MTS Globe, a major DMC, to be independent again following Hotelbeds’ acquisition of GTA: One of the consequences of the recently announced acquisition by Hotelbeds of the GTA bedbank from the Kuoni Group is that GTA’s MTS Globe is going to be bought back by its CEO, Rembert Euling.
A large, regional DMC with 900 employees in 65 offices in 15 countries, MTS Globe serviced 5 million passengers in 2016, accounting for 23 million overnights, and had a €600 million ($655 million) turnover. It is an incoming services provider for German tour operators and travel agents, including DER Touristik, Vtours and JT Touristik.
It was only a little more than six months ago, last Sept. 18, that GTA signed an agreement with MTS Globe to acquire the latter’s hotel distribution, destination management services and IT businesses. Under the agreement, MTS Globe´s partner network and management team remained unchanged and continue to trade under its MTS Globe, OTS Globe and Axis Data brands.
In announcing the buyback, Euling said that he has decided run MTS as an independent network of partner companies. Francisco Girona and Michael Frey will run the company as joint CEOs of MTS Globe and OTS respectively, while Euling remains board chairman. The purchase comes just after MTS Global announced the opening of new offices in Mexico, Croatia and the UAE.
In a separate action, MTS, as it increases its global footprint, MTS has just purchased a 50 percent stake in Dubai-based DMC Desert Gate, its partner in the Gulf region since last year.
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Also, Another Operator Acquisition in Germany: Netherlands-based Sundio Group International has acquired the German youth travel specialist JAM Reisen. Sundio is one of the largest Dutch tour operators with more than one million customers in the Netherlands and various other European markets. JAM Reisen, whose former owners will continue to manage the firm, has some 40,000 guests and turnover of about €20 million ($21.8 million). Headquartered in Rotterdam, Sudnio Group operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, German, Denmark, Sweden and the UK.
