Burling joined Thomson Holidays in the UK as a graduate trainee in 1990 before going on to play a “central role” in the integration of Tui AG with British entity Tui Travel plc, which was approved in 2014.
Under his watch, Tui cemented its position as Europe’s largest tour operator. Before taking on his group-level executive responsibilities in 2015, he spent four years as Tui UK and Ireland managing director.
Tui said: “During this time, he led Tui UK and Ireland to new sales and earnings strength and built up a highly differentiated product and destination portfolio, including the launch of the Sensatori concept, the rapid growth in UK sales to Riu hotels, and the development of new destinations like Cape Verde.”
Prior to his spell as Tui UK and Ireland managing director, Burling was new product development director and then chief commercial officer for the UK tour operator business from 1999 to 2011. He also played a major part in the merger of the Tui-owned Thomson tour operations with UK rival First Choice Holidays in 2007.
"Tui is back on track after the pandemic – sooner than many expected,” Burling said. “After this successful year, it is the right time to hand over in order to continue the necessary transformation."
News of Burling’s departure came as Tui revealed full-year (year to 30 September) revenue of €20.7 billion, the first time the group has topped the €20 billion revenue mark. This amounted to underlying earnings before tax and interest of nearly €1 billion.
Tui’s northern region, meanwhile, which includes its UK and Ireland business, turned around a €102 million 2021/22 loss, reporting earnings for the 2022/23 year of €71 million. The group is hopeful, led by strong early UK sales, of growing its earnings by around 25% next year.
David Schelp will succeed Burling and take over his responsibilities when he joins the executive board in January 2024. “David Schelp is an excellent successor with whom I have enjoyed a very long working relationship," said Birling.
Schelp held management positions at Tui from 2002 to 2022, most recently as chief executive of Tui’s tours and experiences platform Tui Musement, which now operates in more than 100 countries.
Tui Group chief executive Sebastian Ebel hailed Burling for “reliable guidance and support”, saying: “I would like to thank David Burling for the many years of excellent cooperation.
“In our nine years together on the group executive board, I have got to know David as a very thoughtful, experienced and forward-looking colleague who has manoeuvred our tour operators and airlines through difficult years and crises – always with a clear course.
“I would also like to thank him personally for his always reliable guidance and support. I wish him all the best for the future.”
Work to be done
On Schelp’s return to the company, Ebel said: “We are bringing back a colleague to Tui who knows the tourism sector and Tui inside out and who will be able to focus his energy on the growth of our tour operators and airlines from day one.
“During his time at Tui Musement, David Schelp has proven that he is capable of driving change and transformation. Together with the team of the group executive committee, I look forward to working with him to further develop our tour operator and airline business.”
Ebel stressed he wanted “more products, more customers, more growth and more profitability” next year. "We have reached good milestones by 2023, but there is still further to go,” he added.
