Veratour continues to grow, bookings up 5-8% in summer

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor)- Veratour, a tour operator operating in the holiday villages segment, after closing a record 2023 with a 28% increase in turnover to 234 million euros, continues to grind out positive numbers and for the summer is aiming at a further increase of between 5 and 8% in bookings. This was explained by the CEO, Stefano Pompili, in an interview with Radiocor, in which he also announced the opening of new villages and destinations that will be included in the bouquet of offers for customers.

"For this summer we expect a growth in bookings of between 5 and 8% compared to 2023, which was an extraordinary year for us". In terms of geography, the data available so far indicates that "29% of Italians will choose Italy; 13% Greece, 10% Tunisia, which is experiencing very strong growth. The Canary Islands and Cape Verde, which is chosen by 11% of our customers, are also doing well. Egypt, at around 17%, was inevitably affected by the ongoing geopolitical tensions even if the slowdown was less marked than our forecasts. Long-haul has seen great growth over the winter and continues on this trajectory, with Zanzibar definitely the undisputed queen among the destinations in our portfolio'.

The CEO also spoke on the issue of 'expensive flights', which 'has certainly had an impact, as has the increase in hotel rates. But in this respect, our choice to rely on charter airlines has allowed us to limit the price increases. We have been able to manage the impacts in a balanced way, managing to contain the increases in the order of 3-4%, compared to estimates of around 8%. This is because it is part of our DNA to limit the impacts in a sector like ours that caters to a tourism sector whose core business is mainly families,' he said. In particular, Pompili emphasised that 'with the airline companies with which we have partnerships, we have signed a framework agreement that allows us to establish the maximum increases that can be achieved.

"In June we will inaugurate two new destinations: one in Cape Verde, specifically in Boa Vista, and another in Egypt in Sahl Hasheesh. A total of seven holiday villages will be opened by 2024. But we are also looking at other long-haul destinations. In particular, our focus is on southern Madagascar, specifically Tulear,' explained Pompili. 'Madagascar could be something new that we could include in our Indian Ocean offer'. Long-haul is also the star for the Easter holidays. "The Caribbean, Zanzibar and Kenya are the destinations that Italians have chosen for the Easter holidays. A change essentially due to the geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea". According to the CEO, "the number of travellers has not changed compared to the previous year; what has changed is the mapping of destinations, obviously due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions. While last year 35% of Italians chose the Red Sea as their holiday destination, today this percentage has dropped: we are around -25%. We register positive numbers for the long haul, with Kenya and Zanzibar seeing growth of 35%. Cape Verde and the Canary Islands also did very well, growing by 30% respectively'. Compared to last year, continues the top manager, 'the balance is zero. In addition to geopolitical tensions, this is also affected by the fact that this year Easter is at the end of March. Last year it fell in April, which is by far a better period for travel'.