DERTOUR Group has completed its buyout of Hotelplan Group.
The German travel giant now owns Hotelplan’s entire travel retail and tour operator businesses in Switzerland, Germany and the UK. This includes the UK brands Explore Worldwide, Inghams, Inntravel and Santa’s Lapland.
Hotelplan’s holiday home specialist, Interhome, is excluded from the sale and is being taken over by the HomeToGo Group.
Now the acquisition has been completed, Hotelplan UK CEO and Hotelplan Group Executive Board member Joe Ponte (pictured above, left) will leave the company at the end of September.
DERTOUR UK CEO Francis Torrilla (pictured above, right) will oversee the expanded group in the UK market, which now has 11 travel businesses in its portfolio, including Kuoni, Jules Verne and Kirker Holidays.
Joe said: “I will be leaving my position incredibly proud of everything our teams have achieved. Driven by passion, we’ve transformed our businesses to focus equally on planet, people and profit, constantly striving for excellence for our customers. I am confident that DERTOUR will be a strong, supportive home for our brands.”
Francis said: “There is a very good fit between the businesses, we are a diverse, purpose-led group with a strong focus on respect for our environment, lightening our footprint on the destinations we send customers to and operating business in a sustainable way.
“Our workplace culture is a positive one, we are based on values of respect, support and personal development and we want to welcome all the new colleagues into the group.”
DERTOUR Group CEO Christoph Debus said: “After months of intense preparation, the acquisition has now been legally completed.
“We are excited to officially welcome our colleagues from Hotelplan Group to the DERTOUR Group. This marks the beginning of growing together as a team, which we are approaching with great energy and a clear vision for further profitable growth.
“Our focus lies on travellers’ individual needs, and we want to inspire them with an even wider choice and range of offers. At the same time, we promise to continue to provide seamless, high-quality service.”
