Question 1

What are the highlights of this year for you?

In what has been a very economically challenging year in the global market place, where we have experienced the deepest and longest post-war recession, rising unemployment, loss of consumer confidence and increased cost pressures, I am delighted that TUI Travel has achieved strong results. For me, if there is one thing that really stands out it is the dedication and commitment of all our colleagues at TUI Travel.

I believe that we have the best management team in the industry and this is borne out by the way businesses perform in times of adversity. It is one thing to perform well when the trading environment is positive or benign but it is quite another thing to produce good performance when times are tough. We also have a good mix of tour operator and functional experts across the Group which creates the right balance to successfully manage what is a huge, complex international business.

It is not only about the team at the top though. We have identified our talent pool and considerable time and commitment is going into developing our leaders of tomorrow. I have had the opportunity of spending time with them this year and what a fantastic group of colleagues they are. It is both a privilege and reassuring to know that as the business grows we will have the right team to grow with it.