The operating result of the Hotelplan Group was again heavily affected by the pandemic. Due to the sharp decline in winter business, net sales fell by 11.9% year-on-year to CHF 645 million.
The Hotelplan Group’s results were again affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the 2020/2021 financial year. Customers made far fewer bookings and travelled much less than in the previous year, in particular during the winter season. The pandemic situation eased somewhat during the summer months, which resulted in more bookings compared with the same period in the previous year. For several weeks, bookings received by the business entities Hotelplan Suisse, vtours and Interhome Group even exceeded the levels seen in 2019 before the pandemic. The total net sales of the Hotelplan Group amounted to CHF 645 million in the reporting year (previous year: CHF 732 million).
Hotelplan Suisse introduced some new options to give customers more flexibility to change planned trips.
Flexible cancellation terms introduced
A customer survey carried out by Hotelplan Suisse in 2021 showed that customers want protection and flexible cancellation terms. Hotelplan Suisse answered this call with its new "care-free package", which includes flexible cancellation terms for selected destinations, plus daily updates on entry requirements. The "Flexible 50" tariff introduced by vtours also gives customers more flexibility to change planned trips.
less greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is the target reduction for the Hotelplan Group.
Focus on sustainability and customer experience
To take account of changing market conditions and prepare for the post-pandemic era, the Hotelplan Group used the 2020/2021 financial year to streamline its strategy. The Group-wide strategy process resulted in the ONWARDS! programme, which focuses on the core topics of sustainability and customer experience. In the area of sustainability, the Hotelplan Group was the first Swiss travel company to sign the "Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism" in 2021. As part of this, it has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and to achieve net-zero by 2050.
The Hotelplan Group is also committed to becoming climate-neutral in the current year by offsetting own greenhouse gas emissions that have not yet been reduced. It is also expanding its product portfolio to include sustainable holidays. In the area of customer experience, the Hotelplan Group strives to optimally link online and offline customer touchpoints across the entire customer journey, from initial contact to booking through to the stay in the destination.
in CHF million |
2021 |
2020 |
Change in % |
Net revenue from goods and services sold |
645 |
732 |
–11.9% |
Other operating income |
9 |
3 |
231.3% |
Total income |
654 |
734 |
–10.9% |
Earnings before financial income and taxes |
–41 |
–117 |
64.5% |
Segment assets |
23 |
28 |
|
Investments in long-term assets |
3 |
3 |
|
Employees |
1'900 |
2'581 |
|