Travel agency Christian Tour will take over the network of TUI Travel Center agencies in Romania. The value of the financial transaction associated with the takeover of the agency network exceeds EUR 1 million, the company said.

The takeover of the TUI Travel Romania network will be completed by December 31 of this year.

Following the acquisition, Christian Tour will own the largest travel retail network in Romania. By integrating the 15 agencies taken over from TUI Travel Center and optimizing the existing network, Christian Tour aims to reach 80 points of sale nationwide by the beginning of 2025. The TUI Travel Center Romania network will undergo a rebranding process, with all its agencies becoming Christian Tour.  

Previously, TUI Travel Center Romania was owned, together with its network of agencies, by German Touristik, part of the Memento Group. After the transfer of the network to Christian Tour, German Touristik will continue to remain a Tour Operator under its own brand, becoming the ultra-discounter of the Memento Group and focusing its activity on the B2B segment, with ultra low-cost accommodation and charter offers distributed to over 1,000 reseller agencies in Romania.

"Lately, we have been making considerable financial and structural efforts to prepare for our IPO," Cristian Pandel, CEO and Chairman of Christian Tour, explains. "We have fully taken over structures or companies in which we were shareholders, or even majority shareholders, in order to strengthen our position on the market and ensure all the necessary components of a healthy and successful travel business - from the AnimaWings airline, which became 100% Romanian this year, to the network of agencies, from local players to agencies offering niche travel experiences. […] In the next stage, we aim to become the largest online travel platform in the country."

A member of Christian Tour Holding, Christian Tour is the largest travel agency in Romania, owned by brothers Cristian and Marius Pandel. Founded in 1997, the agency serves over 400,000 tourists in Romania annually through its online booking website and network of 74 sales offices. In 2023, Christian Tour posted sales revenues of more than RON 683 million, up 62.08% year-on-year.  The agency has its own fleet of coaches and contracts charter planes from specialized suppliers or from the aviation company AnimaWings, also a member of the group.

(Photo: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com