The coronavirus crisis has triggered a dramatic worldwide downturn in the travel business, with no prospect of a swift recovery. For Hotelplan Group, painful measures are unavoidable to prepare the company for tougher market conditions in the long term. In Switzerland, around 170 jobs will be lost and 12 of the tour operator's almost 100 branches face closure.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has sent shockwaves through the entire travel industry and brought it to a virtual standstill. Hotelplan Group and its workforce have also had to bear the full brunt of the crisis. The collapse of the travel sector means that Hotelplan Group must adapt all its business units in Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom to the changing market conditions.

Regrettably, job losses and branch closures will be unavoidable. The necessary restructuring measures throughout Hotelplan Group's subsidiaries will result in the loss of up to 425 jobs, 170 of which are based in Switzerland. The number of Hotelplan Suisse travel agencies will be cut by 12 to 86 branches.

"The development of the travel industry is a nightmare for us all. It is painful to no longer be able to provide employment prospects for all our staff. Unfortunately, the fallout of the global restrictions on travel and the outlook for business development make these measures unavoidable. Our aim is to secure as many jobs as possible in the long term and preserve our competitiveness," says Hotelplan Group CEO Thomas Stirnimann.

Redundancy scheme and support for affected employees

In Switzerland, a redundancy scheme for those affected has been set up in cooperation with the staff representative body. Employees can also take advantage of an in-house job mobility centre for advice and support with professional reorientation. In Germany, negotiations with the HHD GmbH works council have commenced. The consultation process at Hotelplan UK will start in the coming days.