- TUI reports improvement in late bookings
- Full-year operating profit guidance narrowed to €1.2bn to €1.3bn
- Summer booked revenue 7pc lower in England
- Winter booked revenue trailing by 7pc
- Recent booking momentum narrows winter decline to 1pc
When TUI Group announced it was tighteningits full-year profit guidance it flagged a late-summer surge in holiday bookings. Other sources across the trade have also noticed a pick up in late bookings and tourist stats from major European countries suggest a lift in September sales. See: September is becoming the new August across European destinations
On 22 September 2026 the European travel group reported that despite ongoing geopolitical and economic tensions a late-booking momentum over the previous four weeks helped narrow its underlying operating profit expectations. The company now expects underlying earnings to land between €1.2bn and €1.3bn for the financial year ending 30 September sharpening its previous estimate range of €1.1bn to €1.4bn.
A late surge in vacationers locking in travel plans close to departure helped rescue under-pressure revenue though the overall travel metrics remain mixed. Booked revenue spiked by 2pc during the late peak period centring heavily on short and medium-haul destinations like Greece and Spain. Total summer booked revenue remains 7pc lower in England and 2pc down in Germany compared to the previous year.
The late-booking trend is continuing into winter trading with overall winter booked revenue currently trailing by 7pc. However recent four-week booking momentum has narrowed winter booking declines to just 1pc lower than last year. In-demand winter destinations include mainland Spain the Canary Islands Egypt and Cape Verde alongside long-haul choices like Thailand and Mexico. TUI notes that its firm pricing policy and targeted cost-cutting measures are successfully offsetting the impact of soaring fuel costs driven by the regional war in Iran.
