PERSBERICHT - 2005-05-11
TUI: komende jaren verdubbeling resultaat
Het reisconcern TUI AG, de Duitse moeder van TUI Nederland, verwacht
in de komende jaren het operationeel resultaat in het toerisme vrijwel
te verdubbelen. TUI's bestuursvoorzitter, Michael Frenzel, zei dat
woensdag aan het begin van de vergadering van aandeelhouders in
Hannover. Ook voor 2005 is hij optimistisch. 'We hebben een goede
start gemaakt en verwachten voor het resultaat in hetv toerisme dit
jaar een groei in dubbele cijfers', zei hij. Eerder meldde TUI AG bij
een 1,8 procent hoger omzet een verlies van 196 (172) mln. euro in
hetv eerste kwartaal.
Hieronder de Engelse tekst van het door TUI uitgegeven persbericht:
TUI announces medium-term earnings growth programme / Conversion to
registered shares
/ Dividend proposal of 77 cents per no-par value share
TUI AG, Europe's leading tourism group, aims at almost doubling its
operating result in tourism, its core business, in the next few years.
This
was announced by TUI's CEO Dr Michael Frenzel to shareholders at
today's
Annual General Meeting in Hanover. 'We have got off to a good start to
the
year 2005. For the year as a whole, we assume a double-digit
percentage
increase in tourism earnings to be possible, said Frenzel.
Medium-term increase in earnings to 700 million euros in tourism
'In the medium term, we are intending to almost double earnings by
tourism
as against 2004 levels to EBTA of approx. 700 million euros. As far as
we
are concerned, the medium-term perspective implies the period until
2008',
said Frenzel in his speech to the Annual General Meeting. This is to
be
achieved by means of a comprehensive programme to boost earnings.
Frenzel
said: 'In order to achieve this improvement in earnings, we are
currently
working on a large number of well-defined individual measures at all
stages
of the tourism value chain.' The programme focuses on sustainable cost
reductions and an increase in efficiency. Achieving this goal
naturally
depends on a steady positive development of the market environment and
further moderate market growth.
Following cost savings of approx. 500 million euros already
implemented
since 2001, a further 150 million euros are to be saved through cost
reductions and more efficient production alone. As Frenzel pointed
out,
corresponding programmes have already been launched in source markets
Germany and UK. Frenzel announced that the measures include changes in
the
work organisation and an optimisation of distribution costs. As TUI's
CEO
pointed out, the cost containment measures will not focus on
reductions in
staffing levels.
In Frenzel's view, additional earnings potential can be tapped by
means of
'strengthening vertical integration of the value chain'. By way of
example,
21 hotels with more than 13,000 beds will be opened in 2005. A further
13
hotels with more than 6,000 beds will be opened in 2006. Activities
also
focus on the further expansion of online activities. 'Over the next
few
years, we expect the online segment to offer a considerable potential
for
growth, including earnings growth', said TUI's CEO. He expects this
sector
alone to entail a further earnings potential of up to 35 million euros
annually.
Conversion into registered shares
In his presentation, Frenzel asked the shareholders for their approval
of
the conversion of bearer shares into registered shares. 'This
facilitates
communication with our shareholders', said TUI's CEO. Another reason
for the
conversion is that registered shares will make it easier for TUI to
prove
that the majority of shares in TUI AG are held by EU nationals. This
evidence is required to obtain the operating licenses for the Group's
airlines under transport legislation.
Dividend proposal of 77 cents per share, as before
Frenzel proposed a dividend of 77 cents per no-par value share to the
Annual
General Meeting, as already paid last year. 'This means maintaining
the high
dividend level, which we even managed to retain in previous, weaker
years',
said TUI's CEO.