After Hotelplan on Thursday it is the turn of Globetrotter, the fourth tour operator in Switzerland, to be forced to close four of its 22 branches due to the coronavirus crisis. The number of job cuts remains unknown at this time.
This was explained Friday the boss of the Globetrotter, Dany Gehrig, interviewed by the press agency AWP. The agencies of Zurich-Europaallee, Zurich-Löwenstrasse, Bern-Aarbergergasse and Interlaken will have to put the key under the mat early next year, said Mr. Gehrig.
Currently 240 employees are working at Globetrotter. The different operator teams will have to make suggestions. The only condition imposed by Mr. Gehrig: “With a turnover which next year should be lower by 40% Globetrotter must aim for an operating margin of at least 1.5%”.
And by 2023, operating profit is expected to return to a range of 2 to 3% – in other words, to the level before the crisis. “But probably with a lower turnover,” insisted the CEO of Globetrotter.
Tourism collapse
The Zurich group, like all the travel industry, is suffering from a drastic drop in tourist activity. In 2020 Globetrotter’s revenues are expected to plummet by 70%. “No new reservations are being made at the moment,” said Gehrig. He says he is convinced that unfortunately the current fiscal year will end with a loss.
At the same time, Globetrotter has decided to rationalize its board of directors, which in the future will have only five members compared to ten currently. In addition to Mr. Gehrig, Caroline Bleiker (sales manager), Heinz Wyss (financial director), Sven Ziörjen (marketing director) and Christian Blattmann (operational manager) will remain in place.
With the introduction of such measures by the end of the year, Gehrig believes that the tour operator is well prepared for the post-coronavirus era. “Our goal is to get our ship across the zenith of the storm, keep a large part of the crew on board and bring the rest of the crew back ashore with dignity,” said Dany Gehrig.
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