New competitor to Hotelplan: first woman to head Kuoni

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In fact, the press conference organized by tour operator Kuoni was the farewell performance of CEO Dieter Zümpel (65). But the biggest attention was his successor, who first presented himself to the media just days after taking office.

Stephanie Schulze zur Wiesch (50) is the first woman to head Kuoni in 117 years. Zümpel will only run them through June 21 before giving him a longer hiatus. From now on, however, Zümpel will continue to support DER Touristik, the parent company of Kuoni in Germany, as a consultant. “Of course we have been preparing for the handover for a long time,” explains the new boss, who previously lived “with her husband and dog” in Hanover (Germany). Currently she is still looking for an apartment in Zurich, which is not easy as she has already learned.

The prospect of discovering Switzerland

Schulze zur Wiesch has been CEO of German train tour operator Ameropa Reisen for the past three years. Prior to that, he gained years of management experience at Tui, the world’s largest travel group. “I am a tourism professional from start to finish and during my business training I already knew I wanted to work in this industry,” he says. During her education she worked as a tour guide or guest services and travel sales at the airport.

It brings a wealth of experience with it, but is also aware of the peculiarities of the Swiss market. “The needs and requirements of the Swiss market are very important to me,” he told Blick. Now he also looks forward to exploring the Swiss mountains on extensive hiking tours and especially the Glacier Express. The director has so far been alternately drawn to Africa and Asia and identifies Myanmar and Botswana as highlights of his personal travel. Unrealized travel dream is to visit the Himalayas and especially Bhutan.

big footsteps

Zümpel leaves him a healthy friend. Kölnlü took over the management of Kuoni after it was sold to DER Touristik Group in 2017 and managed the difficult restructuring and the corona pandemic. After returning to consolidated total sales and profitability of CHF 485 million in 2022, Kuoni brands also got off to a good start this year: sales at the end of May were slightly above the level of the first five months of 2019. was betrayed, as Zümpel explained at the press conference. DER Touristik Suisse, which includes Kuoni, Helvetic Tours and more than ten Kuoni Specialists, has budgeted 93 percent of pre-Corona sales for 2023.

Despite “possible difficulties” at Zurich Airport next summer, Zümpel expects a good job, as 79 percent of Swiss have allocated the same or more budget for their holidays this year, according to a representative survey conducted specifically for this purpose. And tour operators, especially in the hotel sector, can sometimes be cheaper than online portals, thanks to their good purchasing policies.

The resigning boss believes that Schulze zur Wiesch and the current management team, as well as approximately 900 Kuoni employees in Switzerland, will overcome the challenges ahead. With her appointment, Swiss tourism is now firmly in women’s hands: Both Kuoni and Hotelplan have a female CEO and multiple female management members.

Source :Blick