TUI group expands European footprint
- 2/24/2026
- 1 Day
TUI expands its presence in Europe and
opens up a new market: Romania. From day one, Romanian customers have access to
TUI’s global product portfolio with more than 1,500 package holidays and TUI’s
hotel brands such as TUI Magic Life, TUI Blue and RIU.
“TUI Romania once again shows how we are turning our
strategy into growth: We are opening up a new market, reaching new customer
groups and expanding our product offering. This will also make us less
dependent on our traditional markets. With today’s launch, Romania becomes a
new source market for TUI. At the same time, we see strong potential for
Romania as an attractive destination for European holidaymakers. We will work
closely with local stakeholders to contribute as TUI to the long-term
development of the country’s tourism sector,” says Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI
Group.
The launch of TUI Romania is part of TUI Group’s
strategy to build a scalable platform tailored to Eastern Europe. The countries
represent one of the most dynamic growth regions in Europe’s travel industry,
with strong potential to reach new customer groups. The cluster currently
includes Poland and the Czech Republic, with Romania as the latest addition.
TUI’s activities in Poland serve as a strategic model for the region. Global
technology platforms are rolled out with only minor adaptations, while products
and customer communication are tailored to the specific needs of each market.
“Poland has provided the strategic blueprint, the
Czech Republic is growing – and Romania is the next step towards a strong,
regionally anchored TUI platform in Eastern Europe. We see further potential in
the region and plan to expand into additional markets by 2030,” adds Mircea
Tudose, Managing Director Expansion Businesses at TUI Group and also
responsible for the Eastern European growth cluster.
At launch, the portfolio focuses on established holiday
destinations popular with Romanian consumers. These include Turkey, Greece,
Spain, Cyprus, Egypt and Tunisia. Further expansion of the offering is already
planned. In addition, travellers can book exotic destinations such as Zanzibar,
Jamaica and the Maldives. TUI Romania offers holidays from four major Romanian
airports: Bucharest (OTP), Cluj Napoca (CLJ), Timișoara (TSR) and Iași (IAS).
These airports are easy to reach for the majority of people in the country.
“TUI is entering Romania with a long-term strategy. We
want to become an integral part of the market and work closely with local
partners. Our goal is to give Romanian travellers the confidence that their
holiday is their very own journey – easy to plan, well supported and reliably
delivered,” says Andreea Petrisor, Managing Director of TUI Romania.
TUI Romania will implement a hybrid distribution
model, combining trusted personal advice with digital accessibility. At launch,
the main sales channels are the brick‑and‑mortar distribution network with an
initial 200 partner travel agencies, as well as the website tui.ro and the TUI
app. The partner network is expected to grow to 500 agencies by the end of
2026. In parallel, TUI Romania plans to open up to five TUI travel shops in
2026. More own travel agencies will follow, addressing Romanian travellers’
preference for personal advice alongside seamless digital booking.







