Summer 2021 bookings remain at a “high level” of 2.6 million, with strong demand growth in recent weeks – average prices were up 22%.

The group reported adjusted Ebit (earnings before interest and taxation) of €-1.3 billion in the reporting period (H1 2020 less affected by the pandemic: €-795 million).

The 2.6 million bookings for summer 2021 was 69% lower than at the comparable point in time for summer 2019, however.

Although average prices were 22% higher than for summer 2019 “due to the high proportion of all-inclusive packages in current bookings”.

Capacity for the core months of the 2021 summer programme remained equivalent to around 75% of the 2019 summer programme, and “the pick-up in demand is clearly evident in recent weeks”, with new bookings doubling since April.

Bookings for summer 2022, were also showing a good trend, Tui said, with UK bookings up 109% since the end of March.  

Tui has also seen a 56% rise in online bookings in the first half of the year.

Around 70% of respondents to a Tui survey said they had already booked a holiday for this year or wanted to do so.

Chief executive Fritz Joussen said England in particular offers potential “when new travel corridors to southern Europe open there too in the next few weeks”.

European destinations, particularly Greece, Canaries and Balearic Islands, are proving most popular.

Unlike the sentiment of the UK government, the German chancellor and government have said that holidays in Europe will be possible for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

“This now gives families security and reliability when booking and supports local tourism and also the countries of Southern Europe,” said Tui.

“We are now at the beginning of the expected restart.”