The FTI Group, the third largest tour operator in Europe, is looking for an investor. Several names are now circulating in the industry. picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe
The FTI Group has been negotiating with potential investors for months. This is fueling rumors about who could join Europe’s third largest tour operator.
Names of possible donors are circulating in the industry. An FTI spokeswoman says they are in talks with “various investors”.
Business Insider sheds light on the background to the ongoing negotiations.
During the cold season, business in the travel industry is hot. While the Germans are freezing, tourism companies are enticing people to go on summer vacation with huge early bird discounts. The FTI Group is already talking about a possible “record summer”. According to its own information, Europe’s third largest tour operator has recorded twice as many bookings as in the previous year for the Turkish Riviera alone. That sounds like a sunny outlook for the Munich-based group of companies.
But a good mood is part of the business in tourism. And at the FTI Group, positive news is always a message to a nervous market. The group has had a turbulent year; quite a few in the industry see the heavyweight as a problem child. FTI is looking for investors, as CEO Karl Markgraf surprisingly made public at a congress in Valencia last fall. A completion report is still pending, which further fuels the rumors about alleged interested parties.