TUI Reshuffles Senior Leadership as Benjamin Jacobi Moves to Hotels and Christian Bärwind Takes TUI Germany

TUI is reshaping its senior leadership as it targets further growth through closer integration between its hotel portfolio and global distribution network. Benjamin Jacobi will move to TUI Hotels & Resorts, while Christian Bärwind will lead TUI Germany, bringing commercial, retail and digital expertise to two strategically important parts of the group.

Why is TUI changing its senior leadership structure?

TUI is strengthening leadership across two areas that are central to its vertically integrated business model: proprietary hotels and tour operator distribution. From 1 November 2026, Benjamin Jacobi will become Managing Director Commercial, Marketing & Sales at TUI Hotels & Resorts, while Christian Bärwind will take responsibility for TUI Germany and the DACH region.

The appointments are designed to maintain continuity while placing experienced TUI managers in positions where their commercial and operational knowledge can support the group’s next phase of expansion.

Jacobi will report to Bernd Mäser, CEO of TUI Hotels & Resorts. Bärwind will report to Mircea Tudose, Member of the Group Executive Committee and Managing Director Regions in TUI’s Global Distribution business unit.

The changes also underline TUI’s strategy of connecting its hotel products more closely with its distribution channels. The group sees this integration as a way to strengthen its own brands while creating a more consistent holiday proposition for customers and partners.

What will Benjamin Jacobi do at TUI Hotels & Resorts?

Benjamin Jacobi will assume responsibility for Commercial, Marketing & Sales at TUI Hotels & Resorts, making the role particularly important to the group’s international hotel expansion strategy.

His responsibilities will cover global marketing for TUI’s six proprietary hotel brands: ROBINSON, TUI Magic Life, TUI Blue, The Mora, TUI Suneo and AQI. He will also oversee marketing activity for the wider TUI Hotels & Resorts umbrella brand.

A major part of his new position will involve strengthening cooperation between the hotel division and TUI’s global distribution channels and partners. His commercial responsibilities will include pricing and trading, revenue management and collaboration with sales.

The appointment follows four years in senior management at TUI Germany, where Jacobi was closely involved in the group’s tour operator operations in German-speaking markets.

At 46, Jacobi has spent much of his professional career within the TUI Group. He joined TUI in 2004 and has held several positions across the business. He was most recently Managing Director of TUI Deutschland GmbH and Managing Director of the GAS Region.

Before that, he served as Managing Director of l’tur GmbH between 2017 and 2023, adding further experience in the tour operator and travel distribution sectors.

Why are TUI’s own hotel brands important to its growth strategy?

TUI regards its proprietary hotel products as a significant source of differentiation and growth. Unlike a model based predominantly on third-party accommodation, the group’s own hotel brands allow TUI to connect product development, branding, distribution and customer experience more closely.

ROBINSON, TUI Magic Life, TUI Blue, The Mora, TUI Suneo and AQI serve different segments of the holiday market while remaining part of TUI’s broader hotel strategy.

Bernd Mäser said TUI Hotels & Resorts is a central pillar of the group’s strategy and a key growth driver. He highlighted the distinctive holiday experiences offered through TUI’s hotel brands and their role in keeping the TUI brand visible to customers.

Jacobi’s appointment is therefore closely connected with TUI’s ambition to expand internationally. His combined understanding of tour operating, commercial management and distribution is expected to support closer coordination between hotel inventory and the channels through which customers book holidays.

Who is Christian Bärwind and what is his new role?

Christian Bärwind has become Managing Director for the DACH region and Chairman of the Management Board of TUI Germany. The 53-year-old tourism executive succeeds Jacobi in the leadership of TUI Germany.

His background combines traditional tourism expertise with extensive experience in digital business. Bärwind returned to TUI Germany in November 2025 as Director of Marketing & Sales for the GAS Region.

Before returning to TUI, he spent 14 years at Google in a range of international leadership positions. His most recent Google role was Director of Automotive, Telco, Tech & B2B, Strategic Partnerships and Industry Leader Retail.

Bärwind had previously worked at TUI Germany as Director of Long Haul, Yield Management & Analytics. His return to the company therefore brought together earlier tourism-sector experience with a substantial period of international digital and commercial leadership.

That combination is particularly relevant as TUI Germany continues to operate across both traditional travel agency networks and increasingly digital customer journeys.

How will Bärwind’s experience shape TUI Germany?

TUI says Bärwind brings an understanding of both travel agencies and physical retail sales, alongside established digital expertise.

This balance is important for a tour operator whose distribution model spans travel agencies, online channels and broader digital customer interactions. Travel agencies remain an important part of the package holiday ecosystem, particularly where customers value advice, service and reassurance.

Mircea Tudose, Member of the Group Executive Committee and Managing Director Regions, said Bärwind combines an understanding of the importance of travel agencies and brick-and-mortar sales with proven digital expertise.

TUI also highlighted the trust Bärwind has built among its sales partners since returning to the company. His experience across both the tourism and technology sectors positions him to address the changing expectations of customers and distribution partners.

What does the leadership change mean for TUI’s vertical integration?

The appointments provide a clear indication of TUI’s intention to strengthen vertical integration across its business. The group operates across hotels, tour operations and distribution, allowing it to connect different stages of the holiday journey within one broader organisation.

For TUI, the benefit of this model is not limited to operational efficiency. Greater coordination between hotel products and distribution can help the group position its own brands more effectively, manage inventory and pricing, and create more consistent customer experiences.

Jacobi’s move from TUI Germany to the hotel division creates a direct leadership connection between the two areas. At the same time, Bärwind’s appointment ensures that TUI Germany remains under the leadership of a manager familiar with both the company’s tourism operations and the wider digital marketplace.

The changes therefore represent more than individual executive appointments. They reflect TUI’s wider effort to align its product portfolio, commercial strategy and distribution capabilities.

What does TUI expect from the new leadership appointments?

TUI’s leadership has described the changes as a combination of continuity and future positioning. Rather than bringing in external executives, the group is relying on experienced managers who already understand its brands, customers and commercial structure.

For Hotels & Resorts, the immediate priority is continued international growth and stronger commercial coordination around the group’s proprietary brands. For TUI Germany, the focus will include maintaining strong relationships with sales partners while combining established tourism expertise with digital capabilities.

The appointments also come as the travel industry continues to evolve around changing booking behaviour, digital distribution, personalised travel products and demand for differentiated holiday experiences.

TUI’s own hotel portfolio gives the group greater control over how these experiences are developed and presented, while its distribution network provides multiple routes to market.

What could the changes mean for TUI’s customers and partners?

For customers, TUI’s strategy could result in closer alignment between hotel products, tour packages and distribution channels. The group’s stated emphasis on distinctive hotel brands is intended to create a more recognisable and consistent holiday proposition.

Travel agency partners are also a key part of the strategy. TUI has stressed the continuing importance of personal advice, service and security within package holidays, even as digital booking channels become increasingly significant.

Hotel and cruise brands within the wider TUI ecosystem can also benefit from a stronger distribution strategy if the group’s proprietary products are marketed and sold more effectively across international markets.

The success of the new structure will ultimately depend on how effectively TUI converts this organisational alignment into stronger commercial performance, international hotel growth and improved customer experiences.

TUI’s latest leadership changes place experienced executives at the centre of its hotel expansion and German tour operator operations. Benjamin Jacobi will focus on commercial growth and global distribution for TUI Hotels & Resorts, while Christian Bärwind takes charge of TUI Germany, reinforcing the group’s strategy of vertical integration, digital expertise and international growth.

“Benjamin Jacobi and Christian Bärwind bring valuable experience, commercial understanding and proven leadership to strategically important areas of TUI. Their appointments demonstrate the group’s confidence in experienced internal talent while strengthening the connection between hotels, distribution and customers across key international markets.”

— Anup Kumar Keshan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Travel And Tour World