TUI Travel tour operator plans to start intensive development in Ukraine from 2015, and 2014 will be devoted to the processes of the merger with Turtess Travel, TUI Russia&CIS Managing Director Chris Mottershead , who headed TUI Travel business, has said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"We have the task of merging the company into one for 2014 and creating a platform for further growth and operation with charter flights. We'll consider growth and expansion of our business from 2015, when we create a platform," he said.

Mottershead said that after the acquisition of Turtess Travel, TUI Travel in Ukraine would focus on the development in the regions thanks to the wide chain of travel agencies of Turtess Travel.

"Turtess is well represented in the regions and it has a well-developed regional program, so we'll have a good chance to develop in the regions," he said.

Mottershead said that along with top-priority directions – Egypt, Turkey and Spain - TUI Travel in Ukraine will develop long-haul routes, in particular, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

He said that TUI Travel plans to restore tourist flow to Egypt from summer 2014.

As reported, T UI Travel PLC international travel company plans through the purchase of Turtess Travel tour operator, specializing in popular destinations, to increase the number of its clients in Ukraine over 2013 to 243,000 people. The company also hopes that the acquisition of the Turtess Travel assets will allow it to increase TUI sales in the CIS to $800 million and raise the number of tourists to 850,000 people a year.

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine permitted Cypriot Togebi Holdings Limited to acquire the assets of Turtess Travel LLC (Kyiv) to provide travel services.

The TUI Travel Plc Group includes over 240 brands, among which are travel agencies, cruise companies, airlines, hotel chains, etc. The company was founded after a merger of two tour companies TUI Tourism and First Choice Holidays in 2007.

Turtess Travel had been operating on the Ukrainian market since 2002. Its core directions were Turkey, Egypt, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Sri Lanca and India.