, Bulgaria, Croatia and Portugal, with several openings slated for summer 2027. The TUI share edged up 0.3% to close at €7.75.

ROBINSON is also adding capacity. TUI said on November 5 that ROBINSON and the Club Ras Soma Hotel Company are jointly planning a second club, expected to offer around 250 rooms and open in 2029. The partners also extended the contract for the existing ROBINSON SOMA BAY, so the agreement now covers both continued cooperation at the current club and planning for an additional site.

In travel distribution, TLT Urlaubsreisen appointed Pidder Ferry Douven on November 5, tasked in particular with growing the mobile travel-consultant network in Germany and Austria.

Cruise Arm Charts 2028 While Repairs Bite

TUI Cruises unveiled its Mein Schiff summer 2028 programme, naming Lerwick as a new port of call and confirming Ravenna's return to the itinerary. The announcement firms up planning for the summer after next, pairing an added destination with the comeback of a previously offered one.

Closer in, the cruise unit has had to cancel another "Mein Schiff 3" sailing. The Norway trip, scheduled for November 14 to 28, was called off after repairs following the October 25 collision ran longer than expected, according to media reports. TUI Cruises named November 28 as the planned date for resuming its regular schedule. For the fully cancelled Norway voyage, the company will not pay commission to travel agencies, per media reports.

Service Centre Cuts and a Mallorca Honour

Industry sources indicate TUI plans to cut roughly 140 customer-service positions, mostly in the UK, with eight to ten employees affected in Hanover. The travel-agency service is to be spared from the job reductions.

Separately, the TUI Care Foundation said on November 4 that its TUI Forest Mallorca project was named a global winner at the Global Responsible Tourism Awards 2026, taking the prize in the climate-change adaptation category.