More presence abroad for the Bluvacanze Group. Sales to over 1.3 billion in 2029

A vision that looks ahead to 2029 when sales of package tours will exceed 1.3 billion against the 1 billion and a little more of today, 60% of which will come from corporate and corporate clients and the remainder from holidaymakers. Domenico Pellegrino outlined the Group's future growth strategies during the annual convention involving the agency sales network and suppliers: continuing international expansion, consolidating the integration between the different lines of business - leisure, business travel, Mice, tour operating and incoming. "Today we are only expressing part of our potential. We can and must aim higher, together. Our industrial path is based on integration, innovation, discipline and strategic partnerships," said Domenico Pellegrino, CEO of the Bluvacanze Group, reiterating the strategic positioning. The expansion phase is only just beginning: we are building industrial and strategic partnerships to accelerate further". For the CEO, market prospects are as favourable as ever with an estimated 2 trillion in tourism consumption in Europe, 23% growth in business travel by 2028, and a premium leisure (luxury holidays ndr) consolidated around a few international partners.

Against this backdrop, the foreign presence of Cisalpina Tours International (CTI), the first company specialising in business travel management to have built its own network, is being strengthened. Today CTI has branches and hubs in 10 countries with offices in New York, Istanbul and Izmir in Turkey, Cyprus (Limassol), Brazil (Santos), Hamburg, Madrid, Paris, London and Geneva. In 2026, new openings are planned in the Middle and Far East with the aim of completing the global strategy, also based on the corporate partnerships of the MSC Group, which owns Bluvacanze. This is also why cruises represent a 'destination' that will be increasingly sold by the network's travel agencies. "Last year we transported 5 million guests," points out Leonardo Massa, Vice President Southern Europe of the Msc Group's cruise division. "We will arrive at eight World Class ships and invest over 7 billion euros, putting almost 18 thousand new rooms on the market. Today the Msc Cruises fleet has 45 thousand rooms per day, we will arrive at over 70 thousand".

Going, another of the group's tour operators, strengthened its premium segment and signed a DisneyGoing agreement to become the official distributor for Italy of services at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. On the commercial front, Mediaworld Viaggi was born from the partnership between the consumer electronics chain and the Bluvacanze Group. The aim is to offer an innovative travel booking service completely online through a dedicated portal with exclusive offers and packages designed for Mediaworld customers, more than one million of whom are members of the loyalty programme. BluVacanze has similar agreements in place with Carrefour Viaggi, MD, Ard and Giordano Vini.

As regards booking trends for the end-of-year festivities, the Observatory of the Bluvacanze, Vivere&Viaggiare and Blunet agencies highlights the success of cruises, now also the success of the Mediterranean in winter, a strong demand for Egypt and the Red Sea, 'hot' medium-haul destinations that are convenient due to their relatively affordable prices. In long-haul, the Indian Ocean stands out with double-digit growth, with the Maldives at the top of the pricing range. The booking curve remains very high, with advance bookings between 120-130 days before departure: a trend that has dominated in recent years.