Christian Tour, the largest travel agency in Romania, ended the year 2023 with sales revenues exceeding 683 million lei, approximately 62.08% higher than the revenues earned in 2022 (about 425 million lei). The company’s estimated gross profit for 2023 was about 20 million lei.
Last year, the company made a series of investments in agencies and booking platforms, totaling 2,035,740 lei. It also opened 13 new agencies in Bucharest and across the country, reaching a total of 43 Christian Tour owned offices and 10 franchises.
“After the pandemic, Romanians are traveling more and allocating larger budgets for vacations and relaxation, which has been reflected in a significant increase in our sales revenues in 2023,” says Cristian Pandel, CEO & President of Christian Tour. “Leveraging 27 years of market experience, we continue to grow, expanding both domestically and internationally through numerous partnerships, developing our booking platforms, and making numerous group-level investments to offer the best services and most enjoyable experiences to our clients. These efforts are visible, as tourists are choosing us in increasing numbers, regardless of the type of vacation they desire. Last year, over 360,000 tourists traveled with us, an increase of over 33% compared to 2022.”
In terms of sales percentages for the tour operator in 2023, stays abroad accounted for 49%, cultural tours over 9%, exotic vacations about 17%, individual travels over 9%, domestic travels over 10%, and corporate tourism services and plane tickets around 6%.
“Charter flight travel packages remain the first choice of our clients, but we also see increases in other segments, such as vacations in exotic destinations and domestic travel. We aim to cover all our clients’ travel needs, from stays to tours, vacations in Romania’s most beautiful areas, and the farthest corners of the world.”
The most popular destinations among Christian Tour clients are Antalya, Crete, Rhodes, and Mallorca, with charter flight packages being preferred. The prices for these packages average around 700 euros per person.
In 2024, Christian Tour has introduced more new destinations to its range of travel packages, some with direct charter flights for the first time, including Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Costa de la Luz in Spain, Albufeira with flights to Faro in southern Portugal, and Kefalonia, Greece.
Meanwhile, the company also offers Corporate Business Travel services, creating customized travel packages for corporate clients of all sizes, or handling logistics for events, from small gatherings to large conferences, congresses, and other large-scale events, hosting up to 2,000 people. A growth in the share of these services in sales revenue of over 200% is anticipated.
Another new division the tour operator is banking on for 2024 is the luxury division, which will operate under the brand “Travel Like a Star” and will have two locations (one in the north of the capital – in Charles de Gaulle Square – and one at the headquarters in Alba Iulia Square) for discerning clients with large travel budgets.
Currently, through its booking platforms, Christian Tour can access over 500,000 accommodation units worldwide, with the number of hotel partners in the country standing at 5,391. The majority of hotels on tours, over 80%, are tested and verified by Christian Tour agents, providing an additional guarantee to clients.
“From our information and sales, we see that tourism is now on an upward trend. People want to travel again and are purchasing one, two, or three vacations annually. The star destinations remain the usual ones, such as Turkey, Greece, Spain, Egypt, or Bulgaria, but we are receiving more and more requests for exotic destinations, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Argentina, or Costa Rica. Our travelers seek authentic experiences, group excursions, activities that bring joy and create memories, with cultural and gastronomic objectives, interactions with locals, and discovering the local specifics,” adds the Christian Tour official.
For the current year, the company estimates a 20% increase in business volume compared to last year.
As of December 31, 2023, Christian Tour had 237 active employees.
