In a highly strategic move, the Kuoni Group is all set to acquire a 60% interest in Direkt Reisen, the direct travel group. The sum involved in the deal is still not publicly disclosed.

Most notably, Direkt Reisen AG is among the leading direct sellers of all-inclusive tours in Switzerland, having a special focus on holiday destinations especially located in the African, Asian, Caribbean and Mediterranean regions. Following the deal, the remaining shares of the company shall continue to rest with the founders of the company and an additional shareholder.

In a recent statement concerning this deal that comes into effect on the 1st of July, Kuoni has hinted that there will not be any loss of jobs and that the company shall retain the Direkt Reisen brand in addition to its entire partner brands. Over and above, following the deal, The Direkt Reisen Company will be integrated into Kuoni Switzerland's unit of Smart. Notably, this is a strategic business division of the group.

Te head of Smart and Kuoni Switzerland's chief executive, Stefan Leser, noted, "We expect to generate sizeable synergies between Direkt Reisen and our present Kuoni Switzerland brands, in terms of both existing customer relationships and increased procurement volumes say and we intend to exploit these to the full."

Most interestingly, the deal follows within just two weeks after Kuoni purchased an 80% stake in Dubai based Desert Adventures Tourism. These moves mark the significant development of the Kuoni Group over these years.

Visit www.Kuoni.co.uk