Holiday firm Tui has slashed winter losses and forecasts a booming summer thanks to pent-up demand amid easing restrictions.
Britain is “leading the way” for bookings along with Denmark, the travel giant said.
The UK government’s decision to ditch travel curbs for vaccinated travellers has helped boost demand in what is Tui’s second-largest market. Summer holiday bookings in Britain are up 19 per cent compared with two years earlier.
Bookings for overseas holidays soared in early January after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the easing of testing and quarantine requirements for arrivals.
Heathrow Airport, the UK's busiest aviation hub, is preparing to meet a 394 per cent surge in summer bookings.
Tui, a multinational company headquartered in Germany, reported an underlying loss of €273.6 million ($312.6m) for its first quarter to the end of December, compared with a loss of €675.8 million a year earlier. Tui's financial year runs from October to September.
Tui saw revenue rise five-fold to €2.37 billion from €468 million a year ago, helped by surging prices — up 22 per cent for summer trips and 15 per cent higher for winter holidays.
The firm put the surge in prices for holidays down to travellers having bigger budgets and looking for better quality.
The spread of the Omicron variant proved to be a “short-term dampener” at the end of November and December, Tui said. However, holidaymakers are still looking to book very last minute amid fear of restrictions and disruption.
The travel group said “confidence in progress in ending the pandemic is increasing and holiday bookings are picking up significantly”.
Fritz Joussen, chief executive of Tui, said the firm is expecting a “strong summer 2022” for bookings, which are set to be close to levels seen before the pandemic.
“There is pent-up demand among customers. We see this in all European source markets,” Mr Joussen said.
“Every step towards normality gives people confidence, and the demand for holidays increases immediately.”
But despite the increasing demand for foreign holidays, staycations are predicted to remain popular for Britons this year.
More than a third (35 per cent) of people surveyed by travel deals firm Travelzoo said they will probably book three to four UK trips before the end of the year.
The ballot showed one in five (22 per cent) had already made domestic travel bookings.
When booking a trip, 45 per cent of those polled said the most important factor for travellers is the ability to change dates or be flexible on dates without being charged.
However, there are also signs the UK tourism market may suffer from people choosing to go abroad this year, many for the first time since before the coronavirus crisis.
Visit Devon, the tourism board in the English county famed for its beaches, said booking for the half-term school holidays in February was “looking slow”. The authority said the rising cost of living was probably playing a part in putting people off staycations.
In a recent Skyscanner survey, 40 per cent of British travellers revealed they will travel abroad in 2022 for summer holidays, followed by Christmas (15 per cent) and Easter (13 per cent).
More than one in four ranked guaranteed sunshine to be one of the most important factors when booking a holiday this year.
Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Turkey proved to be Europe’s most popular destinations for travellers from the UK for economy return travel this summer. Prices are up to 67 per cent cheaper for economy return travel from the UK this summer, compared with the same period in 2019.
Dubai proved to be the overall most popular overseas destination for Britons.
Skyscanner data shows bookings to Dubai from the UK made in January for travel this year were up 49 per cent from the same month in 2020.
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
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Community Shield info
Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)
Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
Referee Bobby Madley
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
