FACE TO FACE NEWS NICK LONGMAN
Tui UK and Ireland
managing director,
WITH NICK
On being an accountant “The travel industry works off very thin margins, and you have to be on top of your numbers. You have to understand the drivers of profitability.”
The Thomson name will disappear this year, as the Tui brand displaces it on shops, brochures, aircraft and all else. Tui UK and Ireland managing director Nick Longman explains why to Ian Taylor
T
ui intends its rebrand of Thomson to change perceptions. That is what UK and Ireland
managing director Nick Longman told a University of Surrey audience at the end of last year, as he laid out the group’s strategy to engage growing numbers of consumers in rapidly changing times.
Longman said: “Thomson has been around for 50 years [and] legacy is a great thing. [But] it’s hard to change people’s perceptions and that is one reason why we’re going to rebrand Tui. It’s not a decision we’re taking lightly. [But] it’s an opportunity to speak to new audiences that would not consider Thomson, and
to stretch into more flexible and premium areas, offering a range of holiday experiences. “As Tui, we’ll have more data
than any other travel company in the world. It means we can offer much more individual holidays. We’ll harness our expertise to design personalised breaks.” He insisted: “Thomson’s
potential was really quite limited. Trying to stretch Thomson into new fields would just be too difficult. “The perceptions of a package
holiday [are] it’s easy, it’s secure, you have peace of mind [and] we’ll look after you. But it can be impersonal. With independent travel, you have a multitude of choice and total flexibility, but it can be confusing.”
Longman said Tui would offer
“a third way” with “the ease, the security, the reliability, but also flexibility and personalisation”. He said: “Tour operating has
moved on a long way. We’ve moved to holidays that are exclusive and available only from us. “We’ve evolved from traditional
package holidays to Spain and the Canaries to offer destinations such as Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Saint Lucia. “The move from Thomson to Tui
gives us the opportunity to break with that legacy perception, and to introduce a raft of new products. “It’s the right time to rebrand and a good opportunity to change people’s perception of us and of the industry.”
“I remember lots of detailed reviews with chief executive Peter Long. If managing directors and finance directors didn’t know their numbers backwards, he would rip them to shreds. That put the fear of God into me.”
On travel for work “I’m overseas virtually every week. I think it’s the reason I’m still married.”
“I visit rivals’ resorts to see if there is anything we can learn, [though] it’s a bit unconvincing pretending to be on holiday when you’re dressed in a suit.”
On data “I’ve probably spoken more about data in the past two years than I did in the previous 16. The geeks have become the rock gods in our business.”
On Tui’s rivals “There are traditional operators like Thomas Cook and increasingly Jet2. But we look at what Airbnb is doing and the low-cost carriers. You have to look at the travel providers.”
“[When] I was in charge of e-commerce across Europe, we asked whether we should work with Facebook and Google. The reality is you have to work with them. Rather than be worried, you need to become partners. You’re better off on the inside.”
Increased digitalisation
The rebrand will take place by the autumn, alongside an increased digitalisation of all aspects of Tui’s business.
Longman said: “Consumers
have much less patience these days.” But he added: “Knee-jerk decision-making is a fundamental opportunity. We already have phone payment methods and you can tap in and out of the London
5 January 2017
travelweekly.co.uk 17
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