Leaving no footprint in South Africa (Cape region beach)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two Swiss travel companies, Imagine and Kuoni, have launched the world’s first fair trade travel packages, according to the Swiss government, whose State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) in South Africa has supported the development of the new products.
The packages will carry the FTT (fair trade tourism) label, which guarantees that all service providers, from Kuoni in Switzerland to the hotel, local tourist agencies and excursion organizers, who are involved in the package, have been checked and are in line with FTT standards. These require companies to respect fair trade and social and environmental sustainability criteria.
Kuoni’s first FTT package goes to South Africa’s Garden Route.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Travel agent Kuoni has reported a loss of CHF5.7 million on net income of almost CHF3 billion in the first nine months of 2009. Kuoni has not made a profit yet this year, although it says the trend in reservations is upwards and it expects to have an operational profit by the end of the fourth quarter. Kuoni has been hard hit by the recession, as households and businesses curtail travel plans.
“The continuing global financial and economic crisis and the negative impact of currency movements depressed our nine-month results,”said Peter Rothwell, CEO of the Kuoni Group. “On the plus side, further progress was made on the cost savings front with a positive effect on our operating result.”
Kuoni announced a new strategy at the end of September that will allow for greater savings in the future.
Links to other sites: Kuoni, Le Temps (Fre), Romandie News (Fre)
Not enough of this for Kuoni
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland’s largest travel agent, Kuoni, said it lost CHF51 million in the first six months of 2009, against revenues of CHF26m in the same period of 2008. The global financial crisis, the economic downturn, the negative effects of currency fluctuations, and the incipient swine flu epidemic all contributed to a difficult first half.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s largest travel group, Kuoni, calls its 2008 financial results “cheering”, with CHF4.9 billion in sales, an increase of 3.3 percent over 2007, and net profits up 12.1 percent to CHF152.1 million. Operating profits (EBIT) were CHF151.5m, up 8.6 percent.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Travel group Kuoni expects a slowdown and to fight it, the company is investing CHF106 million over three years, largely in stronger marketing and employee training, but it will also reduce its staff, mainly through natural attrition.
