While Gebr. Heinemann Chief Operating Officer Raoul Spanger expects a strong October – notably intra-EU – he says trading performance in the last two months of 2021 and into early 2022 will be a case of ‘wait and see’.

Spanger spoke to TRBusiness in a wide-ranging *video interview for the TRBusiness Top 10 International Operators report.

Read the Top 10 International Operators report and watch the exclusive video interview here.

“We will have to see in November and December and then in January and February in the winter as the situation with booking rates is more unclear,” he told this publication.

At the beginning of the year, the Hamburg-headquartered travel retailer set a target to reach 50% of 2019 revenue by the end of 2021.

As reported, despite a more muted performance in the first two quarters of 2021 (generating around one-third of 2019 sales), turnover has risen in recent months to 60% of 2019 levels.

The company reported controlled turnover totalled €1.60 billion/$1.82 billion in 2020, a 67% decline on the €4.80 billion recorded in 2019.

*Interview filmed prior to several important country announcements made in October regarding the lifting of international border restrictions in early November, including travel to the US from 33 countries, and a relaxation of the travel ban in Australia.