Mixed Fortunes for European Tour Operators as Summer Season Begins
Photo Credit: A Jet2holidays aircraft. Parent company Dart Group is very optimistic about its current financial year. Flickr / Aero Icarus
Skift Take
Periods of prolonged hot weather can hurt tour operators with potential customers staying at home or booking a domestic trip instead. However, it shouldn't be used as an excuse to mask other problems within a business.
A sustained period of warm weather across northern Europe together with the distraction of soccer's World Cup has led worries about summer vacation bookings — but not everyone is feeling the heat.
The UK's Dart Group, which includes low-cost airline Jet2 and package vacation operator Jet2holidays, reported a group pre-tax profit of $177.9 million (£134.6 million) for the year ended March 31, up 49 percent on the previous period.
The company also painted a rosy picture for its current financial year with a strengthening demand for its leisure travel product, meaning group profit before foreign exchange revaluations and taxation would “substantially exceed current market expectations” in 2019.
Dart Group’s optimism contrasts with concerns over Europe’s two biggest tour operators TUI Group and Thomas Cook, which have bot
