11/08/2019 16:10

Kuoni’s Expansion to Russian Cities

[IMG=21283-7145]On October 19th representatives of Swiss, Czech and Hungarian Offices of Kuoni arrived at Moscow in order to hold MICE seminar for Russian tour operators. It was the first of the series of the planned seminars of this kind. Next time French specialists will visit Russia. The organizers of the event were satisfied with the results of the first seminar. ‘I was surprised so many people came’, said Eva Musatics, General Manager of the Hungarian Kuoni Office. However, Miroslav Bauer, Kuoni Vice President, Sales Europe & USA, pointed out that the participants of the seminar were not active at asking questions: ‘Frankly, I expected a more active dialogue’. Meanwhile, travel market experts believe that the start of the Kuoni seminar program in Russia was deliberate. The Swiss operator announced its intention to expand into Russia. Training programs for potential partners is a well-known Kuoni tactics: practically in each country where the travel giant rooted, they opened a ‘school’ for tour operators. Though, the company does not deny its ambitions pointing out establishing a chain of companies among its plans for the nearest future. Kuoni has a representative office in Moscow, planning to open the next one in St. Petersburg followed by offices in other Russian cities. However, Kuoni denies possible purchase of shares of one of the Russian travel market players in order to act via it in the Russian market. In September 2006 Kuoni purchased the largest incoming company in the South-East Asia, Aisian Trails located in Bangkok, emphasizing takeover is the main expansion strategy. ‘The situation is different in Russia. In other countries we run both incoming and outgoing business, while in Russia we at the moment do not plan to work in incoming niche. Therefore, work here will follow a specific scenario, consequently it is unreasonable to buy another company’, explained Reto Wilhelm, Executive Vice President Europe, Asia & Destination Management, Member of the Executive Board. Meanwhile, travel market professionals doubt Kuoni will easily materialize its regional expansion. Thus, Andrey Shmelkov, Development Director of VKO, observed that ‘Kuoni will have to draw companies that work in regional markets over to its side, while usually it is Russian tour operators that choose partners for co-operation. And quite often local companies based in this or that country are favored’.