TUI bought the names Neckermann and Vrij Uit from the bankrupt estate of Thomas Cook Netherlands, together with an extensive customer database. TUI Netherlands CEO Arjan Kers expects to acquire 150.000 new customers. According to him, TUI is now providing holidays for more than 1,7 million Dutch people. In the 90s, the ANWB sold Vrij Uit to the German tour operator Neckermann, who later became part of the European travel group Thomas Cook. 

The travel agency is considering reviving the name Vrij Uit for car holidays. Vrij Uit used to be a household name as an ANWB subsidiary among Dutch tourists who liked to travel around Europe with their own transport. The ANWB in October 1997 completely transferred his tour operator Vrij Uit to the German travel combination NUR Touristic / Neckermann.

The ANWB thought that Vrij Uit, under the care of the Germans, could better respond to developments in the European travel market. The tourist association thought that Vrij Uit therefore suited the activities of the organization less well. The ANWB mainly wanted to focus on the Dutch public and the Dutch market.

Green light Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets

The Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM), which monitors whether companies do not get a monopoly position, has yet to give the green light. The travel company owns the brands TUI and KRAS. The company also has its own airline, TUI fly, and the organization works with 140 of its own travel agencies and 120 mobile travel advisors. TUI provides a holiday for 1,7 million travelers every year.

Also read: ANWB sees van Bruggen grow by a third