The general manager of Sunsail, Scott Farquharson speaks to YBW about the decision by the TUI Group to sell their Specialist Group. Find out what the announcement means for Sunsail customers.

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The TUI Group announced on May 11 that it plans to sell off its adventure holidays arm, the Specialist Group. Among the brands which make up this division of the TUI Group are Sunsail, Le Boat and The Moorings.

YBW spoke to the general manager of Sunsail, Scott Farquharson to see what this means for customers.

Following the announcement of the sale, what advice can you give customers who have already booked with Sunsail?

It is business as usual for all our Sunsail customers and colleagues. Sunsail and the other brands in the Specialist Group (now known as Travelopia) were originally independently run and the last few years have been about collaborating with TUI as we all worked towards creating the largest global travel business. We anticipate the sale the best return on investment. We know that our customers come first – and we also know that they are fundamentally different to TUI’s core Tourism customers. Therefore this sale is an excellent opportunity for us to take Sunsail forward through our already growing fleet and expanding our holiday choices further for our customers. We are all confident that this is the right move for Sunsail.

Are people’s holidays secure?
Yes, nothing has changed with regards to existing and future bookings as we are still part of TUI. We are grateful for always being part of the TUI umbrella, however we are looking forward to a new challenge and exciting times ahead.

Can people still continue to book with Sunsail, and book directly?
Sunsail have loyal customers and offer incredible products and experiences. Yes, customers can continue to book their Sunsail holidays either directly or via agents as normal.

What does the announcement mean for the future of Sunsail and its staff?
For the majority of our colleagues, their day to day job will continue as normal, however, in the long run, this will impact some individuals and we will work with them to mitigate any impact as much as possible. We believe that this is a really exciting time for the Specialist Group brands and we hope this will create even further opportunities down the line.

The disposal of the Specialist Group portfolio is expected to take place in the autumn.

Two of the brands, Crystal Ski and Thomson Lakes & Mountains will not be sold. Instead, they have already been transferred to the business in the UK and Ireland.

Sunsail is the market leading specialist tour operator in the sailing holiday market. It operates principally in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, UK and the Indian Ocean.
The group of companies provides bareboat and flotilla sailing holidays, corporate sailing, sailing schools and third party yacht sales.