As we have reached the midpoint of the year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve embarked upon this season. As a company, we entered this chapter with our sights set on overcoming the headwinds and obstacles that have marked our path to recovery post the Covid-19 pandemic. Our tenacity and drive have been put to the test in an operating landscape that has been nothing short of demanding. This is especially true in Ireland, where a significant portion of hotel capacity remains beyond our reach.
Despite these challenges, we’ve remained steadfast in our commitment to deliver exceptional service and mitigate any impacts to produce the best outcomes for you and your customers.
In light of these circumstances, I’m thrilled to share with you the remarkable strides we’ve taken in our revenue recovery. We have not only managed to return to the revenue levels of 2019 but have exceeded them. This achievement underscores the remarkable resilience we’ve exhibited across our destinations and business lines. Scandinavia in particular has performed extremely strongly, exceeding expectations, and I’m delighted to welcome Thais Machado as our new MD in Copenhagen, building on the successes achieved by Christian Nissen who has moved into an interim Group role. Such success would not have been possible without your continued cooperation and trust in our abilities.
I would also like to thank my dedicated team, who consistently go the extra mile. In anticipation of the eagerly awaited travel rebound, we bolstered our ranks by welcoming 92 new members of staff at the start of this year, a big undertaking for Group People Director Roxy Shakerifar and her team. We’ve also had the pleasure of welcoming back some familiar faces, bringing our combined workforce to a thriving total of 276 – surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This stands as a testament to our commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment.
As we set our sights on the horizon, with aspirations of becoming the foremost sustainable DMC in Europe, Group Marketing & ESG Strategy Director Vera Lett has taken the ESG Strategy under her wing with the aim of embedding it into Tour Partner Group’s DNA. Sustainability remains at the core of our ethos as we strive to make positive contributions to the destinations we operate in and the communities we serve. Building upon the momentum of 2022, where we partnered with Ecologi to offset our internal carbon emissions, we’ve also collaborated with Scotland: The Big Picture to support their rewilding initiative, to account for our local environmental impact.
In May our MICE division, led by Christophe de Patoul, rebranded as HORIZONS by Tour Partner Group in a culmination of a multi-year journey and huge team effort. Between 2017 and 2021 our individual MICE brands joined forces as founding members of Tour Partner Group MICE to create a new Northern European DMC group, under their existing brands. The decision to unite under the Horizons brand identity builds on the success of the group since its formation, providing a more streamlined customer experience and an improved product offering.
We are now midway through our busiest operating period and look forward to welcoming more of your customers back to our wonderful destinations. Iceland is already fully booked for 2024, so we advise booking early for 2025 to avoid disappointment! With your steadfast partnership, we look forward to more success and transformation.
