TUI is strengthening its presence in Europe and opening a new market: Romania. From day one, Romanian customers will have access to TUI's global product portfolio of more than 1,500 package holidays as well as TUI's hotel brands such as TUI Magic Life, TUI Blue and RIU.
– TUI Romania once again shows how we translate our strategy into growth: We open a new market, reach new customer groups and broaden our product offering. It also makes us less dependent on our traditional markets. With today's launch, Romania becomes a new source market for TUI. At the same time, we see strong potential for Romania as an attractive destination for European holidaymakers. We will work closely with local stakeholders to contribute to the long-term development of the country's tourism sector, says Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group.
The launch of TUI Romania is part of TUI Group’s strategy to build a scalable platform tailored for Eastern Europe. The countries in the region constitute one of the most dynamic growth regions in the European travel industry, with great potential to reach new customer groups. The cluster currently includes Poland and the Czech Republic, with Romania as the latest addition. TUI’s operations in Poland serve as a strategic model for the region. Global technology platforms are rolled out with only minor adaptations, while products and customer communications are tailored to the specific needs of each market.
“Poland has been the strategic template, the Czech Republic is growing – and Romania is the next step towards a strong, regionally anchored TUI platform in Eastern Europe. We see further potential in the region and plan to expand to more markets by 2030,” says Mircea Tudose, Managing Director Expansion Businesses at TUI Group and responsible for the growth cluster in Eastern Europe.
At launch, the portfolio focuses on established holiday destinations that are popular with Romanian consumers. These include Turkey, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Egypt and Tunisia. Further development of the offer is already planned. In addition, travelers can book exotic destinations such as Zanzibar, Jamaica and the Maldives. TUI Romania offers travel from four major Romanian airports: Bucharest (OTP), Cluj-Napoca (CLJ), Timișoara (TSR) and Iași (IAS). These airports are easily accessible to the majority of the country's population.
– TUI is entering Romania with a long-term strategy. We want to become an integrated part of the market and work closely with local partners. Our goal is to give Romanian travelers the security that their vacation is their own trip – easy to plan, with good service and delivered with high reliability, says Andreea Petrisor, CEO of TUI Romania.
TUI Romania will implement a hybrid distribution model that combines personal advice with digital accessibility. At launch, the main sales channels will consist of a physical distribution network with an initial 200 partner travel agencies, as well as the tui.ro website and the TUI app. The partner network is expected to grow to 500 agencies by the end of 2026. In parallel, TUI Romania plans to open up to five of its own TUI travel stores in 2026. Additional own travel agencies will follow, in line with Romanian travelers' preference for personal advice combined with smooth digital booking solutions.
