Hotelplan merges beach holiday business into one division

The brands Hotelplan, Migros Ferien and the German Vtours will come under the umbrella of the new Volume Tour Operating business unit, as the Migros travel subsidiary announced in a press release on Wednesday. The existing flight broker business in Switzerland and Germany is also part of the new unit. The former Hotelplan Suisse business unit will thus be split up and the Vtours business unit will be merged into the new division. The two specialist brands Travelhouse and Tourisme Pour Tous, marketing in Switzerland, distribution and the 88 travel agencies will remain with Hotelplan Suisse, as Group spokeswoman Bianca Gähweiler said on request.

No job cuts

By combining the classic beach holiday business, it will be possible to bundle purchasing in Switzerland and Germany. Gähweiler said that the larger volume would result in lower prices in some cases. Nothing else would change for customers. The employees would also keep their jobs. "The adjustment of the organizational structure will not result in any job cuts in either Switzerland or Germany," wrote the Hotelplan Group.

Bachmann new head of the division

The head of the new Volume Tour Operating division will be Tim Bachmann (pictured), the current head of Hotelplan Suisse, who will remain on the Executive Board. Nicole Pfammatter, previously Director Distribution & Marketing Hotelplan Suisse, will become the new Head of Hotelplan Suisse, while retaining responsibility for Distribution. Pfammatter thus joins the Group Executive Board. Vtours CEO and co-founder Achim Schneider will leave the company at the end of October 2022, according to a statement: "He already made the decision not to extend his contract in summer 2021 and it is not related to the new organizational structure." As part of the structural adjustment, the Executive Board of the Hotelplan Group will also be expanded. Walter Jung, previously HR Director Hotelplan Group, and Adrian Arnold, previously Director Group Strategy & Projects, will be newly appointed to the Executive Board. As Chief People Officer, Walter Jung will increasingly focus on strategic HR issues for the entire Group. As Chief Digital & Strategy Officer, Adrian Arnold will be responsible for the digitalization of customer interfaces and the area of sustainability. (SDA)