FTI Group
| FTI Touristik GmbH
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1983 |
| Seat |
Munich , Germany
|
| management | Dietmar Gunz, CEO and founder |
| Number of employees | around 12,000 |
| sales | 4.1 billion euros (Group) |
| Branch | tourism |
| Website | www.fti.de |
| Status: 2019 | |
The FTI Group is a German travel company . The parent company FTI Touristik GmbH , based in Munich, is operational and runs around 90 subsidiaries worldwide . The group employs around 12,000 people worldwide and is the fourth largest tour operator in Europe.
history
Frosch Touristik GmbH (today: FTI Touristik GmbH) was founded in 1983 by Gunz as a tour operator for the Mediterranean islands of Malta , Gozo and Comino . In 1987 FTI took over the business shares of LAL Sprachreisen GmbH, founded by Gunz in 1981, and in 1989 CA Ferntouristik GmbH, a German long-distance tour operator. Frosch Software GmbH as a company for special tourism software and UK Touristik GmbH, a special tour operator for Great Britain and Ireland, were founded in 1990. The Swiss tour operator CA Fernreisen AG (later: FTI Touristik AG) was founded in 1992 by FTI and four individual shareholders. In 1993 FTI founded CA Ferntouristik Inc. in Orlando, which was later renamed FTI North America Inc. In 1995, FTI acquired Air-Maritime Seereisen GmbH, a specialist provider of river and deep-sea cruises, and started organizing activities in Austria in Linz.
The umbrella brand was introduced in 1996. FTI founded TVG Touristik Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH. The company took over the exclusive distribution for the Italian club travel provider Club Valtur in Germany and Austria. In 1998 FTI expanded the program to include city trips. In the same year, the last-minute sales channel 5vorFlug was founded. The British tour operator Airtours plc invested around 30 percent in FTI in May. FTI launched its own rental car broker drive FTI in 1999 .
The British travel group Airtours / My Travel took over FTI Frosch Touristik in 2000 and converted the company into an integrated travel company with the FTI airline and group-owned hotels. The takeover did not pay off due to the economic crisis and high start-up losses in 2001/2002. On October 1, 2003, RM2366 Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH, a group of investors led by Dietmar Gunz, bought back the company and carried out a realignment. The 5vorFlug product area was spun off into the subsidiary 5vorFlug GmbH in 2004. The online portal for flight and travel searches fly.de was founded in 2005. In 2006, FTI expanded its multi-channel sales through cooperation with Euvia Travel GmbH (operating company of sonnenklar.TV) and BigXtra Touristik GmbH. Since autumn 2006, this focus has been supplemented by a TVG franchise concept under the name sonnenklar.TV travel agency. The IATA department and the consolidator business of the FTI Ticketshop were spun off into a separate company, FTI Ticketshop GmbH. In 2007, FTI sold Air-Maritime Seereisen GmbH to its managing director, Alexander Gessl. Euvia Travel GmbH, operating company of sonnenklar.TV, became a subsidiary of FTI in December. At the beginning of April 2010, Frosch Touristik GmbH changed its name to FTI Touristik GmbH and moved into new corporate headquarters in Munich. The company got back into the cruise business in 2011 and signed a long-term contract for Spirit of Adventure , the former dream ship Berlin . It was used as Berlin by FTI Cruises from May 2012 . In 2012 FTI took a majority stake in the British Youtravel Group and took over the French tour operator Starter, now FTI Voyages. One year later, the rental car brand Meeting Point Rent-A-Car was founded. The Egyptian hotel investor Samih Sawiris has held a stake in the FTI Group since March 2014, with 75.1% since April 2020.
In the 2016/17 financial year, six million customers traveled with the tour operators of the FTI Group. This achieved a turnover of around 3.1 billion euros.
Tour operator of the FTI Group
The FTI Group bundles several tour operators under the umbrella brand. This includes:
FTI tourism
FTI Touristik GmbH as a tour operator with package and modular tours: FTI Touristik as a tour operator offers a full range of trips to around 120 destination regions worldwide. Holidays with self-arrival, beach holidays, cruises and city trips are included.
5vorflug
5vorFlug as a last-minute tour operator: 5vorFlug mainly covers the area of last-minute holidays with a focus on bookings up to 42 days before departure. In addition, the provider also has package tours, holiday apartments and houses, hotel accommodation, flights and rental cars in all major tourist locations in its portfolio. Travel insurance is also offered.
LAL language trips
LAL Sprachreisen as an organizer for language trips: LAL stands for "Love A Language" and organizes language trips to numerous destinations worldwide. Customers can choose from English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. In addition, various types of courses and accommodation, such as school or adult courses as well as accommodation in private accommodation or school residences, are in the program.
Wind rose Finest Travel
Windrose is active in the high-quality study and long-distance travel market. The company was founded in Berlin in 1973 and has been part of the FTI Group since 2017. The offers include adventure, pleasure or study trips as well as cruises and family trips to destinations worldwide.
BigXtra
As a tour operator, BigXtra specializes in the sale of trips as promotional goods. Long-term offers for the off-season and the introduction of new products were made through well-known trading partners. The product portfolio includes travel destinations worldwide, from beach trips to family, bus and adventure trips to city and musical trips.
FTI Cruises
FTI Cruises was active in the cruise business with one ship, the Berlin , from 2012 to 2020 . The ship, which was operated under the name "FTI Berlin" for legal reasons until 2014, is a former ZDF dream ship . Due to its manageable size, the Berlin had the advantage of being able to call at smaller ports. The ship offered space for a maximum of 412 guests in a total of 206 cabins. In addition to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern and Western Europe, FTI Cruises also offered event and adventure cruises. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic , FTI Cruises ceased business and the ship was offered for sale.
sonnenklar.tv
Marketing via advertising broadcasts ("sonnenklar.TV") on German television (distribution via permanent advertising broadcasts ).
Travel agent
The FTI Group also acts as a travel agent; they include:
fly.de
The flight booking portal fly.de has been active since 2005. With the help of the flight search "Best Mixx", fly.de combines cheap, charter and scheduled flights from the range of around 800 airlines. After the search is complete, the cheapest tariff is selected for the customer. In addition to flights, fly.de also offers a large selection of hotels and rental cars.
TVG
TVG is a sales company that bundles various travel agency franchise models with the brands sonnenklar.TV Reisebüro, Flugbörse and 5vorFlug. There are currently around 300 TVG franchise travel agencies in Germany.
youtravel
youtravel.com provides online travel agencies and online tour operators with hotels and resorts worldwide with all catering options . It is a classic online B2B provider.
Hotel brands of the FTI Group
The group has been bundling its hotel business under Meeting Point Hotels (MP Hotels) since 2015. In addition to the main brand Labranda Hotels & Resorts, the company has added four more brands since 2018 and opened the first Design Plus hotels.
Labranda Hotels & Resorts
The hotel brand Labranda Hotels & Resorts was founded in September 2015. It started with 24 houses in the Canary Islands, Egypt, Morocco, Greece, Malta, Italy and Turkey. Another 14 hotels were added in the first year. Labranda Hotels & Resorts said it had around 9,000 beds in almost 60 hotels and resorts in July 2018. All Labranda Hotels are characterized by the fact that they are geared towards the destination country in terms of furnishings and offerings, which is reflected in the typical design of the hotels and the gastronomic offer. Furthermore, free WiFi is provided in all houses of this brand.
Labranda Hotels & Resorts are divided into five categories. This includes:
- Select: All inclusive , upper to medium price range
- Comfort: All inclusive, medium price range
- Familiy Star: All inclusive resorts for the family, middle to upper price range
- Balance: individual houses with a design inspired by nature; healthy food, medium to high price range
- City: City hotels, middle price range for business and leisure travelers
Design Plus Hotels
In January 2018 FTI launched a second hotel brand called Design Plus. This is aimed at customers who value trendy design, service and exclusive restaurants. In February 2018 the Design Plus Bex was opened as the first house in Gran Canaria. It is located in a former bank building in the center of the island's capital Las Palmas and plays with the symbols of a financial institution in its interior design: For example, the breakfast restaurant is housed in the former vault, and there are stylized stacks of coins in the lobby. In July 2018, the second Design Plus Hotel opened, the Seya Beach Hotel on Alacati Beach on the Turkish Aegean Sea. This hotel has 190 rooms and suites as well as a spa with wellness treatments, steam bath and sauna. Natural materials and colors were integrated into the interior design to reflect the architecture and mood of Alacati. The heart of the hotel is its own open-air beach club, which is also a point of contact for guests from Cesme and Alacati.
Kairaba Hotels & Resorts
In March 2018, the FTI subsidiary Meeting Point Hotels launched another hotel brand: Kairaba Hotels & Resorts. The houses of this premium brand enable beach holidays in 5-star resorts with ultra-all-inclusive service. The first resort is expected to open in Egypt at the end of 2018 under the name Kairaba Lagoon Sahl Hasheesh. More hotels will follow.
Club be
The Club Sei hotel brand was also launched in March 2018. The international club concept is aimed at families and sport-loving couples, singles and groups of friends. There is a sports and entertainment program in the facilities. There are also adults-only and wellness and spa areas for adults. An all-experience offer, which also includes a bazaar dinner, is planned as a catering concept.
The concept started in the 2019/2020 season with three resorts that previously existed as MP Hotels: Club Sei Lanzarote on the Canary Islands, Club Sei Belek on the Turkish Riviera and Club Sei Marmaris on the Turkish Aegean Sea.
Lemon & Soul Hotels
The next hotel chain was announced in April 2018. The newly planned Lemon & Soul houses are aimed at budget-conscious holidaymakers who value affordable comfort in three- to four-star hotels near the beach. The catering varies from no meal to all inclusive. Houses with a size of around 80–150 rooms in the Mediterranean area are planned.
Car rental broker driveFTI
The rental car broker driveFTI mediates rental cars from various car rental companies. With over 200,000 brokered vehicles, the provider is one of the largest rental car brokers in German-speaking countries. You can choose from small cars, mid-range cars, convertibles, sedans, vans and jeeps.
Destination management
FTI has grouped its Destination Management Companies (DMCs) worldwide under the umbrella brand Meeting Point International . The 100 percent subsidiary was founded in 2009. Meeting Point International is currently represented by destination management branches in 19 countries with 44 locations. They offer incoming services for the professional travel industry, including all services from overnight stays, ground handling , transportation and transfers to round trips, excursions, MICE to group travel and VIP offers.
Corporate headquarters
Since April 2010 the corporate headquarters of the FTI GROUP has been located on Landsberger Strasse in Munich. The building is considered innovative because of its ecological aspects, such as cooling and heating with groundwater and daylight-dependent lighting control. There are also some advantages for employees in the building, such as height-adjustable desks, an in-house kindergarten with over 40 places and the “Kairaba Lounge”, an employee restaurant on the top floor with a view over the whole of Munich. Around 1200 people have found a job on 22,000 square meters. The choice of the company's location directly on Donnersbergerbrücke is intended to enable commuters in particular to get to work quickly by public transport.
Criticism of dolphin and whale shows
After negotiations with the Hagen Whale and Dolphin Protection Forum (WDSF), FTI Touristik agreed in 2013 not to advertise any more "dolphin and whale demonstrations" anywhere in the world. The introductory pages of all FTI catalogs then said: “FTI Touristik advises against visiting dolphinariums and orca shows for reasons of animal welfare. We were therefore recognized as dolphin-friendly by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Forum (WDSF). ”In FTI press releases of July 10, 2013 and December 22, 2013, Ralph Schiller, Group Managing Director of FTI, explained:“ We also do without in our entire external presentation such as advertisements, poster advertising or travel agency decorations on the promotion of such shows. We want to make a contribution to animal welfare with our commitment. "
In the FTI Canary Islands winter catalog 2015/16 (p. 164/165), FTI again advertises the orca show in Loro Parque on Tenerife in a two-page application with a photo [quote]: “Experience the unique OrcaOcean show and let yourself be carried away by impress the power of the 6 whales. … Admire the intelligent dolphins… ”.
The whale and dolphin protection forum (WDSF) then revoked the dolphin- friendly award from FTI Touristik and published in a press release on September 10, 2015: "The WDSF reacted outraged and feels, and the FTI guests deceived . WDSF managing director Jürgen Ortmüller:" In May of this year, after the cooperation agreement in 2013, FTI had promised us in writing that marine mammals would still not be shown in the advertising of travel offers and that guests would still be advised against visiting dolphin shows. Now FTI is in front of the lobby of the dolphinarium operators buckled and apparently would like to earn money again from mediating the catastrophic dolphin and orca husbandry. "
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://www.fti-group.com/de/management
- ^ Fvw dossier German organizers 2016, FVW Medien GmbH, 23 December 2016.
- ↑ Handelsblatt of April 16, 2020
- ↑ Company portrait. January 2018, accessed on 19 June 2018 .
- ↑ FTI Touristik GmbH - a vacation giant on the German travel market. In: Urlaubspiraten.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Tour operator 5vorFlug. In: 5vorflug.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Good reasons for a language trip with LAL. In: lal.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Will FTI take over the luxury provider Windrose Finest Travel? In: abouttravel.ch . March 17, 2017, accessed August 30, 2018 .
- ^ FVW : Familienbande , edition of July 7, 2017.
- ↑ WINDROSE Finest Travel - Made in Berlin since 1973. In: windrose.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ BIGXTRA TOURISTICS. In: onlineweg.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ^ Franz Neumeier: "FTI Berlin": Return of a dream ship. In: T-Online . July 25, 2012, accessed August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ MS Berlin: Technical data. In: Kreuzfahrt1000.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ The Berlin. In: fti-cruises.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ^ CIN Staff: FTI Cruises To Shut Down. In: cruiseindustrynews.com. July 28, 2020, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
- ↑ 459 'Cruise Ship. In: apolloduck.com. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
- ↑ This is fly.de. In: fly.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ^ TVG - Description of the franchise system. (No longer available online.) In: franchisekey.com . Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 30, 2018 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ TVG. In: fti.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Youtravel. In: fti.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ FTI launches its own hotel brand Labranda Hotels & Resorts. In: htr.ch . October 14, 2015, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Touristik Aktuell : A handful of hotel brands , edition of July 9, 2018.
- ↑ FTI launches its own second hotel brand. In: touristik-aktuell.de. January 19, 2018, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Turkey: FTI opens new "Design Plus Hotel" on the Aegean coast. In: travel4news.at . July 23, 2018, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ FTI expands hotel brand portfolio. In: travel-one.net . March 6, 2018, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ traveler : Roula Jouny Hunger on Hotels , edition of April 27, 2018.
- ↑ Touristik Aktuell: A handful of hotel brands , edition of July 9, 2018.
- ↑ FTI launches new hotel brands. In: travelnews.ch . March 6, 2018, accessed August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ https://xn--reiselwe-s4a.de/aktuelles/fti/club-sei-mp-hotels-stell-innovatives-clubkonzept-vor
- ↑ FTI brings new hotel brand Lemon & Soul. In: fvw.de . April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Touristik Aktuell: A handful of hotel brands , edition of July 9, 2018.
- ↑ DRIVE FTI - RENTAL CAR WITHOUT SELF-PARTICIPATION. In: mietwagenauskunft.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ drive.de crazy cheap! In: drive.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ^ Meeting Point International. In: virtualmarket.itb-berlin.de . Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ FTI in new headquarters with subsidiaries under one roof. In: Reisenews-online.de . April 12, 2010, accessed August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ The new FTI corporate building: eco-innovation to make you feel good. In: fti.de. Retrieved August 30, 2018 .
- ^ Christian Schlesinger: FTI: Bird of Paradise of the Travel Industry. In: wiwo.de . July 19, 2010, accessed August 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Tour operator says shows the fight on BUNTE November 29, 2013
- ↑ FTI press release of July 10, 2013: FTI does not advertise dolphin and whale shows
- ↑ FTI press release of November 22, 2013: FTI does not advertise dolphin and whale shows
- ↑ FTI Virtual Catalog Winter Canaries / Cape Verde 2015/16: FTI Winter 2015/16 Canaries / Cape Verde
- ↑ Animal welfare organization withdraws FTI Touristik the title "dolphin-friendly" ( Memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
